The Grainger College of Engineering
Illinois Center for Transportation

New ICT-IDOT reports

7/16/2023 McCall Macomber

Illinois Center for Transportation is pleased to announce the publication of reports from the following Illinois Department of Transportation-sponsored projects, in order of publication.

R27-242: Economical Impact of Full Closure for Accelerated Bridge Construction and Conventional Staged Construction
Khaled El-Rayes, Nora El-Gohary, Mani Golparvar-Fard, and EJ Ignacio, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Patrik Claussen, Illinois Department of Transportation

Accelerated bridge construction aims to reduce on-site construction time by constructing large sections of a bridge off-site and then installing them quickly, typically within 48 to 72 hours.
Accelerated bridge construction aims to reduce on-site construction time by constructing large sections of a bridge off-site and then installing them quickly, typically within 48 to 72 hours.

The use of accelerated bridge construction — which has a high initial cost but can lead to shorter construction times, lower indirect costs and result in higher quality construction — has grown recently.

Here researchers developed a tool to compare the total cost of an accelerated bridge construction project with that of a traditional project. The tool will help IDOT decide when to use accelerated or traditional bridge construction methods, with the aim to use accelerated bridge construction more appropriately and often.

Appropriate use of accelerated bridge construction will allow the traveling public to experience shorter construction times and safer work zones.

R27-218: Railroad-Highway Crossing Safety Improvement Evaluation and Prioritization Tool
P.S. Sriraj, Joseph Fazio, Kazuya Kawamura and Paul Metaxatos, University of Illinois Chicago
Bill Pearsall, Illinois Department of Transportation

Illinois has the second largest rail system of any state with more than 7,300 miles of railroad tracks, according to the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Illinois has the second largest rail system of any state with more than 7,300 miles of railroad tracks, according to the Illinois Commerce Commission.

The goal of this project was to develop a model and prioritization safety tool that IDOT can use to determine potential safety improvements at railroad-highway crossings. The researchers updated existing formulas or created new formulas that include metrics for pedestrian safety improvements and railroad circuitry upgrades.

The updated formulas will allow IDOT personnel to evaluate and compare proposed projects and make better safety-related decisions.

R27-228: Illinois, a Leader in Mobility 4.0 and Beyond
Angeli Jayme and Imad Al-Qadi, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Breton Johnson and Hani Mahmassani, Northwestern University
Jerry Quandt, Illinois Autonomous Vehicles Association
Michael Vanderhoof, Illinois Department of Transportation

Mobility is the backbone of all economies and connects people, goods, agriculture, data, energy and infrastructure across all transportation modes.
Mobility is the backbone of all economies and connects people, goods, agriculture, data, energy and infrastructure across all transportation modes.

We are entering Mobility 4.0 — the next revolution of connected and digitized, multimodal, autonomous technologies. To help the state of Illinois prepare for this shift, this project established a blueprint for the future of mobility in Illinois.

The researchers identified key program areas, prioritized needs and resource appropriation based on stakeholder consensus and defined the path for activation of near-, mid- and long-term actions.

The blueprint will enable IDOT to have a clear outlook on the adoption and integration of connected and autonomous vehicle technologies, while strategically appropriating resources for a flexible and adaptable infrastructure.

R27-204: Optimized Hot-Mix Asphalt Lift Configuration for Performance
Imad Al-Qadi, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Hasan Ozer, Arizona State University
John Senger and Laura Heckel, Illinois Department of Transportation

Placing an asphalt overlay over an existing pavement extends the life cycle of pavement, improves the ride quality and reduces noise levels.
Placing an asphalt overlay over an existing pavement extends the life cycle of pavement, improves the ride quality and reduces noise levels.

When vehicles drive over cracked concrete slabs below asphalt overlays, the slabs will move because of the vehicles’ loads and loss of support, which will initiate a crack in the bottom of the asphalt overlay that will eventually rise to the surface, known as reflective cracking. 

This project aimed to evaluate how different gradations and asphalt mixes react to movement of the cracked concrete slabs, as some mixes have the potential to delay reflective cracking.

Delaying the cracks from reaching the pavement’s surface will benefit taxpayers by increasing the life cycle of overlays and providing drivers with smoother roads.

R27-SP52: Optimal Approach for Addressing Reinforcement Corrosion for Concrete Bridge Decks in Illinois — Phase II
Matthew Gombeda, Illinois Institute of Technology
Curt Evoy and Del Reeves, Illinois Department of Transportation

Placing epoxy-coated steel reinforcing bars in concrete bridge decks, shown above, is a popular method to help mitigate corrosion. Alternative options to prevent corrosion include the use of galvanized, stainless-steel or A1035 bars.
Placing epoxy-coated steel reinforcing bars in concrete bridge decks, shown above, is a popular method to help mitigate corrosion. Alternative options to prevent corrosion include the use of galvanized, stainless-steel or A1035 bars.

Previous research demonstrated that, depending upon the specific properties and design objectives for a given bridge deck, potential cost savings and performance enhancements are achievable when selecting bars with enhanced corrosion-resistant properties despite slightly higher initial costs in some cases.

The main objectives of the project were to expand on previous research to also include both textured epoxy-coated and stainless-steel clad carbon core bars as corrosion-resistant alternatives and to further assess the potential structural performance benefits when utilizing the increased yield strength of ASTM A1035 bars.

The objectives of the proposed research are to be used by IDOT officials when deciding whether to invest in higher performing corrosion-protection systems for a given application or for updating current bridge design policies to reflect the latest developments in alternative corrosion-resistant reinforcement options.