The Grainger College of Engineering
Illinois Center for Transportation

New ICT-IDOT reports

10/23/2023 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.

R27-219: Field-Curing Methods for Evaluating the Strength of Concrete Test Specimens
Pranshoo Solanki and Sally Xie, Illinois State University
Douglas Dirks and James Krstulovich, Illinois Department of Transportation

Curing, which occurs after concrete is placed, provides water retention to facilitate cement hydration, thereby reducing permeability, increasing strength gain and minimizing concrete cracking.
Curing, which occurs after concrete is placed, provides water retention to facilitate cement hydration, thereby reducing permeability, increasing strength gain and minimizing concrete cracking.

Concrete strength samples cured in the field — in which samples are subjected to the same temperature and humidity experienced by the item they represent — have the potential to underestimate the true early strength of concrete placed in the field.

This project evaluated different curing techniques in the field for strength specimens to obtain a more representative strength of the concrete structure. Improving field curing and thereby accelerating the strength gain of field specimens will reduce the time it takes to open a road for the traveling public.

R27-SP56: Utilizing Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement in Preservation Treatments
Imad Al-Qadi and Ramez Hajj, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
John Senger, Illinois Department of Transportation

The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement, where asphalt and aggregate from existing pavement are recycled into new pavement, has been increasing due to efforts to combat climate change.
The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement, where asphalt and aggregate from existing pavement are recycled into new pavement, has been increasing due to efforts to combat climate change.

Pavement preservation, an economically and environmentally friendly technique, allows pavements to last longer and can improve ride quality.

The goal of this project was to explore the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement in IDOT’s pavement preservation treatments. Researchers surveyed agencies’ use of RAP in pavement preservation practices, evaluated its performance and cost-benefit, and determined its availability in Illinois.

Effectively using RAP in pavement preservation treatments will provide environmental benefits as well as potentially decrease construction costs.

R27-206: Evaluation of Roadway High Mast Tower Lighting
Ronald Gibbons, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
Marshall Metcalf and Kyle Armstrong, Illinois Department of Transportation

High-mast lighting is mounted at heights greater than 65 feet and are used to light large areas such as parking lots, highways and interchanges.
High-mast lighting is mounted at heights greater than 65 feet and is used to light large areas such as parking lots, highways and interchanges.

High-mast light towers illuminate highway interchanges and minimize the number of light poles needed to effectively light a roadway. Their high cost, however, is a barrier for their wider use.

This project aimed to identify ways to make high-mast lighting more efficient. Researchers identified designs that are more efficient in installation and life cycle cost as well as investigated two methods to reduce costs: reducing the number of towers through lighting design and reducing tower costs in a cost-efficient manner.

Determining the most cost-efficient method for high-mast lighting will allow the technology to be used more frequently and further increase drivers’ visibility.

R27-181 Updated and Unified StreamStats Peak Discharges for Streams of Illinois
Thomas Over, Mackenzie Marti, Padraic O’Shea, Amy Russell and David Soong, United States Geological Survey
Neil VanBebber, Illinois Department of Transportation

The State of Illinois has 87,110 miles of rivers and streams and has 880 miles of rivers on its borders, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
The State of Illinois has 87,110 miles of rivers and streams and has 880 miles of rivers on its borders, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

This project updated stream gauge data used in United States Geological Survey regression equations and Illinois StreamStats. StreamStats is a map-based, web application that provides analytical tools to map watersheds, determine basin characteristics, and calculate streamflow statistics for ungauged locations.

This tool will help IDOT to identify flood plains, design safe and cost-effective hydraulic structures such as bridges and culverts, and to protect and manage the state’s water resources.

R27-213: Reducing Concrete Cure Times for Bridge Substructure Components and Box Culverts
Nishant Garg, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Douglas Dirks, Illinois Department of Transportation

Curing helps concrete gain strength, and construction projects with concrete often have a specified curing period.
Curing helps concrete gain strength, and construction projects with concrete often have a specified curing period.

Curing, which occurs after concrete is placed, provides water retention to facilitate cement hydration, thereby reducing permeability, increasing strength gain and minimizing concrete cracking.

This project aimed to reduce curing time by developing a concrete mix design which will result in comparable concrete properties to that of concrete with a longer cure time. Successfully reducing concrete’s curing time will allow roadways to open sooner after construction.

R27-240: Development of Potential Strategies for Unmarked and Low Traffic Volume Roadways in Illinois
Arudi Rajagopal, Roger Green, John Mercurio and Aric Morse, INFRAME
Laura Shanley and Tim Peters, Illinois Department of Transportation

Illinois Department of Transportation classifies roadways that are not designated by interstate, US or Illinois signage as unmarked routes. There are currently 1,889 unmarked routes in Illinois, or 2,590.73 miles, according to IDOT.
Illinois Department of Transportation classifies roadways that are not designated by interstate, US or Illinois signage as unmarked routes. There are currently 1,889 unmarked routes in Illinois, or 2,590.73 miles, according to IDOT.

The goal of this project was to better understand roadway segments with low traffic volumes under IDOT jurisdiction, which are generally categorized as “unmarked” in the Transportation Asset Management Plan.

Researchers verified that IDOT’s roads are in the correct TAMP category, categorized routes into general functions and identified potential candidates for jurisdictional transfer. They evaluated and recommended best practices for repairing and maintaining low-volume roadways based on a review of local agency and DOT practices.

This research will present cost-saving measures for IDOT by recommending jurisdictional transfer of certain roadway segments that would be better served by local agencies, reducing maintenance costs and thereby reducing future funding needs.

R27-208: Measuring Transport Properties of Portland Cement Concrete Using Electrical Resistivity
Julie Hartell, Texas A&M University
James Krstulovich, Illinois Department of Transportation

Preventing the penetration of water, oxygen, carbon dioxide and salts is key to maximize concrete’s performance and life span.
Preventing the penetration of water, oxygen, carbon dioxide and salts is key to maximize concrete’s performance and life span.

Concrete’s long-term performance is partially impacted by the ingress of harmful agents, particularly water and deicing salts. It is difficult to measure concrete’s susceptibility to ingress from water and deicing salts, however. One way to assess concrete’s resistance to this ingress is to measure its electrical resistance.

This project evaluated electrical resistivity test methods and associated equipment compared to other long-established concrete durability tests. This research provided IDOT with a new tool to ensure the quality of concrete used in roads and bridges, allowing for more cost-effective concrete mixes while maintaining long-term performance.

R27-231: Evaluation of the Asphalt Mixture Design Framework for Airfield Pavements in Illinois
Uthman Mohamed Ali and Imad Al-Qadi, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
William Eves, Illinois Department of Transportation

Illinois is a transportation hub, which includes air travel. Illinois is home to 107 public and private airports — approximately 90% of which are nonprimary airports.
Illinois is a transportation hub, which includes air travel. Illinois is home to 107 public and private airports — approximately 90% of which are nonprimary airports.

While primary airports are required to use a Federal Aviation Administration mix design for asphalt pavements, nonprimary airports are permitted to use highway asphalt mixes in the absence of a state aeronautics asphalt mix design.

This project identified commonly used IDOT highway asphalt mixes and assessed their suitability for pavements at non-primary airports across the state. If readily available and suitable highways mixes are identified, then IDOT aeronautics mixes can be replaced by highway mixes.

Contractors are generally more familiar with highway mixes than the current aeronautics mixes, so this will result in more competitive bids for aeronautics projects as well as cost savings for FAA, Illinois and local airport sponsors.