Transportaton

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Module 4

Transportation
Module 4
Earthworks and Highway Safety

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Transportaton
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Module 4

Problem 4-1
In constructing a new road, the design estimates for the earthwork to be hauled is as follows:
Station Area (ft2)
520+36
250
521+57
365
522+87
452
523+92
320
524+50
275
The cost for moving the soil is $8 per cubic yard. Using the end area method of calculation,
the cost to move the estimated volume of earth, in dollars, is most nearly:
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

36,000
41,500
44,000
68,000

Solution
The end area method incorporates the area in ft2 between two locations and determines the
volume in yd3 to be moved. This assumes that the average represents the section as a whole and
therefore lengths between the end areas should be appropriate.

where:
V is volume in yd3
A1 is end area in ft2
A2 is end area in ft2
L is length between A1 and A2 in feet
is the conversion factor to transform ft2 into yd3
Hint: Check the lengths and do not assume they are all 100 feet although that is the common
stationing for the end area method.

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Area (ft2)

Station

Length (ft)

Volume (yd3)

121
130
522+87

452

523+92

320

524+50

yd3
275

Total Volume =

105

105*(452+320)]/54=1,501 yd3

58

[58*(320+275)]/54=639

+ 1,501 + 639 =

At $8 per yd , the cost is estimated at

$8 /yd3 *

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Transportaton
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Module 4

Problem 4-2
In constructing a new road, the design estimates the following areas for earthwork by the stations
provided.
Station

Area (ft2)

519+00
520+00
521+00
522+00
523+00
524+00
525+00

0
120
224
325
450
362
0

The cost for extracting the soil is $20 per yd3moving the soil is $5 per yd3. The total cost to
extract and move the estimated volume of earth, in thousands of dollars, is most nearly:
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

126
130
137
145

Solution
Apply the pyramid method for the end segments, because their area is zero, and apply the end
area method for the middle sections. The end area method incorporates the area between each
pair of full stations. This assumes that the average represents the section as a whole and
therefore lengths between the end areas should be appropriate.

where:
V is volume in yd3
A1 is end area in ft2
A2 is end area in ft2
L is length between A1 and A2 in feet
54 is the conversion factor to transform ft2 into yd3
Be sure to check the lengths and do not assume they are all 100 feet although that is the common
stationing for doing the end area method.
For the two ends, the pyramid method is applied:

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where:
V is volume in yd3
A is the non-zero end area in ft2
L is length between A1 and A2 in feet
81 is the conversion factor to transform ft2 into yd3 and the pyramid constant
Station
519+00

Area (ft2)

Length (ft)

Volume (yd3)

100
520+00
100
521+00
522+00
523+00
524+00

224
100

[100 * (224 + 325) ]/ 54 = 1,017 yd3

100

[100 * (325 + 450) ]/ 54 = 1,435 yd3

100

[100 * (450 + 362) ]/ 54 = 1,504 yd3

100

100 * 362 / 81 = 447 yd3

325
450
362

525+00
Total Volume =

+ 1,017 + 1,435 + 1,504 + 447 =

At $20 for excavation + $5 for moving per yd3, the cost to move and excavate is estimated at:
$25 /yd3 *

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Transportaton
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Module 4

Problem 4-3-185
A design per yd3 specifies 2 ft3 of cement, 0.5 ft3 of fly ash, 10.8 ft3 of coarse aggregate, and 8 ft3
of fine aggregate. If 300 lb of mixing water is going to be added, the amount of air entrainment,
in percent, that can be expected is most nearly:
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

1
3
5
7

Solution
Volume (water + cement + fine + course + fly ash + air) =
Volume
water (ft3) = lbs / specific gravity of water
water (ft3) =

Air =
Volume of air (ft3) = percentage of air * 27 ft3
Percentage of air =

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Problem 4-4
A representative sample is taken from a stockpile of coarse aggregate. The mass of the
aggregates under different conditions was determined following strict ASTM procedures. The
results were:
Original Mass in air

5,510 g

SSD mass in air

5,480 g

Submerged mass

3,450 g

Oven dried mass

5,290 g

Given the above results the difference between the bulk specific gravity (oven dry) and the bulk
specific gravity (Saturated Surface Dry Condition) is closest to:
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

0.10
0.15
0.25
0.30

Solution
The bulk specific gravity (oven dry) is given by:
Oven Dry/(SSD-Submerge) =
Note that the difference in weight between air and submerge is the mass of the water displaced.
The water displaced has the same volume as the aggregates.
The bulk specific gravity (SSD) is given by:
SSD/(SSD-Submerge) =
The difference is

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Problem 4-5-189
A six-lane freeway is being designed. The projected AADT of 25,000 vehicles and it is
estimated that 45% of the trucks will be in the design lane. The vehicle mix is:
Vehicle Type
Passenger Cars
2-axle trucks
3-axle trucks

Percentage
80%
15%
5%

Load Equivalency Factors

0.00002
1.51
8.88

The design ESAL is most nearly:

(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

1.9 x 106
3.7 x 106
7.3 x 106
9.4 x 106

Solution
Passenger cars do not factor into the ESAL calculation because they are insignificant compared
to the truck axle weights.
ESAL total is the sum of each category of truck
ESAL = Design lane factor * AADT * % category * days per year * axles * truck factor
ESAL1 =
ESAL1 =
ESAL2 =
ESAL2 =
Total ESAL =

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Problem 4-6
A two-lane mountainous road carries 7,000 ADT. Recent improvements have created an AR
value of 0.5 for the related accidents resulting in a 20-accident reduction. If 25% of the total
accidents at the site are considered related accidents, then the number of total accidents per year
at this site before the improvements were implemented is most nearly:
(A) 40
(B) 80
(C) 120
(D) 160

Solution
Accident Reduction * Related Accidents =
Since the AR value of

accidents reduced for the related accidents

is provided, then the Related Accidents is found from:

20 Accidents reduced / the AR value =

Related Accidents per year.

Once the Related Accidents are determined, the total accidents is found from:
Total Accidents * Related Accidents Percent = Related Accidents
Total Accidents = Related Accidents / Related Accident Percent
Total Accidents =

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Problem 4-7
Four intersections accident data is summarized in the following table.
Intersections
State (1)
Main (2)
First (3)
Third (4)

Daily Entering vehicles

750
950
1370
1020

#accidents/yr
6
8
9
7

Based on the intersection accident rate, the rank from lowest to highest accident rate is most
nearly:
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

3, 4, 1, 2
2, 4, 1, 3
1, 2, 3, 4
3, 2, 1, 4

Solution
The accident rate for intersections is found from the RMEV. That is the rate per million entering
vehicles into the intersection.
RMEV

Accidents per year*1,000,000

(Entering Vehicles per day) * (365 days per year)

State

accidents / miles vehicles entering

Main

accidents / mile vehicles entering

First

accidents / mile vehicles entering

Third

accidents / mile vehicles entering

Rank (lowest to highest):

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Problem 4-8

Four highway segments produce the following accident and flow data.
Highway Segment
1
2
3
4

ADT
23000
15000
35000
12000

# accident/yr length (miles)

15
1.50
13
1.35
24
4.50
8
0.53

The order of the segments from highest accident rate to lowest rate is most nearly:
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

3, 4, 1, 2
4, 2, 1, 3
1, 2, 3, 4
3, 2, 1, 4

Solution

The accident rate for road segments is found from the RMVM. That is the rate per 100 million
vehicle miles.
Accident per year *100, 000, 000
RMVM =
VMT
VMT is calculated from: VMT = (ADT) * (365 days per year) * Segment length
Therefore RMVM becomes
RMVM =

Accidents per year *100, 000, 000

( ADT ) *(365days. per. year ) * Segment.length

1:

2:

accident /100mil vehicle miles

accident /100mil vehicle miles

3:

(24)(100, 000, 000)

= 41.7 accident /100mil vehicle miles
(35000)(365)(4.50)

4:

(8)(100, 000, 000

= 344.6 accidents /100mil vehicle miles
(12000)(365)(0.53)

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Problem 4-9

A dangerous mountainous road has had 87 accidents in the past year. The road has 4,500 ADT
and is 34 miles long. 25% of the accidents are head-on collisions, 45% of the accidents are due
to running off the road, with the remaining being rear-end collisions at corners. A center median
is being added that is estimated to provide an accident reduction factors of 85% for the related
head-on accidents. In addition, guardrails are being added in some critical location which are
expected to have an accident reduction factor of 35% for running off the road collisions, and
signage at the corners is estimated to have a rear-end collision accident reduction factor of 25%.
The expected reduction in total accidents is most nearly:
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

28
38
48
58

Solution

The key to solving this problem is to identify that the accident reduction factors (AR) are not
related to the same reduction. This should be treated as three separate calculations and then sum
the reductions to find what the improvements provide. It is important to identify whether the AR
factors are related to the same related accidents (RA). Only then are they cumulative in their
impacts. The first step is to identify how many accidents of each type.
RA1 = head-on accidents, RA2 = Off-road accidents, and RA3 = rear-end accidents.
RA1 =

total *

Head-on =

RA2 =

total *

off-road =

RA3 =

total * (100%-25%-45% =

accidents
or

accidents
) rear-end =

accidents

In the problem, the AR value for each collision type is provided:

AR1 = 85%

AR2 = 35%

AR3 = 25%

The reduced accidents are equal to the related accidents (RA) multiplied by the accident
reduction factor (AR) for each type.
Reduced Head-On Accidents = RA1 (AR1) =

reduced accidents

Reduced Off-Road Accidents = RA2 (AR2) =

reduced accidents

Reduced rear-end Accidents = RA3 (AR3) =

reduced accidents

The total reduced accidents is the sum of the three collision types
Reduced Accidents Total =

expected reduced accidents, say

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Problem 4-10

At a congested intersection, there were 80 accidents. 20% were left turn related, 50% were rearenders, and 30% involved a pedestrian. There are an average 10,000 vehicles a day that passthrough the intersection and 250 pedestrians. If left turn volume is 15% of the total traffic, then
the expected accident rate for the left turning traffic, in RMEV (accidents / million entering
vehicles), is most nearly:
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

18
23
28
36

Solution

The accident rate for an intersection is found from the RMEV. That is the rate per million
vehicles entering the intersection.
RMEV

Accidents per year * 1,000,00

ADT*365

The total accident rate is found using the total accidents of 80 for the year and the total entering
vehicles.
RMEVT =

accidents/ mile entering

vehicles

To find the left turn accident rate, then the number of left turning accidents and volume of the
left turning traffic is used instead of the total accidents and total intersection volume.
Left Turn Volume = Total ADT * Left Turn ADT Percent =
Left Turn Accidents = Total Acc. * Left Turn Acc. Percent =
The accident rate for the left turns is then:
RMEVL =

accidents/mile entering
vehicles

This would indicate that the left turns are more dangerous than the intersection as a whole.

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Problem 4-11

A freeway in level terrain has a 50,000 ADT and a 3% grade. Over a 28-mile stretch, 63
accidents occurred in the past year. Three accident reduction factors are proposed with AR
factors of AR1 = 25%, AR2 = 35%. AR3 = 40%. These three reduction factors only related to
80% of the traffic. If all three are implemented by the end of the year, the expected number of
accidents on this section of freeway next year is most nearly:
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

19
27
36
45

Solution

The reduced accidents are equal to the related accidents (RA) multiplied by the accident
reduction factor (AR).
AR = AR1 + (1-AR1)AR2 + (1-AR1)(1-AR2)AR3
AR =
AR = 0.25 +
Related Traffic = Total * Related Percent =
Reduced Accidents = RA (AR) =
Expected next year:

Related Accidents
reduced accidents
accidents next year

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