Civil Engineering

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The Department of Civil Engineering has strong affiliation with the Western Transportation Institute (WTI) and the Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE), a graduated NSF research center. The department is also affiliated with a Montana Department of Transportation Design Unit located on the MSU campus.

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A New Approach for Identifying Safety Improvement Sites on Rural Highways: A Validation Study
(MDPI AG, 2024-02) Dhakal, Bishal; Al-Kaisy, Ahmed
The research presented in this paper examines a new proposed approach for identifying safety improvement sites on rural highways. Unlike conventional approaches, the proposed approach does not require crash history, but rather utilizes classified variables for traffic volume, geometric features, and roadside characteristics that do not require access to exact data or extensive technical expertise. The research validates the performance of the proposed approach using field data from a large sample of rural two-lane highway segments in the state of Oregon including traffic, roadway, and crash data. A mathematical model for the prediction of the EB expected number of crashes using multivariate regression analysis is developed and used as the network screening criterion. The model’s independent variables include roadway geometry, roadside characteristics, and traffic exposure, while the dependent variable is the EB expected number of crashes. Using observed crash history as a reference, the performance of the proposed approach was compared to two of the well-established methods in practice, namely, the Empirical Bayes (EB) and the potential for safety improvement (PSI) methods. The study results suggest that by using crash density for highway segments, the performance of the proposed method was lower than that of the EB and PSI methods. This is despite the high R-square value of the predictive model used in the proposed method. However, when using crash frequencies for highway segments, the performance of the proposed method was found comparable to the well-established EB and PSI methods.
A Novel Network Screening Methodology for Rural Low-Volume Roads
(Scientific Research Publishing, Inc., 2023-01) Al-Kaisy, Ahmed; Raza, Sajid
Low-volume roads (LVRs) are an integral part of the rural transportation network providing access to remote rural areas and facilitating the movement of goods from farms to markets. These roads pose unique challenges for highway agencies including those related to safety management on the highway network. Specifically, traditional network screening methods using crash history can be effective in screening rural highways with higher traffic volumes and more frequent crashes. However, these traditional methods are often ineffective in screening LVR networks due to low traffic volumes and the sporadic nature of crash occurrence. Further, many of the LVRs are owned and operated by local agencies that may lack access to detailed crash, traffic and roadway data and the technical expertise within their staff. Therefore, there is a need for more efficient and practical network screening approaches to facilitate safety management programs on these roads. This study proposes one such approach which utilizes a heuristic scoring scheme in assessing the level of risk/safety for the purpose of network screening. The proposed scheme is developed based on the principles of US Highway Safety Manual (HSM) analysis procedures for rural highways and the fundamentals in safety science. The primary application of the proposed scheme is for ranking sites in network screening applications or for comparing multiple improvement alternatives at a specific site. The proposed approach does not require access to detailed databases, technical expertise, or exact information, making it an invaluable tool for small agencies and local governments (e.g. counties, townships, tribal governments, etc.).
Biodegradability of unheated and laboratory heated dissolved organic matter
(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2024-01) Islam Promi, Saraf; Gardner, Courtney M.; Hohner, Amanda K.
Following wildfires, partially combusted biomass remains on the forest floor and erosion from the landscape can release dissolved pyrogenic organic matter (dPyOM) to surface waters. Therefore, post-fire alterations to dissolved organic matter (DOM) in aquatic systems may play a vital role in DOM stability and biogeochemical cycles. Dissolved PyOM biodegradation remains poorly understood and is expected to vary with combustion temperature and fuel source. In this study laboratory heating and leaching of forest floor materials (soil and litter) were used to compare the biodegradability of unheated, low (250 °C), and moderate (450 °C) temperature leachates. Inoculation experiments were performed with river microbes. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON), inorganic nitrogen, and DOM optical properties were monitored for 38 days. Inoculation experiments showed significantly greater DOC biodegradation of low and moderate temperature samples (64% and 71%, respectively) compared to unheated samples (32%). The greater DOC biodegradation may be explained by lower molecular weight DOM composition of heated leachates which was supported by higher initial E2/E3 ratios (absorbance at 250 nm/365 nm). Further, the observed decrease in the E2/E3 ratio after incubation suggests biodegradation of smaller compounds. This trend was greater for heated samples than unheated DOM. Specific ultraviolet absorbance increased after incubation, suggesting biodegradation of aliphatic compounds. Inoculated moderate temperature samples showed the greatest DON degradation (74%), followed by low temperature (58%) and unheated (51%) samples. Overall, results suggest that low and moderate temperature dPyOM was more biodegradable than unheated DOM, which may have implications for aquatic biogeochemical cycling, ecosystem function, and water quality in fire-impacted watersheds.
Biomineralization of Plastic Waste to Improve the Strength of Plastic-Reinforced Cement Mortar
(2021-04) Kane, Seth; Thane, Abby; Espinal, Michael; Lunday, Kendra; Armagan, Hakan; Phillips, Adrienne J.; Heveran, Chelsea M.; Ryan, Cecily A.
The development of methods to reuse large volumes of plastic waste is essential to curb the environmental impact of plastic pollution. Plastic-reinforced cementitious materials (PRCs), such as plastic-reinforced mortar (PRM), may be potential avenues to productively use large quantities of low-value plastic waste. However, poor bonding between the plastic and cement matrix reduces the strength of PRCs, limiting its viable applications. In this study, calcium carbonate biomineralization techniques were applied to coat plastic waste and improved the compressive strength of PRM. Two biomineralization treatments were examined: enzymatically induced calcium carbonate precipitation (EICP) and microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP). MICP treatment of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resulted in PRMs with compressive strengths similar to that of plastic-free mortar and higher than the compressive strengths of PRMs with untreated or EICP-treated PET. Based on the results of this study, MICP was used to treat hard-to-recycle types 3–7 plastic waste. No plastics investigated in this study inhibited the MICP process. PRM samples with 5% MICP-treated polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and mixed type 3–7 plastic had compressive strengths similar to plastic-free mortar. These results indicate that MICP treatment can improve PRM strength and that MICP-treated PRM shows promise as a method to reuse plastic waste.
Bulk electric conductivity response to soil and rock CO2 concentration during controlled CO2 release experiments: Observations & analytic modeling
(2015-09) Jewell, Scott; Zhou, Xiaobing; Apple, Martha E.; Dobeck, Laura M.; Spangler, Lee H.; Cunningham, Alfred B.
To develop monitoring technologies for geologic CO2 storage, controlled CO2 release experiments at the Zero Emissions Research and Technology (ZERT) site in Bozeman, Montana, USA, were carried out in 2009-2011. To understand the impact on the electric properties of soil and sediment rock due to possible CO2 leakage, we have developed an analytical model to explain and predict the electric conductivity (EC) for CO2 impacted soil and sedimentary rock. Results from the model were compared with the measurements at the ZERT site during 2009â€“2011 and the CO2-Vadose Project site in France in 2011-2012 after model calibration at each site. The model was calibrated using the saturation (n) and cementation (m) exponents contained in Archie's equation, and a chemistry coefficient (pKc) as tuning parameters that minimized the misfit between observed and modeled soil/rock bulk conductivity data. The calibration resulted in n=3.15, m=2.95, and pKc=4.7 for the ZERT site, which was within the range of values in the literature. All the ZERT data sets had rms errors of 0.0115-0.0724. For the CO2-Vadose site, calibration resulted in n=3.6-9.85 and m=2.5-4.2, pKc=4.80-5.65, and the rms error of 0.0002-0.0003; the cementation exponents were consistent with the literature. These results found that the model predicted the bulk EC reasonably well in soil and rock once the unmeasurable model parameters (n, m, and pKc) were calibrated.
Capacity at All-Way Stop Control Intersections: Case Study
(SAGE Publications, 2023-08) Al-Kaisy, Ahmed; Doruk, Dorukhan
This paper presents an empirical investigation into the capacity of all-way stop-controlled (AWSC) intersections. Video data was collected over four days at an AWSC intersection site in Bozeman, Montana. The site is characterized by single-lane approaches and high level of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Using strict protocols, video records were processed at the individual vehicle level and several information metrics were extracted for each vehicle in the data set on all approaches. Study results indicate that the total intersection capacity at the study site varied between 400 and 1,400 vehicles per hour. The study suggests that the wide range of capacity observations is largely associated with the pedestrian crossing activity at the study site. Statistical tests confirmed that both pedestrian crossing activity and the level of conflict have significant effects on intersection capacity at the 95% confidence level. For movement type, the right-turn movement was not found to have a significant effect on intersection capacity while left-turn movement was found to negatively affect the intersection capacity. The results presented in this paper offer valuable information on AWSC intersection capacity, given the limited amount of information in the literature and the dated nature of those empirical observations.
Channelized right-turn lanes at signalized intersections: the U.S. experience
(Aracne Editrice, 2012) Al-Kaisy, Ahmed; Roefaro, Sommer Ann
This paper presents an investigation into the current U.S. practice regarding the use of channelized right-turn lanes at signalized intersections, the type of traffic control used, and the safety experience of highway agencies. The study involved a literature review and a practice survey, which was distributed to all state and selected local agencies in the United States. The literature review revealed the overall lack of knowledge about the operational and safety aspects of channelized right-turn lanes explaining, to a large extent, the lack of guidance in practice. Survey results suggest a heavy reliance on engineering judgment by highway agencies in the use of channelized right-turn lanes and the selection of traffic control. Further, results confirmed a general perception in practice about the safety benefits of signal control at channelized right-turn lanes, despite the fact that such benefits were not supported by studies or statistics. The study emphasized the need for further research on the operational and safety aspects of this right-turn treatment at intersections.
Characterizing sub-glacial hydrology using radar simulations
(Copernicus GmbH, 2024-04) Pierce, Chris; Gerekos, Christopher; Skidmore, Mark; Beem, Lucas; Blankenship, Don; Sang Lee, Won; Adams, Ed; Lee, Choon-Ki; Stutz, Jamey
The structure and distribution of sub-glacial water directly influences Antarctic ice mass loss by reducing or enhancing basal shear stress and accelerating grounding line retreat. A common technique for detecting sub-glacial water involves analyzing the spatial variation in reflectivity from an airborne radar echo sounding (RES) survey. Basic RES analysis exploits the high dielectric contrast between water and most other substrate materials, where a reflectivity increase ≥ 15 dB is frequently correlated with the presence of sub-glacial water. There are surprisingly few additional tools to further characterize the size, shape, or extent of hydrological systems beneath large ice masses. We adapted an existing radar backscattering simulator to model RES reflections from sub-glacial water structures using the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) Multifrequency Airborne Radar Sounder with Full-phase Assessment (MARFA) instrument. Our series of hypothetical simulation cases modeled water structures from 5 to 50 m wide, surrounded by bed materials of varying roughness. We compared the relative reflectivity from rounded Röthlisberger channels and specular flat canals, showing both types of channels exhibit a positive correlation between size and reflectivity. Large (> 20 m), flat canals can increase reflectivity by more than 20 dB, while equivalent Röthlisberger channels show only modest reflectivity gains of 8–13 dB. Changes in substrate roughness may also alter observed reflectivity by 3–6 dB. All of these results indicate that a sophisticated approach to RES interpretation can be useful in constraining the size and shape of sub-glacial water features. However, a highly nuanced treatment of the geometric context is necessary. Finally, we compared simulated outputs to actual reflectivity from a single RES flight line collected over Thwaites Glacier in 2022. The flight line crosses a previously proposed Röthlisberger channel route, with an obvious bright bed reflection in the radargram. Through multiple simulations comparing various water system geometries, such as canals and sub-glacial lakes, we demonstrated the important role that topography and water geometry can play in observed RES reflectivity. From the scenarios that we tested, we concluded the bright reflector from our RES flight line cannot be a Röthlisberger channel but could be consistent with a series of flat canals or a sub-glacial lake. However, we note our simulations were not exhaustive of all possible sub-glacial water configurations. The approach outlined here has broad applicability for studying the basal environment of large glaciers. We expect to apply this technique when constraining the geometry and extent of many sub-glacial hydrologic structures in the future. Further research may also include comprehensive investigations of the impact of sub-glacial roughness, substrate heterogeneity, and computational efficiencies enabling more complex and complete simulations.
Detection of Pathogenic and Non-pathogenic Bacteria in Drinking Water and Associated Biofilms on the Crow Reservation, Montana, USA
(2018-07) Richards, Crystal L.; Broadaway, Susan C.; Eggers, Margaret J.; Doyle, John T.; Pyle, Barry H.; Camper, Anne K.; Ford, Tim E.
Private residences in rural areas with water systems that are not adequately regulated, monitored, and updated could have drinking water that poses a health risk. To investigate water quality on the Crow Reservation in Montana, water and biofilm samples were collected from 57 public buildings and private residences served by either treated municipal or individual groundwater well systems. Bacteriological quality was assessed including detection of fecal coliform bacteria and heterotrophic plate count (HPC) as well as three potentially pathogenic bacterial genera, Mycobacterium, Legionella, and Helicobacter. All three target genera were detected in drinking water systems on the Crow Reservation. Species detected included the opportunistic and frank pathogens Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium gordonae, Mycobacterium flavescens, Legionella pneumophila, and Helicobacter pylori. Additionally, there was an association between HPC bacteria and the presence of Mycobacterium and Legionella but not the presence of Helicobacter. This research has shown that groundwater and municipal drinking water systems on the Crow Reservation can harbor potential bacterial pathogens.
Economic feasibility of safety improvements on low-volume roads
(2017-09) Al-Kaisy, Ahmed; Ewan, Levi A.; Hossain, Fahmid
This article presents an investigation into the economic feasibility of safety countermeasures along rural low-volume roads. Although these roads may be associated with higher crash risks as they\'re built to meet lower standards, crash frequencies are notably lower than those on other roadways with higher traffic exposure. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some conventional safety countermeasures that are proven to be cost effective on well-travelled roads may turn out to be infeasible on low-volume roads. Twenty-seven safety improvements were examined in this investigation for their economic feasibility along low-volume roads. A roadway sample of 681 miles of Oregon was used in this study. Detailed benefit-cost analyses were performed using countermeasure costs, 10-year crash data, and expected crash reductions using Highway Safety Manual methods. Around half of the countermeasures investigated were found cost-effective for implementation along low-volume roads. Further, most of the countermeasures that were found to have very high benefit-cost ratio are associated with low initial cost and many of them do not require much maintenance cost. At the other end of the spectrum, almost all roadway cross-section safety improvements were found economically infeasible due to higher associated costs relative to the expected crash reduction benefits on low volume roads.
Effect of cold temperatures on the shear behavior of glued laminated beams
(2015-04) Drake, Garrett; Berry, Michael; Schroeder, David
This study evaluated the effects of subfreezing temperatures and moisture content on the shear behavior of glulam beams. Full-scale glulam beams (79 mm by 229 mm deep) at two moisture contents (12 and 28%) and three temperatures (20 Â°C, 0 Â°C, and âˆ’ 40 Â°C) were tested in four-point bending until failure. Temperature was observed to affect the failure mechanism of the beams, with the beams tested at 0 Â°C and 20 Â°C failing in shear and the beams tested at âˆ’ 40 Â°C failing in tension. Further, the strengths of the beams and their stiffnesses were observed to increase with decreasing temperature, with these effects being more pronounced in the higher moisture content beams. Over the temperature range of 20 Â°C to âˆ’ 40 Â°C, the 12 percent moisture content beams observed strength and stiffness gains of 17 and 22%, while the 28 percent moisture content beams observed respective gains of 37% and 66%.
Empirical Bayes application on low-volume roads: Oregon case study
(Elsevier BV, 2021-12) Al-Kaisy, Ahmed; Huda, Kazi Tahsin
ntroduction: This paper investigates the Empirical Bayes (EB) method and the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) predictive methodology for network screening on low-volume roads in Oregon. Method: A study sample of around 870 miles of rural two-lane roadways with extensive crash, traffic and roadway information was used in this investigation. To understand the effect of low traffic exposure in estimating the EB expected number of crashes, the contributions of both the observed and the HSM predicted number of crashes were analyzed. Results and Conclusions: The study found that, on low-volume roads, the predicted number of crashes is the major contributor in estimating the EB expected number of crashes. The study also found a large discrepancy between the observed and the predicted number of crashes using the HSM procedures calibrated for the state of Oregon, which could partly be attributed to the unique attributes of low-volume roads that are different from the rest of the network. However, the expected number of crashes for the study sample using the HSM EB method was reasonably close to the observed number of crashes over the 10-year study period. Practical Applications: Based on the findings, it can still be very effective to use network screening methods that rely primarily on risk factors for low-volume road networks. This is especially applicable in situations where accurate and reliable crash data are not available.
Empirical examination of passing lane operational benefits on rural two-lane highways
(North Dakota University : Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, 2010) Al-Kaisy, Ahmed; Freedman, Zachary Sebastian
This paper presents an empirical investigation into the operational benefits of passing lanes on rural two-lane highways. Two study sites in the state of Montana were used in this investigation. Performance was examined at a single location upstream and multiple locations downstream of the passing lane at each study site. Using percent followers as a performance measure, operational benefits right after the passing lane ranged between 33% and 42% at one study site and 12% to 19% at the other study site under prevalent traffic levels. Study results also suggest that operational benefits persist for a remarkable distance beyond the end of the passing lane.
Estimation of Seasonal Daily Traffic Flow of Agricultural Products and Implications for Implementation of Automatic Traffic Recorders
(2015-06) Forsythe, Shane; Stephens, Jerry; Wang, Yiyi
Reliable traffic counts on a highway system are critical for sound decision making about the maintenance, operation, and expansion of the system. Portable short-term automatic traffic recorders (ATRs) are a cost-efficient way to complement traffic counts from permanent ATR sites by performing temporary traffic counts on the highway system. Complicating the collection of traffic data with these short-term devices is the seasonal variation in vehicle operations throughout the year. This work focused on predicting the spatial distribution of seasonal traffic resulting from agricultural activities by using a new method that combines geographic information system spatial functions and the four-step travel demand model. This research collected information about township grids for Montana (as proxies for trip origins), grain elevators (trip destinations), agricultural ground cover, and crop yield estimates to estimate flows in tonnage at the grid level on the road network. Results suggest that the proposed method using the location of major crops and the locations of grain elevators can be used to predict tonnage of product that will be added to individual routes. The predicted values can then be compared with reported heavy-truck traffic to locate sites that may have underrepresented traffic flows. Although this work considered specifically three crops, the method can be applied to any resource flow that has known origin and destination information. The method can be enhanced by refining assumptions of the composition of heavy trucks transporting agricultural products and by field measurements of vehicle flows to better test the validity of the model.
Examining the Effect of Speed and Roadway Geometry on Crash Experience along a Rural Corridor
(2014-03) Watson, Donald C.; Al-Kaisy, Ahmed; Anderson, Nathan D.
This paper presents a current investigation into crash experience along a 15.7-mile rural corridor in southwest Montana with the aim of better understanding crash causal factors along the corridor. The study utilized ten years of crash data, geometric data, and observed free-flow speed data along the corridor. A systematic approach was used where every tenth of a mile was described in term of the crash experience, speed, alignment, and roadside features. Using bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses, the study investigated the crash experience along the corridor as well as some of the underlying relationships which could explain some of the crash causal factors. Results show a strong association between crash rates and horizontal curvatures even for flat curves that can be negotiated at speeds above the posted speed limit, per the highway design equations. Higher crash rates were also found to be associated with the difference between the observed free-flow speeds and the speed dictated by the curve radius or sight distance as per the design equations. Further, results strongly support the safety benefits of guardrails as evidenced by the lower crash rates and severities. The presence of fixed objects and the steepness of side slopes were also found to have an effect on crash rates and severities.
Exploring canyons beneath Devon Ice Cap for sub-glacial drainage using radar and thermodynamic modeling
(Cambridge University Press, 2024-09) Pierce, Chris; Skidmore, Mark; Beem, Lucas; Blankenship, Don; Adams, Ed; Gerekos, Christopher
Sub-glacial canyon features up to 580 m deep between flat terraces were identified beneath Devon Ice Cap during a 2023 radar echo sounding (RES) survey. The largest canyon connects a hypothesized brine network near the Devon Ice Cap summit with the marine-terminating Sverdrup outlet glacier. This canyon represents a probable drainage route for the hypothesized water system. Radar bed reflectivity is consistently 30 dB lower along the canyon floor than on the terraces, contradicting the signature expected for sub-glacial water. We compare these data with backscattering simulations to demonstrate that the reflectivity pattern may be topographically induced. Our simulated results indicated a 10 m wide canal-like water feature is unlikely along the canyon floor, but smaller features may be difficult to detect via RES. We calculated basal temperature profiles using a 2D finite difference method and found the floor may be up to 18°C warmer than the terraces. However, temperatures remain below the pressure melting point, and there is limited evidence that the canyon floor supports a connected drainage system between the DIC summit and Sverdrup Glacier. The terrain beneath Devon Ice Cap demonstrates limitations for RES. Future studies should evaluate additional correction methods near complex terrain, such as RES simulation as we demonstrate here.
Flow-Control Plates to Manage Denil Fishways in Irrigation Diversions for Upstream Passage of Arctic Grayling
(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2023-06) Plymesser, Kathryn; Blue, Tyler; Kappenman, Kevin M.; Blank, Matthew; Cahoon, Joel; Dockery, David
Small-stream irrigation diversions are key elements of many on-farm irrigation systems but can act as barriers to aquatic species. Denil fishways have been installed at irrigation diversion structures throughout the Big Hole River watershed in Montana to provide upstream passage for a population of Arctic Grayling Thymallus arcticus. When stream flows are low and irrigation demand is high, irrigators look for ways to maintain adequate diversion, but doing so may reduce the effectiveness of the fishways. In response, agencies and irrigators have proposed flow-control plates placed at the upstream end of fishways. We conducted laboratory-based fishway efficiency experiments with Arctic Grayling placed in an open-channel flume fitted with a Denil fishway and three flow plates. Of the total 200 fish that we used, the fishway entrance attracted 154 fish and we counted these fish as participants. We operated the fishway under varying flow conditions using three flow-control plate treatments and a control to investigate 1) the extent to which each treatment reduced flow compared to the control, and 2) the extent to which each treatment impacted passage success of Arctic Grayling relative to the control. We measured passage success as the ratio of the number of fish that fully ascended the fishway treatment to the number of participant fish attracted to the fishway treatment. One of the three plates, the Denil slot treatment, showed no evidence of reducing either flow or passage success. Another plate, the standard treatment, showed no evidence of reducing flow but moderate evidence of reducing passage success (P = 0.03). The only treatment to significantly reduce water flow rate was the narrowed Denil slot treatment and there was no evidence this treatment reduced passage in comparison to the control. Over all trials, water flow rate through the Denil fishway had a strong positive influence on fish passage success.
Geosynthetic Subgrade Stabilization - Field Testing and Design Method Calibration
(2017-03) Cuelho, Eli V.; Perkins, Steve W.
Geogrids and geotextiles are used routinely to stabilize weak subgrade soils during road construction. Typical subgrade stabilization applications are temporary haul roads or unpaved low-volume roads, but can also include paved roads built on poorer foundation materials. Full-scale test sections were constructed, trafficked and monitored to compare the relative operational performance of geosynthetics used as subgrade stabilization, as well as determine which material properties were most related to performance. Unpaved test sections were constructed using twelve geosynthetics consisting of a variety of geogrids and geotextiles. Multiple control test sections were also built to evaluate the effect that subgrade strength, base course thickness, and/or presence of the geosynthetic had on performance. Even though the geotextile materials used during this study showed good performance as subgrade stabilization, material properties associated with their performance was difficult to establish due to the limited number of test sections and lack of relevant tests to properly characterize these types of materials for this application. Using longitudinal rut as the primary indicator of performance, it was determined through a linear regression analysis that the stiffness of the geogrid junctions in the cross-machine direction correlated best with performance in this application and under these conditions. Using this knowledge, the design equation associated with the Giroud-Han method was calibrated to make geogrid junction stiffness in the cross-machine direction the primary property of the geosynthetic, thereby replacing geogrid aperture stability modulus. The calibration and verification of this method is described herein.
High-Level Assessment ofStatewide GNSS-RTN Business Models
(2023-06) Al-Kaisy, Ahmed; Raza, Sajid
The applications of geospatial technologies and positioning data embrace every sphere of modern-day science and industry where geographical positioning matters. Among all other fields, geospatial technology plays a remarkable role in the transportation sector and has the potential to play an even more critical role in future autonomous transportation systems. In this regard, the GNSS-Real-Time Network (GNSS-RTN) technology is promising in meeting the needs of automation in most advanced transportation applications. The GNSS-RTN is a satellite-based positioning system that uses a network of reference stations to provide centimeter-level accuracy in positioning data in real-time. The technical aspect and working technology of GNSS-RTN are widely studied, however, only limited research has been conducted on the various GNSS-RTN business models currently in use nationally and internationally. Therefore, this study aims at assessing the various GNSS-RTN business models currently used in practice as well as those that are deemed potentially viable but have not yet moved to practice. Eight different business models were cataloged and used in the current assessment. All business models were assessed using three criteria: state control, sustainability, and state/agency costs. The findings of this research are important in helping state agencies make informed decisions as they build, expand or manage their own GNSS-RTN systems.
Hydraulic Analysis at the Interface of the Yellowstone River and the Huntley, Montana Irrigation Diversion Fish Bypass
(Montana State University, 2021-11) Johnson, Andrew; Cahoon, Joel; Zale, Al; Plymesser, Katey; Blank, Matthew
The nature-like bypass channel built to allow fish to circumvent the Huntley Diversion Dam on the Yellowstone River was constructed in 2015. A project was commissioned in 2019 to determine the effectiveness of the bypass using hydraulic modeling and fish detection techniques. During the course of the study it was observed that there may be a localized zone of high water velocity at the interface between the upstream end of the bypass and the main channel of the river -an area just upstream of the low-head dam. The concern this raises is that some fish that successfully negotiate the bypass channel may be returned directly over the dam due a difficult hydraulic condition at the interface. That observation prompted a more focused hydraulic modeling exercise as reported herein. A detailed 2-D HEC-RAS model was developed to investigate the hydraulic conditions. The model predicts localized water velocities of up to 15 ft/sec. At low river flows there appears to be adequate pathways for fish to avoid this high velocity region, but as river flow increases so does the area in which the velocity is high. From these results it is likely that, during higher river flow periods, the bypass channel may be passable, but fish may struggle to re-enter the river channel successfully. Suggested physical alterations to the site to help overcome this range from the addition of large rip rap to rerouting the upstream end of the bypass channel. Acknowledgement