2013-2014 ANNUAL REPORT

LOUISIANA TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH CENTER

1

The Louisiana Transportation Research Center (LTRC) is a research, technology transfer,

and training center administered jointly by the Louisiana Department of Transportation
and Development (DOTD) and Louisiana State University (LSU). LTRC provides a setting
in which the thresholds of technology can be explored and applied in practical ways. By
merging the resources of DOTD and LSU, a versatile core of facilities and expertise addresses the rapidly evolving challenges in the transportation field.

Sherri H. LeBas, P.E.

Secretary

In addition to its affiliation with LSU, LTRC participates fully with other universities in
Louisiana that house engineering programs (Louisiana Tech University, McNeese State
University, Southern University, Tulane University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and
University of New Orleans). By combining their resources with those of DOTD, the center
eliminates duplication of effort and provides a richer base of support. The center also provides an avenue for multi-disciplinary support from universities to meet the practical and
academic needs of the transportation industry in such areas as engineering, law, business
and management, basic sciences, planning, and environmental studies.
Since its creation by the Louisiana legislature in 1986, LTRC has gained national recognition through its efforts to improve transportation systems in Louisiana. The center
conducts short-term and long-term research and provides technical assistance, training,
continuing education, technology transfer, and problem-solving services to DOTD and
the transportation community at large. The center is largely supported through funding
authorized by DOTD and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

F. King Alexander, Ph.D.

Chancellor

LTRC merges the resources of the state and local government, universities, and private
industry to identify, develop, and implement new technology to improve the states
transportation system. By harnessing these valuable resources, LTRC is empowered to
find innovative solutions to Louisianas transportation problems.
To enhance the center as the focus for transportation-related research, technology transfer, and education in Louisiana, the LTRC Foundation, a non-profit organization, has been
established. The foundation provides an excellent partnership opportunity for DOTD,
state universities, and the private sector.
In these and other ways, LTRC is paving the way for more efficient and beneficial research
and training, thanks to a combination of modern techniques, locally available resources,
and a wide pool of support.

For additional information

LTRC
4101 Gourrier Avenue
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808
www.ltrc.lsu.edu

This publication is a report of the

transportation research,
technology transfer, education,
and training activities of the Louisiana Transportation Research
Center for July 1, 2013June 30,
2014. The center is sponsored
jointly by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and
Development and Louisiana State
University.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Directors Message | 5
Completed Research | 6
Active Research | 8
Technical Assistance | 13
Education & Training | 14
TTEC | 18
LTAP | 19
Tech Transfer | 20
Organizations & Committee Memberships | 24

LTRC Staff & Policy Committee | 26

Located on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, LTRC provides researchers

and students access to excellent laboratories and state-of-the-art research equipment. The full resources of LSU as a Carnegie Designated
Doctoral/Research Extensive Institution are also available. The unique
position of LTRC provides access to virtually all of LSU and DOTDs
resources to pursue its mission.
LTRC houses more than 90 employees and up to 30 students in two
adjacent facilities. The LTRC building is a 25,300-square foot facility
that includes five research laboratories, a conference room, and offices.
The laboratories are used to conduct advanced research into asphalt,
concrete, soils, and pavements. The 14,000-square foot Transportation Training and Education Center (TTEC) houses a lecture hall, a
computer-based training classroom, and two general classrooms that
are all equipped with advanced education and training equipment and
distance learning/video-conferencing capabilities. A comprehensive
transportation library and offices are also included.
LTRC has identified research areas of strategic importance and has developed expanded capabilities for concentration in several areas: the
Engineering Materials Characterization and Research Facility (EMCRF),
a laboratory facility specializing in fundamental materials characterization; the Geotechnical Engineering Research Laboratory (GERL), a laboratory focusing on transportation earth-works, structural foundations,
and geosynthetics; Pavement on the Move (POM), a multi-use mobile
laboratory for collecting data from field construction projects as well
as research and training; and the Intelligent Transportation Systems
(ITS) lab, the newest lab designed to evaluate traffic data collected
from Louisianas traffic management centers. Although remote from
the center, the Louisiana Pavement Research Facility is an important
facility that streamlines pavement loading research by compressing
years of road wear into months of testing. The six-acre facility is located
on the west side of the Mississippi River and incorporates an Accelerated Loading Facility (ALFTM).
The addition of TTEC greatly enhances LTRCs mission by facilitating
the delivery of training, professional development opportunities, and
technology transfer to engineers, technicians, undergraduate and
graduate students, and professionals from both the public and private
domains.

(top to bottom) Louisiana Transportation

Research Center;
Transportation Training
and Education Center;
Accelerated Loading Facility

LTRC is a budget entity of the Louisiana Department of Transportation

and Development. Funding is a combination of State, State Planning
and Research (Part II, Federal), Innovative Bridge Research and Deployment (Federal), Surface Transportation Program (STP-Federal), and external contracts and grants, such as the National Cooperative Highway
Research Program, Federal Agency Grants, and the National Science
Foundation.

Directors Message
Inside this report you will find featured articles on the research program, education and training and technology transfer
activities. Completed and active research projects, training accomplishments, technology transfer activities, support of higher
education and publications and presentations are included.
LTRC continues its strong focus of solving transportation problems. We are sponsoring one of the largest programs since LTRC
was created with 62 active formal research studies. Part of this is related to our partnership in the National Center for Intermodal Transportation for Economic development Competitiveness (NCITEC) a Tier 1 University transportation Center housed at
Mississippi State University. You will note that seven of the UTC projects in the freight and safety areas are coming to fruition
and have been published. These projects were presented at a UTC conference held at MSU in October. Similarly, our partnership in the Southeast Transportation Consortium, a pooled fund collaborative effort with the twelve SASHTO states, has
produced four synthesis studies in areas of common interest.
This year, Louisiana hosted the annual meeting of the American Association of Transportation and Highway Officials Research
Advisory Committee in Baton Rouge. This is a premier technology transfer activity for state research mangers. Two recently
completed LTRC research projects were recognized as Sweet Sixteen High Value Research Projects by the AASHTO RAC at the
meeting. The two studies, Safety Improvement from Edge Lines on Rural Two-Lane Highways and A Comprehensive Study on
Pavement Edge Line Implementation, are highlighted in this report.
LTRC partnering with private industry is also recognized through several news studies at the Pavement Research Facility in
Port Allen. LTRC has recently purchased a new accelerated testing, heavy vehicle load simulation device called the ATLaS.
This expands our capability to testing concrete pavements. The Concrete and Aggregate Association of Louisiana (CAAL) and
Rollcon of Houston TX donated manpower and equipment to build several sections of Roller Compacted Concrete at the PRF
site. These donations were accomplished through the LTRC Foundation, Inc. This partnership helped LTRC save over $250,000
in construction costs.
We have also established further partnerships in the academic area. LTRC and Baton Rouge Community College have developed a Highway Engineering Technology curriculum to meet workforce requirements of both DOTD and industry. A new
training lab housed at the DOTD Materials Lab, adjacent to the BRCC campus, will provide direct hands-on training in materials
testing such that graduates can be hired at higher levels and be immediately ready to work. This lab also will be used to train
DOTD construction employees.
Finally, we would like to highlight several in-house developed curricula -Leadership Development and Local Public Agency.
The Leadership Development curriculum, requested by Secretary LeBas, consists of four core courses for the departments
manager and administrators. The LPA training, developed by DOTD and LTRC personnel, provides training for local transportation agencies to assist them in developing and constructing projects using federal funding.
Respectfully submitted,

Harold Skip Paul, P.E., Director

Completed Research
LTRC
#

Project Title

Principal
Investigator

Agency

13-2GT

Implementation of Slag Stabilized Blended Calcium Sulfate (BCS) in a Pavement Structure

Gavin Gautreau

LTRC

13-8GT

Bayou Corne Sinkhole: Control Measurements of State Highway 70 in Assumption Parish, Louisiana

Joshua Kent

LSU

13-3SS

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Development of Performance Measurement

for Freight Management

Peter Kelle

LSU

13-8SS

DOTD Support for the UTC Project: The Impact of Modifying Jones Act on the
US and Louisiana

Asaf Ashar

UNO

05-1GT

Field Demonstration of New Bridge Approach Slab Designs and Performance

Murad
Abu-Farsakh

LTRC

13-1TIRE

A Smart Asphalt Sealant

Qinghao Meng

Southern
University

13-2TIRE

Assessment of the Mechanical Properties of Structural Composites from Algae- William Chirdon
Based Binders

ULL

13-3TIRE

Development of Nanostructured, Functionalized Catalysts for Production of

Long Chain Asphalt Binders from Renewable Biomass

Daniel Hayes

LSU

13-4TIRE

Video Analytics for Effective Traffic Operations

Supratik
Mukhopadhyay

LSU

13-7SS

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Use of Containers to Carry Bulk and Breakbulk
Commodities and its Impact on Gulf Region Ports and International Trade

James Amdal

UNO

12-1ST

Data Collection and Evaluation of Continuity Detail for John James Audubon
Bridge #2

Ayman Okeil

LSU

12-4PF

Regional Implementation of Warm Mix Asphalt

Ronnie Clark
Graves

KTC

13-6SS

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Economic Impact Analysis of Short Line Railroads in the State of Louisiana

Jared Llorens

LSU

13-1SA

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Distracted Driving and Associated Crash Risks

Sherif Ishak

LSU

11-3P

The Rideability of a Deflected Bridge Approach Slab (LTRC Project 02-2GT

Continuation: Phase II)

Mark Martinez

LTRC

Completed Research
(Publication Pending)
LTRC
#

Project Title

Principal
Agency
Investigator

12-2PF

Asphalt Surface Treatments for Pavement Preservation

Hesham Ali

FIU

07-4ST

Integral Abutment Bridge for Louisianas Soft and Stiff Soils

George Z. Voyiadjis

LSU

11-2B

Evaluation of Dynamic Shear Rheometer Tests for Emulsions.

Nazimuddin M
Wasiuddin

LTU

10-3GT

Design Values of Resilient Modulus of Stabilized and Non-stabilized Base

Khalil Hanifa

LTRC

07-1B

Evaluation of Warm Mix Asphalt Technology in Flexible Pavements

Louay
Mohammad

LTRC

13-2SA

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Developing a Highway Safety Fundamentals

Course

Xiaoduan Sun

ULL

11-1B

Validity of Multiple Stress Creep Recovery Test for DOTD Asphalt Binder Specification

Md. Sharear
Kabir

LTRC

11-4B

Modulus Based Construction Specification of Earthwork and Unbound Aggregate

Louay
Mohammad

LTRC

10-4ST

Development of Wave and Surge Atlas for the Design and Protection of
Coastal Bridges in South

D. Max Sheppard

Ocean
Engineering
Associates,
Inc.

10-4P

Development of Cost-Effective Pavement Treatment Selection and Treatment

Performance Models

Mohammad
Jamal Khattak

ULL

11-3B

Testing and Analysis of LWT and SCB Properties of Asphalitc Concrete Mixtures Samuel B.
Cooper

LTRC

13-5SS

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Improving Freight Crash Incident Management

Chester Wilmot

LTRC

08-2ST

Monitoring Bridge Scour Using Fiber Optic Sensors

Steve C.S. Cai

LSU

12-3SA

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Calibration of the Louisiana Highway Safety
Manual

Brian
Wolshon

LSU

12-5C

Comparison of Conventional and Self-Consolidating Concrete for Drilled Shaft Tyson

Construction
Rupnow

LTRC

12-2ST

Field Performance of Timber Highway Bridges: A National Study

LTRC

Vijaya Gopu

ULL: University of Louisiana at Lafayette

LSU: Louisiana State University
LTU: Louisiana Tech University
UNO: University of New Orleans
FIU: Florida International University
KTC: Kentucky Transportation Center
OSU: Oklahoma State University

Active Research
LTRC # Project Title

Principal
Investigator

Agency

06-3GT

Field Evaluation of Roller Integrated Intelligent Compaction Monitoring

Gavin Gautreau

LTRC

08-3GT

Support Study to Structure Health Monitoring of the I-10 Twin Span Bridge
Over Lake Pontchartrain

Murad
Abu-Farsakh

LTRC

11-1GT

In Situ Evaluation of Design Parameters and Procedures for Cementitiously

Treated Weak Subgrades using Cyclic Plate Load Tests

Murad
Abu-Farsakh

LTRC

11-2GT

Field Instrumentation and Testing to Study Set-Up Phenomenon of Piles

Driven into Louisiana Clayey Soils

Murad
Abu-Farsakh

LTRC

11-3GT

Accelerated Load Testing of Geosynthetic Base Reinforced Pavement Test

Sections

Murad
Abu-Farsakh

LTRC

13-5GT

Monitoring of In-Service Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS) Bridge

Abutments in Louisiana

Murad
Abu-Farsakh

LTRC

13-6GT

Development of LADOTD Standards for GPS Elevation Accuracy

Joshua Kent

LSU

13-7GT

Support Study to ITRS proposal on "An Integrated Computational and

Experimental Study of Pile Setup in Soft Clays"

Murad
Abu-Farsakh

LTRC

13-9GT

CORS 911: Continuously Operating Reference Stations for the Bayou Corne
Sinkhole

Joshua Kent

LSU

14-1GT

Calibration of Region-Specific Gates Equation for LRFD

Ed Tavera

GeoStellar
Engineering, LLC

14-2GT

Testing Protocol for Predicting Pile Behavior within Pre-Bored Soil

Malay Ghose
Hajra

UNO

12-11P

Field Validation of Equivalent Modulus for Stabilized Subgrade Layer

Mark Martinez

LTRC

10-3P

LED Traffic Signal Lifetime Management System

Leticia
Courville

LTRC

12-1P

Assessment of Pavement Distresses caused by Trees on Rural Highway

Kevin
Gaspard

LTRC

12-2P

Assessment of Environmental, Seasonal and Regional Variations in

Pavement Base and Subgrade Properties

Kevin
Gaspard

LTRC

12-3P

Minimizing Shrinkage Cracking in Cement-Stabilized Bases Through

Micro-Cracking

Zhong Wu

LTRC

12-4P

Development of DARWin-ME Design Guideline for Louisiana Pavement

Design

Zhong Wu

LTRC

12-5P

Evaluation of DOTD Aggregate Friction Rating Table by Field Measurements

Zhong Wu

LTRC

12-7P

Roller Compacted Concrete Over Soil Cement Under Accelerated Loading

Zhong Wu

LTRC

14-2P

Assessment of Structural Capacity Indicators from Rolling Wheel

Deflectometer Data Collection in Louisiana

Mostafa Elseifi

LSU

10-1B

Field versus Laboratory Volumetrics and Mechanical Properties

Louay
Mohammad

LTRC

10-4B

Development of Performance Based Specifications for Louisiana Asphalt

Mixtures

Louay
Mohammad

LTRC

12-1B

Evaluation Of Asphalt Mixtures Containing Recycled Asphalt Shingles

Louay
Mohammad

LTRC

LTRC # Project Title

Principal
Investigator

Agency

12-3B

Chemical Characterization of Asphalts Related to Their Performance

William H. Daly

LSU

12-4B

Performance of WMA Technologies: Stage II Long-term Field

Performance

Louay
Mohammad

LTRC

14-1B

Effects of Temperature Segregation on the Quality of Asphalt Mixtures

Louay
Mohammad

LTRC

14-2B

Field Implementation of the Louisiana Interface Shear Strength Test

Louay
Mohammad

LTRC

07-1ST

Structure Health Monitoring of the I-10 Twin Span Bridge Over Lake
Pontchartrain

Murad
Abu-Farsakh

LTRC

10-5ST

Developing Prestressed Girder Transportation Guidelines

Jonathan
McGormley

Wiss, Janney, Elstner

Associates,
Inc.

12-3ST

Morganza Floodway Bridge Bent Repair using Carbon Fiber Reinforced

Polymers (CFRP)

Vijaya Gopu

UNO

13-2ST

Live Load Monitoring of the I-10 Twin Span Bridge

Steve C.S. Cai

LSU

13-4ST

I-10 Girder Repair Using Post-Tensioned Steel Rods and Carbon Fiber
Composite Cables (CFCC)

Ching Tsai

LTRC

14-1ST

Evaluating Louisiana New Continuity Detail for Girder Bridges

Ayman Okeil

LSU

14-2TIRE

Hurricane Hazard Mitigation in Traffic Light Support Structures

Aly Mousaad Aly

LSU

14-3TIRE

A Novel Magnetostriction Based Sensing Technology for Rapid Condition

Assessment of Bridge Decks

Arun
Jaganathan

LTU

13-10SS

Economic Evaluation of Applicants to the Port Construction and

Development Priority Program

James
Richardson

LSU

12-4SA

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Development of a Tool for Documenting,

Tracking, Recording, and Analyzing Improvements to Intersection Sites and
Roadway

Helmut
Schneider

LSU

14-1SA

DOTD Support For UTC Project: Drugged Driving in Louisiana

Helmut
Schneider

LSU

14-2SA

Factors Influencing Seatbelt Utilization in Louisiana and Strategies to

Improve Usage Rate

Helmut
Schneider

LSU

14-3SA

Developing a Method for Estimating Traffic Volumes on Local Roads in

Louisiana

Xiaoduan Sun

ULL

10-6SS

Establishing an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Lab at LTRC

(Phase II)

Sherif Ishak

LSU

12-1SS

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Traffic Counting using Existing Video
Detection Cameras

Sherif Ishak

LSU

12-2SS

History of the Implementation of AASHTO and Louisiana DOTD Road

Design Standards

Sherif Ishak

LSU

12-4SS

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Development of Minimum State

Requirements for Local Growth Policies

John Renne

UNO

13-2SS

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Travel Time Estimation Using Bluetooth

Chester Wilmot

LTRC

Active Research
LTRC # Project Title

Principal
Investigator

Agency

13-4SS

Highway for Life Demonstration Project: La 511 (70th Street)

Nazimuddin
Wasiuddin

LTU

14-1SS

DOTD Support For UTC Project: Development of an Optimal Ramp

Metering Control Strategy for I-12

Sherif Ishak

LSU

14-2SS

DOTD Support For UTC Project: A Simulation Model for Intermodal Freight
Transportation in the State of Louisiana

Peter Kelle

LSU

14-4SS

Feasibility of using Local Public Transit Resources for Evacuations and Other Chester Wilmot
Unscheduled Needs

LTRC

14-4TIRE

User Sentiment Analysis with Louisiana Social Media Data for Better and
Effective Crash Countermeasures

Xiaoduan Sun

ULL

12-4C

Evaluation of Portland Cement Concrete with Internal Curing Capabilities

Tyson
Rupnow

LTRC

13-1C

Evaluation of MIT-SCAN-T2 for Thickness Quality Control for PCC and HMA
Pavements

Tyson
Rupnow

LTRC

13-2C

Laboratory Evaluation of 100% Fly Ash Cementitious Systems

Tyson
Rupnow

LTRC

14-1C

Evaluation of Dowel Bar Alignment and Effect on Long Term Performance

of Jointed Concrete Pavements

Tyson
Rupnow

LTRC

14-3C

Laboratory Fatigue Evaluation of Continuously Fiber Reinforced Concrete

Pavement

Tyson
Rupnow

LTRC

14-4C

Evaluation of Bonded Concrete Overlays over Asphalt under Accelerated

Loading

Tyson
Rupnow

LTRC

14-5C

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Development of Rapid PCC Pavement

Repair Materials and Construction Techniques

Hak-Shul Shin

Southern
University

12-1PF

Traffic and Data Preparation for AASHTO MEPDG Analysis and Design

Kelvin Wang

OSU

14-1PF

Best Practices for Achieving and Measuring Pavement Smoothness

David Merritt

The Transtec Group

14-2PF

Real time Driver Information for Congestion Management

Sherif Ishak

LSU

14-3PF

Transportation Funding Sources and Alternatives in the Southeastern States

Now and in the Future

James Brian
Gibson

KTC

14-4PF

Mitigation Strategies for Reflective Cracking in Pavements

Mostafa Elseifi

LSU

ULL: University of Louisiana at Lafayette

LSU: Louisiana State University
LTU: Louisiana Tech University
UNO: University of New Orleans
FIU: Florida International University
KTC: Kentucky Transportation Center
OSU: Oklahoma State University

10

LTRC Recognized by AASHTO for High Value Research

Locations before and after edge

lines implementation
(pictures taken from different
travel direction)

Two LTRC studies, Safety Improvement from Edge Lines on Rural

Two-Lane Highways (07-7P) and A Comprehensive Study on Pavement Edge Line Implementation (13-2P) were recently recognized
by the AASHTO Research Advisory Committee (RAC) and awarded
a spot on its 2014 Sweet Sixteen High Value Research Projects list.
Each year, RAC collects High Value Research highlights from member
states across the nation. These highlights showcase projects that are
providing transportation excellence through research.
Reducing the number of run-off-road (ROR) crashes is a top priority
for the 5,600 miles of narrow, rural two-lane highways (pavement
width less than 22 ft. and bigger than or equal to 20 ft.) in Louisiana.
An inexpensive countermeasure was investigated to reduce the
higher percentage of crashes and fatalities associated with this type
of highway. The original study and follow up implementation study
compared the crash difference before and after edge line placement.
The research concluded that: (1) Placing pavement edge lines on
rural two-lane highways in Louisiana not only changes vehicle lateral
positions but also reduces crashes. (2) Based on the Empirical Bayes
method, the most reliable Crash Modification Factor (CMF) for edge
lines on narrow, rural two-lane highways is 0.85, which means there is
a 15% expected crash reduction in edge line implementation on nar-

row, rural two-lane highways. (3) The crash reduction is consistent in all crash types and particularly
significant in single vehicle crashes. Most of single
vehicle crashes are ROR crashes. (4) The benefits
overwhelmingly offset the cost associated with
edge line implementation. The most conservative
estimation for benefit and cost ratio is 19 to 1.
The studies recommend the use of edge lines on
narrow rural two-lane highways whenever it is
financially and operationally feasible. The recommendation helped DOTD plan for safety improvements on rural two-lane highways. Based on the
study results, the Traffic Engineering Management
section of DOTD is seeking more safety funds for
each district to conduct systematic edge line striping projects on narrow rural two-lane highways
due to its high benefit. The DOTD Pavement Marking standards and safety management procedures
have been updated to add this safety measure and
crash reduction factor.

11

Private Industry Continues Support for LTRC Research

LTRC has recently expanded its accelerated pavement testing capabilities by investing in a new testing device, called the ATLaS
30, at the DOTD Pavement Research Facility (PRF), located in Port Allen, La. As a heavy vehicle load simulation device, the ATLaS
30 is able to conduct accelerated pavement testing, such as carrying capacity and structural performance, on concrete roads.
The first project to utilize the new device is an LTRC-sponsored study titled Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) over Soil Cement
under Accelerated Loading. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of RCC surfacing over a soil cement base
under accelerated pavement testing. The project will determine appropriate thicknesses of RCC for application as well as assist
in the development of a more refined design procedure for the thinner RCC sections. Properly designed RCC mixes can achieve
outstanding compressive strength values despite low cement content. The initial construction cost of RCC is comparable to
that of asphalt concrete base but lower than conventional concrete.
The construction of the test lanes for the project was carried out with the assistance from industry partners in the concrete
field. The CAAL organization, under the direction of Executive Director Bill Temple, was instrumental in arranging industry
support for this project through donations to physically construct the test sections. Gilchrest Contractors donated the manpower and equipment necessary to layout and construct the subgrade and base course layers of the RCC test lanes. Rollcon
out of Houston, Texas also donated their time and their specialized High Density paving equipment to construct the test lanes.
Cemex donated the manpower to setup and operate the specialized mixing equipment to produce the concrete mixture used
in the RCC test lanes. Through these elaborate combined efforts of LTRC, CAAL, and the concrete construction industry, LTRC
was able to save the DOTD over $250,000 in construction costs.
The testing of these sections began in May 2014, and researchers predict that the results from this research study will provide a
cost-effective and durable RCC-surfaced pavement design option for low-and/or high-volume roads in Louisiana, which can be
directly implemented by the Department. A showcase was held July 8, 2014, attracting 75 attendees from public agencies and
private industry. According to project lead Dr. Tyson D. Rupnow, LTRC Senior Concrete Research Engineer, initial findings are
very promising, showing that the RCC fatigue equation used to estimate percent remaining life is very conservative.

ATLaS Model 30 is a tool designed to apply a rolling load of up to 30,000 lb. to a pavement surface, through either dual
truck tires or a super single tire over a longitudinal distance of 40 ft. at a top speed of 6 mi/hr. It is constructed around
a steel frame consisting of two parallel I-beams and is 65-ft.long, spanning the length of a test section. The two beams
are connected by a steel support structure at each end, with the load being applied by hydraulic cylinders reacting
against the static weight of the machine.

12

Technical Assistance
LTRCs technical assistance program provides laboratory testing, field testing, and forensic investigation in direct
response to Departmental inquiries for expert analysis on DOTD projects. LTRC also provides assistance to state
universities for laboratory or field testing on research projects not funded by LTRC.

2013-14 Highlights
Joor Road Noise Level Assessment
Joor Road (La 946), located in Baton Rouge, is an urban
5-lane Portland cement concrete (PCC) roadway. Since
opening in 2009, residents have complained about the high
noise levels emanating from the roadway. In February 2014,
LADOTD Secretary Sherri LeBas requested that LTRC investigate this section of Joor Road to determine the source(s)
of the high noise levels and develop abatement methods.
There are many sources of noise generated by light and
heavy vehicles. The amount of noise varies depending on
vehicle type and its travel speed. In higher speed situations,
the tire-road contact may account for as much as 80 percent
of the noise being generated. Specific to PCC pavement
surfaces, depth of tine, width of tine, spacing between tines,
and randomness of spacing between tines all affect sound
generation.
A comprehensive assessment was conducted on the PCC
surface, and noise level measurements were taken using
the Pass-by method and on board sound intensity (OBSI)
method. Sound level measurements based on the Pass-by
method indicated the sound levels were excessive when
compared to DOTDs Highway Traffic Noise Policy for
residential areas. Sound level measurements from the OBSI
assessment also indicated that sound levels generated by
the tire/road contact were excessive with values as high as
110.6 dBA. Tine parameter analysis implied that the sources
of excessive noise level emissions were due to excessive tine
widths, non-randomness of spacing between tines, and the
spacing intervals between the tines.

I-10, Effect of Skidabrasion on Asphaltic

Concrete Pavement
This section of I-10 had limestone in the wearing course,
which in some instances can polish over time resulting in reduced friction characteristics. An experiment was conducted
to determine the change in friction characteristics due to the

Skidabrasion process. A control section where no skidabrasion took place as well as treated section where skidabrasion
took place on this section of I-10 was established and tested
periodically over a 39 month period.
The results of the testing indicated that friction numbers in
the treated section were generally in the satisfactory friction
range and larger than the friction numbers in the control
section. Based on the test results, it can be implied that the
skidabrasion process was effective in improving the friction
characteristics of the AC surface on this project.

LA 21, Concrete Pavement Assessment

LA 21 has been in service for 20-plus years in St. Tammany
and Washington Parishesa]. The District was considering
several rehabilitation alternates for this project, including
a thin asphaltic concrete overlay. LTRC was asked to assess
the condition of the Portland cement concrete pavement to
determine if it was a good candidate for that treatment.
An in-depth assessment of the concrete pavement was
conducted using the high speed profiler and falling weight
deflectometer (FWD). The results from profiler testing
indicated that the project had IRI values ranging from 222 to
283. Joint faulting was significant as well, with the percentage of joints with faulting greater than 0.2 in. ranging from
21.5 to 66.9. Such values indicate that the project was rough
and that faulting at the joints requires mitigation. FWD
testing results indicated that only 41.8 percent of the joints
had good load transfer. The remaining 58.2 percent are not
good candidates for concrete pavement restoration techniques such as asphaltic concrete overlays since service life
reduction or premature failures are likely to occur at those
locations. This project was showing signs of severe distress;
therefore, major rehabilitation such as pavement replacement or rubblization may be warranted.
cont. on pg. 27

13

Education & Training

Because training is a necessary component of career advancement, DOTD supports and promotes an environment of
continual learning. This atmosphere allows employees to maximize their potential and provide qualified personnel crucial to the effective management of the transportation system. Through specialized and intensive job-specific training
and education programs, LTRC reaches out to the individual working in the transportation industry.
LTRC manages DOTDs Structured Training Program; develops maintenance and construction training materials and
programs; coordinates seminars, workshops, and conferences for continuing education and professional development;
and contracts with the private and public sectors for unique training needs.

DOTD Structured Training Unit

The DOTD Structured Training Program is a departmentsanctioned, progressive training
curriculum that requires specific
work-related training be completed at each level of an employees
career path. DOTD supports and
promotes an environment of
continual learning and feels that
training is a necessary component
and an integral part of career
advancement. Structured training
can involve professional development, technical skills training,
continuing education, hands-on
and on-the-job training. The
program manages the work force
development for personnel in
construction, maintenance, and supervisory/leadership positions. The program also provides liaison assistance to headquarters personnel and district training personnel for policy interpretation and compliance decisions.
The Construction and Materials Training Program manages the Inspector/Technician Certification Program for DOTD
and the Louisiana transportation industry. This program develops construction and materials training materials and
coordinates the training, testing, authorization, certification, and re-certification of inspectors and technicians on a
statewide level in each area of construction.
Awarded 153 new construction certifications processed 142 re-certifications
The Maintenance Training Program focuses on the development of new job-specific courses related to job functions,
work processes and safe operation of equipment used by maintenance field personnel. These courses promote an
awareness of safe practices and attitudes needed for maximum job performance.

14

Course Development
There were 18 courses/projects developed or revised during this

On-Going Projects

time period.

There are 23 training course projects current/on-going.

Construction Training Course/Projects Completed

Construction Current/On-Going Projects

Introduction to Pile Driving Inspection manual

Introduction to Base Course Inspection - On-line Course

Introduction to PCC paving Inspection - On-line Course

PCC Paving Inspection manual and supporting materials

Introduction to Structural Concrete Inspection On-line Course

PCC Plant Inspection manual and supporting materials

Introduction to Embankment and Base Course Inspection -

PCC Mix Design manual and supporting materials

On-line Course

Numerous lab procedure instructional training videos

Mathematics for Construction Personnel Volume 1 revision

Introduction to Standard Specifications for Roads and

Revision of Asphalt Plant training program and Asphalt Plant

Revision of Structural Concrete Inspection Volumes I and II

manual

Bridges2013 edition

Accreditation program

Updating Specialty Area and Recertification tests

Aggregate Tester Program

Revision of Application of Quality Assurance for Asphaltic

Training Laboratory

Maintenance Courses/Projects Completed

Motor Grader SOCL revision

Crawler Tractor (Bulldozer) SOCL

Utility Terrain Vehicle SOCL

Track Backhoe SOCL

Revised STP for District Sign Specialists

Other Projects Completed

Facilitation Skills - Revision

EEO Biennial Meeting Web based course

LEO/LSO User Manual

LaGov Training Coordinator Instruction Manual

Presentations/Classes

Concrete Mixtures

Revision of Application of Quality Assurance for Portland Cement Concrete and Structures

Revision of Application of Quality Assurance for Embankment

and Base Course

Management of the Inspector/Technician Certification Program for DOTD and the Louisiana Transportation Industry

Math for Construction Personnel Volume 2 - revision

Maintenance On-Going Projects

Revision of Maintenance Planning Manual and development of

instructor-led course for Maintenance Planning

Revisions/updates for current equipment Safe Operating

Checklists

Training Upgrade Proposal for District Sign Specialists

Development of in-house training to replace TPC manuals

Revisions/Updates to IRF courses

Maintenance of Signs and Sign Supports Manual

Practical Electricity Series

3 Basic Flagging Procedures

1 Traffic Control Through Maintenance Work Areas classes

1 Superpave Mix Design and Analysis classes 12 students

4 Highway Plan Reading Volume I class

Other Projects On-Going

1 Highway Plan Reading Volume II class

Basic Business Math

7 Project Management Classes

How to Prepare an Annual Budget

3 Email Etiquette classes

How DOTD Works

1 Facilitation Skills

Project Management Handbook

Process Mapping

Aerial Lift/Scaffolding/Personal Fall Arrest Systems

4 Discover the Power of Workplace Trust and Respect

4 LTAP Site Manager classes

15

LTRC Transportation Curriculum Council

The purpose of the committee and related subcommittees is to advise and assist LTRC in the identification,
prioritization, development, evaluation, and implementation of transportation related technology transfer,
training, workforce development, and educational services for DOTD and its public and private transportation industry partners.
The LTRC Transportation Curriculum Council (TCC) held its first meeting on September 1, 2010 and continues
to meet quarterly. It has an active council consisting of 12 members from Louisiana State University, transportation partners and DOTD management. There are six subcommittees from: Engineering, Operations,
Multimodal Planning, Management and Finance, Core Skills and Leadership and Outreach.
Over the last year, the TCC, with the assistance of the LTRC training team, reviewed and approved revisions to all Headquarters sections Structured Training Programs (STP), as well as several district training
programs. During the 2013-14 fiscal year, 68 STPs were revised and 4 STPs were deleted. New training and
process and procedures are approved by the TCC before implementation.

Headquarters Training Program

This program assists Section Heads and designated Section Training Coordinators in providing their employees the training prescribed by the training programs governing their employees positions. This program
provided the following for the Headquarters sections:
Orientation Monthly presentation at new employee orientation. This year provided 126 new employees information about respective training programs and how to fulfill individual training requirements.
Exception reports If an employees training is incomplete at the time of a proposed personnel action,
such as a merit increase or promotion, an exception may be allowed if it is the result of circumstances
over which the employee has no control, such as scheduling or unavailability. Training records of 51
employees were reviewed and exceptions granted this year.
Testing Testing sessions are held 3 times a month for self-study courses. Employees were given 152
tests for different courses this year.
Training This year classes were conducted to train 139 employees in topics to include: Basic Flagging;
Lockout/Tag out; Traffic Control through Maintenance Work Areas; ABCs Work Zone Safety; Duties of
Personnel Assigned to Movable Bridges; and various safety topics.

16

Management Development
Training Program
This program oversees several mandatory supervisory, management development, and career development training programs: the Management Development Training program, a structured training program for DOTD employees in a professional job series; the Engineering Technician Supervisory Training program, a supervisory training
program for DOTD Engineering Technicians; and the Civil Service Supervisory training program for supervisors
not covered by other DOTD training programs.
During Fiscal Year 2013-2014, courses for these training programs were delivered through several sources: the Civil
Service Comprehensive Public Training Program (CPTP); the DOTD Human Resources Section; and in-house training courses developed by LTRC.
There were 522 employees actively participating in the Management Development Training Program in FY
2013-2014. There were 248 employees actively participating in the CPTP Civil Service Supervisory Group Training
Program in FY 2013-2014.

17

Transportation Training & Education Center

The Transportation Training and Education Center (TTEC) is dedicated to the delivery of transportation training, professional development opportunities, continuing education, and technology transfer to engineers, technicians, and other
professionals from Louisianas public and private sectors. Through this facility, LTRC is expanding the scope and availability of training, thereby serving a larger population.
TTECs strategy is to assist and enable workforce development using principles of strategic human capital improvement.
The goals of this strategy are to: create and provide sound training, transition current classes/training into the distance
learning environment where appropriate, and incorporate instructional design concepts, utilizing the talents of formally
trained designers to update and modernize courses.

Active Projects

Continued research & development of the Leadership

Development Institute Classes
Transformational Leadership class
External course contract management (e.g. Pavia Systems, Inc.; NE Roundabouts; Deighton Assoicates)
TRAC and RIDES Program Implementation and Evaluation
Technology upgrades for classrooms
UNO Computer classes contract
LSU CADD classes contract
ATSSA Work Zone contract
ATSSA Sign Installation Pilot Class
RFPs for ArcGIS, Confined Spaces, Nuclear Gauge &
Radiation and Mechanics classes
Management of the Individual Registration Fund
Scheduling National Highway Institute (NHI) Training
Assisting in the conference planning/management of
NTTD 2014 to be held September October 26 30, 2014
in Florence, AL

Completed Projects

Leadership Development InstituteCompleted course

3 and completed pilot of course 4
Emotional Intelligence course completed
TRAC and RIDES training workshop hosted and completed; TRAC and RIDES packages distributed to 18 area
schools.
88 UNO Computer classes with an attendance of 1011
Students
29 MicroStation classes with an attendance of 270
Students
NHI Course Offerings - 10 Course Offerings; Total of 180
Participants; 253 Contact Hours
Conference planning/management of the Southeastern
Association of State Highway Transportation Officials
(SASHTO) 2014 Conference (August 2014, New Orleans)
Individual Registrations 464 individuals processed
Workshops and Conferences 9 Workshops/Conferences/Seminars; Total of 690 Participants

Research Advisory Committee/TRB State Representative

Annual Meeting (July 2013)

LA Statewide Transportation Plan Update (July 9-11, 2013)

LA Statewide Transportation Plan Update (July 23-25, 2013)

Secretary LeBas Executive Retreat (October 2013)

LA Statewide Tranpsportation Plan Update

(October 1-2, 2013)

National Transportation Training Directors (NTTD)

Conference (October 2014)

Sustainable Pavement Working Group (November 2013)

LA Statewide Tranpsportation Plan Update

(January 22-23, 2014)

18

2014 Transporation Safety Summit

LTAP
The Louisiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) is one of 58 centers operating nationally to serve the local and
tribal transportation agencies. Louisiana LTAP serves DOTD and Louisianas local agencies by providing technical training,
safety training, technical assistance, and technology transfer. To achieve our objectives, LTAP works in direct partnership
and cooperation with our national, state, and local partners to identify needs, develop materials, and implement programs.

LTAP continued its strong partnership with DOTD to provide expanded

services and technical assistance to Louisianas local transportation
agencies. This collaboration included development and delivery of
additional modules of the Local Public Agency Training Program. These
classes are designed to assist the agencies that utilize federal transportation funds for local road projects as they begin the process from the
idea and application stage through the final project inspection and
closeout. This major effort required the input and participation of numerous offices across DOTD that interact in the project development
and delivery process. The initial classes, the Core Training for LPAs and
the Construction, Engineering, and Inspection class, were rolled out
beginning in 2012. The third class, Project Planning, Feasibility and
Application Development, was presented statewide in the spring of
2014. The final class in the series, Project Design & Delivery: Developing
an LPA Project for Bidding, is set to debut in early 2015. Feedback from
participants has been overwhelmingly positive with many attendees
suggesting ideas for more training on this important topic.
Local bridges is another area that has always received significant attention from local agencies and DOTD. Louisiana has thousands of
bridges owned and managed by local agencies. A combination of
aging infrastructure and new performance metrics has brought this
issue to the forefront across the country. LTAP has been working with
local stakeholders and the DOTD Bridge Inspection and Maintenance
and Bridge Design Sections to identify the most critical issues and develop approaches to meet federal and state mandates. Plans include a
process for data development and compilation; investigation of bridge
repair and rehabilitation techniques; enhanced training on bridge
inspection and management; and increased communication between
all stakeholders. In addition, LTAP has worked with the Louisiana Parish
Engineers and Supervisors Association (LPESA) to identify statewide
needs and organize the parishes to participate in implementing the
new initiatives.

NACE delegates enjoyed the tour of the John

James Audubon Bridge during their conference
in April

Instructors from DOTDs Sign Shop and LTAP

discussed lead a session of Roads Scholar course
Basic Sign Installation

cont. on page 21

19

Tech Transfer
As LTRCs formal research program continues to investigate solutions to Louisianas transportation problems, the technology transfer program serves the wider transportation community by implementing these research findings and
technological innovations. Whether through technical assistance on DOTD projects, publications, videos, seminars, or
workshops, technology transfers ultimate goal is to disseminate practical knowledge to municipalities, parishes, and the
transportation industry at large.

LTRC Opens New Training Lab Near BRCC

As part of the newly integrated
Highway Engineering Technology curriculum carried out by
LTRC and Baton Rouge Community College, an 892-square-ft.
space has recently been transformed into a premier, state-ofthe-art training laboratory for
DOTD and BRCC students.
Because of a greater demand for
diversity in technician training
as well as a demand for workers
that can begin jobs as trained
employees, LTRC recently
partnered with BRCC to create
a curriculum that leads to an
Associate Degree or a Certificate
and allows students to take all of the necessary courses for construction certification in order to have the training needed before beginning work at DOTD or in the industry. However, in order to successfully
train a student to become a successful technician, students need to
obtain laboratory testing training as well.
Structured Training Director Cindy Twiner explains, It was decided
that a new, centrally located facility was needed since most of the
construction training DOTD provides to its employees and to the
construction industry has traditionally been taught out of the district
training offices. This does not allow for hands-on laboratory training
due to space constraints in the district as well as disruption to ongoing operations. Plus, BRCC students would not be able to travel to
the districts.

20

While DOTD and BRCC do have available classroom

space, there were no laboratory facilities that could
be dedicated for this training. Fortunately for the
program, space was available at the DOTD Materials
Laboratory, which sits on the edge of BRCCs campus. This space was ideal because it is within walking
proximity to BRCC, and there is a classroom down
the hall from the space. Once approval was given to
build the laboratory, Michael Elliott, a department
engineering technician assigned to training, began
designing and equipping it for students.
With the training, students who finish this program can be hired at a higher level and for higher
pay. These students would also be provided with
the means to work during school, to give them the
necessary field experience, says Twiner. The laboratory will be accredited, has distance learning capabilities, and the ability to film testing procedures for
training purposes and broadcasting. The laboratory
has all the equipment needed to perform all aspects
of asphaltic concrete testing.
Training in this lab will be performed by subject
matter experts. Currently, Elliott will run the training
lab and teach classroom and lab sessions for asphalt
as needed. Because the facility was funded by LTRC
and is on DOTD property, this lab will also be used to
train department and industry personnel to become
asphaltic concrete plant inspectors and technicians.
This training would be part of the current Construction Certification Program already in place.

Support for Higher Education

LTRC coordinates the statewide DOTD Engineer Resource Development Program (ERDP), which provides structured rotational
training for entry-level engineers. LTRC also manages the Cooperative Education Program for engineering students, a cooperative endeavor between DOTD and universities within Louisiana to employ full-time university students to perform engineering
work and receive practical experience in the field of civil and transportation engineering. During 2013-2014, 5 people participated in the ERDP and 34 participated in the Cooperative Education Program. In addition, 56 graduate students were supported through LTRC research projects during 2013-2014.
LTRC also facilitates the DOTD Support Program for Civil Engineering Studies, a cooperative endeavor between DOTD and
Louisiana state universities with civil engineering programs. It provides practical experience to civil engineering students who
select transportation-related topics among their engineering design courses. DOTD supports this program financially, and
universities grant academic credit to its participants. The senior design capstone projects are transportation-related and are included in courses for which senior-level students receive a grade. At the end of the senior design project, participants provide
copies of the final report to LTRC and give a 15-20 minute presentation. Two universities participated in this program during
2013-2014: Louisiana Tech and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

LTAP (continued)
LTAPs partnership with LPESA was fully evident when the National Association of County Engineers (NACE) Annual Conference came to Baton Rouge in April 2014. LTAP provided extensive support to LPESA and NACE to plan the technical program,
the technical tours including the new Mississippi River Audubon Bridge, and on-site registration and logistics. LTAPs Director,
Marie Walsh and a partner from LTRCs training section led a general session on An Inside Out Approach to Improving Performance, which was rated as one of the most popular and effective of the whole conference. LTRCs event planning staff also
provided support for this event.
LTAP continued its strong presence and leadership in the Louisiana traffic safety community through the Local Road Safety
Program (LRSP) and as a member of the Louisiana Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) Implementation Team. The Local Road
Safety Program provided local road data analysis and problem identification as well as project development and delivery to
local agencies. Further technical assistance was provided to the Infrastructure Teams for the five Regional Safety Coalitions
as well as extensive support during the formation of the newest safety Coalition in the Capital area. Many of these enhanced
services were made possible by the newly hired LRSP Manager.
LTAPs traditional training program over the year included work zone safety classes, basic supervisory skills, safety for the public works employee and a new class for supervisors and team leaders entitled, Creating a Safety Work Environment. LTAP also
hosted numerous webinars and virtual training opportunities and coordinated with DOTD and other stakeholders on professional development opportunities across the state.

21

Tech Transfer - Publications

Technology transfers ultimate goal is to disseminate practical knowledge to municipalities, parishes, and the transportation industry at large. LTRCs Publications and Digital Media Development Program meets DOTDs informational and
training needs through newsletters, brochures, annual reports, capsules, Web development, and video production/photography. During 2013-2014, LTRC published 20 technical summaries and final reports, 21 project capsules, 1 technical assistance report, and 4 Technology Today newsletters. For a complete listing of publications and presentations by all LTRC
personnel, please visit our Web site at www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/13_14publications.pdf.

Final Reports & Tech Summaries

LTRC No.

Title

13-8SS (525)*

The Impact of Modifying the Jones Act on US Coastal Shipping

05-1GT (520)

Field Demonstration of New Bridge Approach Slab Designs and Performance

10-1SS (502)

Evaluation of Knowledge Transfer in an Immersive Virtual Learning Environment for the

Transportation Community

13-2P (508)

A Comprehensive Study on Pavement Edge Line Implementation

04-6B (499)

Characterization of Louisiana Asphalt Mixtures Using Simple Performance Tests and MEPDG

10-5SS (503)

Developing Inexpensive Crash Countermeasures For Louisiana Local Roads

05-5ST (472)

Development and Performance Evaluation of Fiber Reinforced Polymer Bridge

12-3PF (512)*

STC Synthesis of Best Practices for Determining Value of Research Results

12-5PF (511) *

STC Synthesis of Research Results for Water Quality Management at Construction Sites

13-8GT (514)

Bayou Corne Sinkhole: Control Measurements of State Highway 70 in Assumption Parish, Louisiana

10-6B (505)

Implementation of GPC Characterization of Asphalt Binders at Louisiana Materials Laboratory

04-4B (453)

Development of a Design Methodology for Asphalt Treated Mixtures

10-1ST (509)

Load Distribution and Fatigue Cost Estimates of Heavy Truck Loads on

Louisiana State Bridges

03-2GT:ALF-4 (475)

Accelerated Loading Evaluation of Foamed Asphalt Treated RAP Layers in Pavement Performance

09-5C (493)

Evaluation of Non-Destructive Technologies for Construction Quality Control of HMA and

PCC Pavements in Louisiana

10-3SS (510)

LTRC Automated Enforcement and Highway Safety

11-2SS (507)

Measuring the Effectiveness of Ramp Metering Strategies on I-12

04-5B (513)

Evaluation of Open Graded Friction Course (OGFC) Mixtures

08-3SS (506)

Developing Louisiana Crash Reduction Factors

05-1B (432)

Evaluation of Superpave Mixtures Containing Hydrated Lime

*Indicates no accompanying Technical Summary

Visit www.ltrc.lsu.edu/publications.html
to download any of our reports, summaries, or capsules.

22

Technical Assistance Report

LTRC No.

Title

03-01-TA-B

Evaluation of Rutting Distresses on I-20 near Mound to Delta Scales

Project Capsules
LTRC No. Title
12-1B

Evaluation of Asphalt Mixtures Containing Recycled Asphalt Shingles

14-4C

Evaluation of Bonded Concrete Overlays over Asphalt under Accelerated Loading

14-3SA

Developing a Method for Estimating Traffic Volumes on Local Roads in Louisiana

14-3PF

STC Synthesis of Transportation Funding Sources and Alternatives in the Southeastern States Now and in the Future

14-1GT

Calibration of Region-Specific Gates Equation for LRFD

14-1PF

Best Practices for Achieving and Measuring Pavement Smoothness, a Synthesis of State-of-Practice

14-2PF

STC Synthesis of Real-time Driver Information for Congestion Management

14-2SS

DOTD Support for UTC Project: A Simulation Model for Intermodal Freight Transportation in Louisiana

14-4SS

Identifying Local Transit Resources for Evacuation

14-2GT

Testing Protocol for Predicting Driven Pile Behavior within Pre-bored Soil

13-6GT

DOTD Standards for GPS Data Collection Accuracy

14-4PF

Mitigation Strategies for Reflective Cracking in Pavements

12-1SS

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Traffic Counting Using Existing Video Detection Cameras

14-1SS

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Development of an Optimal Ramp Metering Control Strategy for I-12

13-2SS

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Travel Time Estimation Using Bluetooth

14-1SA

DOTD Support for UTC Project: Drugged Driving in Louisiana

14-3C

Laboratory Fatigue Evaluation of Continuously Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Pavement

14-1C

Evaluation of Dowel Bar Alignment and Effect on Long-term Performance of Jointed Concrete Pavement

13-2C

Laboratory Evaluation of 100% Fly Ash Cementitious Systems Containing Ekkomaxx

13-4ST

I-10 Girder Repair Using Post-Tensioned Steel Rods and Carbon Fiber Composite Cables (CFCC)

13-4SS

Highway for Life Demonstration Project: LA 511 (70th Street)

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www.twitter.com/LTRC_Updates

23

Organization & Committee Memberships

Transportation Research Board
Committtees/Panels

24

TRB Committee AFP40 - Full-Scale Accelerated Pavement Testing

TRB Committee AFN30 Durability of Concrete (Chair)
TRB Committee AFN10 Basic Research and Emerging
Technologies Related to Concrete
TRB Committee AFN20 Properties of Concrete (Communication Coordinator)
TRB Friend Committee AFN40 Concrete Materials
and Placement Techniques
TRB Friend Committee AFD10 Pavement Management Systems
TRB Section AFK 00 Asphalt Materials
TRB Committee AFK 40 on Characteristics of Bituminous-Aggregate Combinations to Meet Surface
Requirements
TRB Committee AFK 50 on Characteristics of Bituminous Paving
Mixtures to Meet Structural Requirements, Member
TRB Committee AHD 20 on Pavement Maintenance
Committee
TRB Committee on Soil and Rock Properties (AFP30)
ANB80T Task Force on Emergency Evacuations
ABG30 Technology Transfer Committee
ABG20 Education and Training Committee
TRB Committee AFD80 Strength and Deformation
Properties of Pavement Sections
TRB Committee AFP60 Engineering Behavior of
Unsaturated Soils
TRB Committee AFP20 Committee on Exploration
and Classification of earth Materials
TRB Committee AFS80 Committee on Cementitious
Stabilization.
TRB Committee AFS10 Transportation Earthworks
TRB Committee AFS30 Foundations of Bridges and
Other Structures
TRB Committee AFS70 Committee on Geosynthetics
TRB Committee AFF40 Field Testing and Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) of Transportation Structures

TRB Committee AFK10 General Issues on Asphalt

Technology (Chair)
TRB Committee A0000 Technical Activities Council
TRB Committee A0020T Special Task Force on
Climate Change and Energy
TRB Committee ABG05T Task Force on Mastering the
Management of Transportation Research and Training
Programs
Research and Technology Coordinating Committee
NCHRP 20-89 Intellectual Property Stewardship
Guide for Transportation Departments (Chair)
NCHRP 46-03 Performance Based Specifications
(PBS) for Asphalt Mixtures
NCHRP 20-07/Task 340 National Training: Challenges
and Opportunities
NCHRP Project 01-52 Calibrated Mechanistic-Based
Models for Top-Down Cracking of Hot-Mix Asphalt
Layers
NCHRP Project 01-53 Proposed Enhancements to
Pavement ME Design: Improved Consideration of the
Influence of Subgrade and Unbound Layers on Pavement Performance (Panel Chair)
State Representative Advisory Committee

ASTM International Memberships

ASTM Subcommittee D04.20 on Empirical Tests of

Bituminous Mixtures
ASTM Subcommittee D04.22 on Effect of Water
& Other Elements on Bituminous Coated Aggregates
ASTM Subcommittee D04.24 on Bituminous Surface
Treatments
ASTM Subcommittee D04.25 on Analysis of
Bituminous Mixtures, Chair
ASTM Subcommittee D04.26 on Fundamental /
Mechanistic Tests
ASTM Subcommittee D04.44 on Rheological Tests
ASTM Subcommittee D04.45 on Specifications for
Modified Asphalt
ASTM Subcommittee D04.46 on Durability &
Distillation Tests

Recognized for his leadership and distinguished service to the Transportation

Research Board (TRB), Harold Skip Paul was the 2013 recipient of the W.N.
Carey, Jr., Distinguished Service Award. Paul, recognized for his outstanding
service to transportation research and to TRB, received the award at the TRB
93rd Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Training Memberships

Southeast Task Force on Technician Training and

Qualification
American Society for Training and Development
National Transportation Training Directors
TRAC & RIDES National Board Member
American Educational Research Association
United States Distance Learning Association
American Society of Training and Development
National Council on Measurement in Education
National Defense Industrial Association

Other Memberships

Library Memberships

SLA (Special Libraries Association), Transportation

Division
ETKN (Eastern Transportation Knowledge Network
Transportation Library Connectivity and Development
Pooled Fund Study, TPF-5(237)
Friend of the TRB-LIST (ABG40) The Committee on
Library and Information Science for Transportation
AASHTO-RAC TKN Task Force

Infocomm International
Society of Government Meeting Professional (SGMP)
Louisiana Engineering Society
National Society of Professional Engineers
American Society of Civil Engineers
ASCE Geo-Institute
ASCE Bituminous Materials Committee (BMC)
Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honor Society
LSU Communication across the Curriculum, Engineering
Advisory Council
Engineering Geology and Site Characterization Committee,
Geo-Institute.
Engineering Geosynthetics Committee, Geo-Institute
Engineering Deep Foundation Committee, Geo-Institute.
US Universities Council on Geotechnical Engineering Research (USUCGER)
Gulf Region Intelligent Transportation Society (GRITS)
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
American Concrete Institute
American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE)
Association of Asphalt Paving Technologist (AAPT)
Traffic Safety Culture Transportation Pooled Fund Executive
Board
International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering Transportation Research Board
American Association for Wind Engineering
American Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics American
Academy of Mechanics
FHWA Technical Working Group on Sustainable Pavements
AASHTO Standing Committee on Research (Vice-Chair) &
Research Advisory Committee (Chair)

25

LTRC Staff
Office of the Director
Harold Skip Paul, P.E., Director
Toni Daigle, Executive Services Assistant
Theresa Rankin, Administrative Manager
Tina Blanchard, Accountant
External Programs
Vijaya (V.J.) Gopu, Ph.D., P.E., Associate Director

Research and Development

Mark Morvant, P.E., Associate Director, Research
Bridget LeBlanc, Executive Services Assistant
Pavement and Geotechnical Research
Zhongjie Doc Zhang, Ph.D., P.E.
Pavement & Geotechnical Research Administrator
Pavement Research
Kevin Gaspard, P.E., Pavement Research Engineer Manager
Mark Martinez, P.E., Pavement Research Engineer Manager
Mitchell Terrell, Pavement Technician 5
Shawn Elisar, Pavement Technician 4
Terrell Gorham, Engineer Technician 3
Pavement Research Facility - ALF
Zhong Wu, Ph.D., P.E., Assistant Professor - Research
Accelerated Pavement Research Program Manager
George Crosby, C.P.C., Pavement Research Facility Manager
Keith Gillespie, Pavement Research Specialist 3
Brandon Janet, Pavement Research Specialist 1
Leticia Courville, Ph.D., E.I., Research Associate 4
Danny Xiao, Research Associate 4
Geotechnical Research
Gavin Gautreau, P.E., Senior Geotechnical Research Engineer
Khalil Hanifa, E.I., Geotechnical Research Engineer
Douglas Hinton, Geotechnical Technician 2
Patrick Frazier, EngineeringTechnician DCL

26

Geotechnical Engineering Research Laboratory

Murad Abu-Farsakh, Ph.D., P.E., Associate Professor,
Research, GERL Manager
Qiming Chen, Ph.D., Research Associate 4
Xinbao Yu, Ph.D., Research Associate 3
Benjamin Comeaux, Research Specialist
Materials Research
William Bill King, Jr., P.E., Materials Research Administrator
Asphalt Research
Samuel B. Cooper III, P.E., Asphalt Research Engineer
William Gueho, Senior Asphalt Technician
Kristi Goetting, Asphalt Technician 5
Jeremy Icenogle, Asphalt Technician 4
David Mata, Engineer Intern I
Concrete Research
Tyson Rupnow, Ph.D., P.E., Concrete Research Manager
Greg Tullier, Senior Engineering Technician
Craig Johnson, Engineer Tech 4
Norris Rosser, Engineer Tech 4
Zachary Collier, Engineer Intern I
Engineering Materials Characterization Research
Facility (EMCRF)
Louay Mohammad, Ph.D., Professor, EMCRF Manager
Amar Raghavendra, P.E., Applications Engineering Manager
Minkyum Kim, Ph.D., Research Associate
Marcelo Medeiros, PH.D., Research Associate
Structures Research
Walid Alaywan, Ph.D., P.E., Senior Structures Research Engineer
Planning/Intermodal
Chester Wilmot, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Special Studies
Kirk M. Zeringue, P.E., Senior Special Studies Research Engineer

Technology Transfer & Training

Sam Cooper, MSCE, P.E., Associate Director,
Technology Transfer & Training
David Jumper, IT Technical Support
Angela Benn, Administrative Program Specialist
Publications & Digital Media Development
Jenny Speights, Public Information Director
Nick Champion, Audio and Video Production
Jenny Gilbert, Technical Writer
Emily Wolfe, Multi Media Specialist
Technology Transfer
Michael Boudreaux, P.E., Technology Transfer Engineer

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
cont. from pg. 13
Asphalt Group
Major changes have been made to the new Part V
Louisianas Standard Specifications. LTRCs involvement has been paramount, with numerous man
hours being spent on the specifications and QA/QC
manual development. Mainly, section 502, Asphaltic
Concrete Mixtures, received a complete overhaul allowing contractors to conduct their own acceptance
of produced and placed asphalt mixtures.
To evaluate and verify these newly developed
specifications, six pilot projects were selected to
be constructed throughout the state. Full evaluation and testing was conducted on the produced
asphalt mixtures and compared to the field cores
sampled during the construction process. Results
of the evaluation proved that the new specifications
were sufficient to ensure the expected performance
would be equal or better than current specifications.

Dowel Bar Alignment

The concrete group provided ongoing technical
assistance for dowel bar alignment issues on I-49
and other locations throughout the state. Dowel
bar locations are measured using the MIT-SCAN BT.
Currently, measurements have been recorded on
a selection of joints on nearly every DOTD owned
pavement that is over 15 years of age. This evaluation should be completed by this February 2015.

Structured Training Programs

Cindy Twiner, DOTD Structured Training Director
Karen Cordell, Construction and Materials Program Manager
Rex Ransome, Headquarters Training Program Manager
Candy Cardwell, Training & Development Program Manager,
Workforce Development Planning
Ted Ball, Training & Development Program Manager
Mike Elliott, Engineering Technician DCL
Keith Beard, Engineering Technician DCL
Kelvin Stone, Training and Development Specialist
Richard W. Black, Training and Development Specialist
John Dean, LSU Teaching Associate
External Educational Resources
Mary Leah Coco, Ph.D., Transportation Training and Education Center Director
Allison Landry, Training and Development Program Manager
Melissa Lee, Training and Development Specialist
Candace Vallery, Training and Development Program Coordinator
Garrett Wheat, Teaching Associate
Sandy Brady, Librarian
Brenda Wolfe, TTEC Administrative Assistant
Marty Mumphrey, Audio Visual Consultant
Local Technical Assistance Program
Marie Walsh, Ph.D., Director, LTAP
Bob Breaux, LTAP Office Manager
Steve Strength, LTAP Program Manager
Courtney Dupre, Training Program Coordinator
Rudynah E. Capone, Local Road Safety Program Manager
Rick Holm, P.E., Local Road Safety Program Contractor

Alkali-Carbonate Reactions
The concrete group continued its work on the Alkali-Carbonate Reactions (ACR) issue assisting the pavement group. ACR appeared once
again on I-20 near the Mississippi River approach. In addition, several
paving and structural projects across Louisiana have also been identified. LTRC is working with the Bridge Maintenance section and Materials Lab section to ensure that all sections have been properly identified
are being properly monitored. As a result of these investigations,
specifications have been developed and adopted to reduce the risk
of an ACR susceptible aggregate being used in concrete applications
again.

27 27

LTRC Policy Committee

Janice Williams, P.E.

Ken McManis, Ph.D., P.E.

Chief Engineer, DOTD

Professor and Head of Department

of Civil Engineering, University of

Norma Jean Mattei, Ph.D., P.E.

Louisiana at Lafayette

Chair, Civil and Environmental

Engineering, University of New Orleans

Nazimuddin Wasi Wasiuddin,

Ph.D., P.E.

Ernest Walker, Ph.D., P.E.

Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering &

Dean, College of Engineering,

Science, Louisiana Tech University

Southern University
Bob Bruce, Ph.D., P.E.
Dimitris Dermisis, Ph.D., P.E.

Catherine and Henry Boh Chair in

Assistant Professor, Department of Civil

Civil Engineering, School of Science and

Engineering, McNeese State University

Engineering, Tulane University

Brian Wolshon, Ph.D., PE, PTOE

Harold R. Paul, P.E., ex officio

Associate Professor, Louisiana State

LTRC Director

University
Brandon Buckner, observer
Eric Kalivoda, Ph.D., P.E.
Deputy Secretary, DOTD
Kirk Gallien, P.E.
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of
Operations, DOTD

28

Federal Highway Administration