The Western Slope Wildlife Prioritization Study (WSWPS) emerged from a commitment to increased collaboration between CDOT and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to address wildlife conflicts on roads. The study's objective involved identifying wildlife highway conflict areas where targeted mitigation could have the greatest impact on reducing WVCs. To meet this objective, the mule deer and elk to make cross-highway movements, particularly during migration or within winter range. This report includes a decision-support framework and tools to guide mitigation implementation in the highest advance the outcomes of this research.
This report presents a comprehensive evaluation on the effect of drilling fluid infiltration in claystone bedrock on the axial capacity of drilled caissons. The methodology of this research combines experimental testing and numerical simulations. The results obtained in the experimental phase are used to inform the numerical study.
This research report documents the findings of an investigation into automated temporary traffic control device (TTCD) deployment and retrieval technologies. The researchers found that some automated TTCD deployment and retrieval products may reduce one or more types of worker risk while increasing other types of risk. A fully automated product has the potential for the greatest risk reduction overall, but also has a much higher cost than less complex systems.
The Colorado-specific safety knowledge base, developed and effectively applied in the design process at CDOT, is not yet used to inform the planning process. This report transfers the use of these Colorado-specific, predictive and diagnostic tools to the transportation planning process. It develops a proposed methodology for the Explicit Consideration of Safety in the Transportation Planning Process by focusing on science-based and data-driven project selection, which considers susceptibility to cost-effective correction, rather than simply observed frequency and severity of crashes. This methodology will aid in ranking and prioritizing safety aspects of projects in concert with other attributes, such as mobility, air quality, noise, etc. It effectively translates state-of-the-art safety analysis techniques into an applied, practical methodology that transportation planners and practicing engineers can use.
An examination of CDOT design procedures, blasting methods, blast calculations, and aesthetic considerations to specify best management practices for highway rock cut operations for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) that could be followed when a Contractor or Permittee is proposing to blast. A method was developed to assign quantitative values for aesthetics, called the Percent Aesthetic Enhancement (PAE). By following the PAE practices, the CDOT Engineer-In-Charge can ensure that the Contractor accomplishes the work in a safe manner while preserving scenic, aesthetic, and environmental resources.
Deployment of 2+1 Road with Barrier in Colorado certainly has potential to improve safety where it replaces conventional 2-lane highways, primarily by preventing head on and sideswipe crashes. The Swedish design is most widely implemented and has a record of success, so Colorado drivers expect the "slow" lane to be the ending lane, and somewhat gentler tapers than Sweden employs.
This research evaluates the effectiveness of the SH 9 Colorado River South Wildlife & Safety Improvement Project, including two wildlife overpasses, and five wildlife underpasses connected with 10.4 miles of wildlife exclusion fencing in Grand County, CO. The project was designed to improve driver safety while allowing for wildlife movement across the road. This study uses motion-activated cameras and WVC crash and carcass data to determine how successful the mitigation measures are. In addition to the crossing structures, deer guards, escape ramps, pedestrian walk-through gates and the fence end are being monitored.
