The long-term friction performance of safety-focused friction surfacing, especially high-friction surface treatment (HFST), relies primarily on the properties of aggregate. Nevertheless, inconsistencies exist in the properties and attributes and requirements for aggregates across the country. A study was conducted to evaluate the properties of the calcined bauxite and steel slag aggregates selected for HFST. Differences were identified between the British Standard (BS) and AASHTO test methods for aggregate abrasion and polishing. Laboratory tests were conducted to determine the mechanical, physical, chemical, and geometric properties of the selected aggregates. It was found that the Micro-Deval abrasion (MDA) test is a repeatable test. A size effect existed in both the abrasion and polishing tests. It was concluded that steel slag may be used as an alternative aggregate for friction surfacing. The requirements for aggregates for HFST were established in terms of the critical property attributes, particularly the Los Angeles abrasion (LAA), MDA, and polish value PV-10, which can be readily implemented by state Departments of Transportation.

Although ultimately bringing long term economic benefit, highway construction activities temporarily increase highway user costs and non-user costs, and affect highway safety and the environment. In order to minimize the negative effects of construction projects, state highway agencies have been using incentive/disincentive clauses in contracts to reward contractors for early completion of projects, and to recover the engineering and administrative costs incurred when contractors miss completion deadlines. Evaluation of excess user costs of traffic delays caused by the presence of work zones is essential for assessment of the impact of the work zones on the public. The estimated user costs provide highway engineers and construction managers with useful information for effective highway construction planning. For any highway construction project, there exists a construction time that would minimize the construction cost with given manpower and equipment. If the project is shortened or prolonged from this construction time, the construction cost will increase. This article shows that reasonable incentive and disincentive values can be determined by including a portion of the work zone user costs in the relationship between construction time and construction costs.

Benchmarking the energy efficiency of buildings is important for optimizing the efficient use of energy and reducing carbon footprint. Healthcare facilities have especially high energy usage, but the historical difficulty of collecting energy data from a relatively large number of healthcare facilities has made it challenging to develop the appropriate benchmarking system. In this paper, we seek to foster the task of benchmarking the energy efficiency of healthcare facilities using three different methods: multiple linear regression (MLR), generalized additive model (GAM), and energy performance index (EPI). The analysis was applied using a unique dataset that contained information on energy consumption and various building features for 22 large-size public hospitals managed by the Shanghai hospital development center (SHDC). Findings suggest that different benchmarking methods yield substantially different energy performance ranking results. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the three benchmarking methods was conducted in terms of goodness-of-fit, consistency, and robustness. The results show that MLR tends to be the most consistent and robust benchmarking model, while GAM appears to have the best goodness-of-fit. The proposed methodology can assist hospital managers identify potential improvements for more efficient use of energy in healthcare facilities.

This study was conducted to analyze and update the highway construction productivities in Indiana. In this study, the highway construction production rates and various measures of production rates were obtained to capture the main features of the highway construction production. The statistics include means, standard deviations, confidence intervals, mean baseline production rates, and production rates for different probabilities. The major factors that affect highway construction production rates were examined and their effects were analyzed. It was found that the production rates were affected by weather conditions in terms of temperatures and seasons, contractors, locations of construction projects, and types of highways.

Construction duration of a highway project depends on many factors, such as type of project, project size, weather conditions, project location, manpower, equipment, and construction management. It is important for a highway agency to be able to estimate reasonably the construction durations of highway projects. The highway agencies need to determine factors for construction durations so that they can be used to provide a contract estimation model that would be both accurate and usable. This article presents the research results on construction durations of highway construction projects. Through statistical analysis, we identified the effects of major factors on construction durations. Regression techniques were utilized to develop a contract time estimation model. The model contains regression equations, prediction intervals of construction durations with 95% confidence intervals, and adjustment coefficients of the major affecting factors.

Pavement (or road) markings play an important role in road safety, influencing the dynamics of road users through their skid resistance properties. This study provides a comprehensive synthesis and analysis of international perspectives on the skid resistance of pavement markings and their requirements. It examines marking skid test results across various regions, including North America, Europe, and other parts of the world, and emphasizes the impact of different materials and test environments on skid resistance. The study also reviews current skid resistance standards and guidelines, from North American state-level standards to European and global specifications. Furthermore, it discusses the safety implications of these standards for diverse road users, especially motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians. In conclusion, this paper highlights the importance of further innovation and consistency in skid resistance testing and standards to improve road safety.