Term of Award

Summer 2022

Degree Name

Master of Science in Applied Engineering (M.S.A.E.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Civil Engineering and Construction

Committee Chair

Xiaoming Yang

Committee Member 1

Russell Krenek

Committee Member 2

Junan Shen

Non-Voting Committee Member

David Scott

Abstract

The W-beam guardrail system is the primary roadside safety device on highways. These systems are usually installed in accordance with standards from the Midwest Guardrail System and usually operate fairly across the state. However, in some zones of high traffic, repetitive accident locations may benefit from the installation of alternative systems rather than the traditional W-Beam guardrail system. The objective of this research project is to identify a designated number of high-accident-rate zones and evaluate the type and effectiveness of the barrier system currently installed in those areas. Twenty-eight sections with high-frequency collisions were selected for this study. The road and traffic characteristics considered in this research include design speed, roadway alignment, cross-section geometry, and traffic volume. Based on this information, the crash prediction for mentioned high-risk sections was estimated through IHSDM and RSAPv3 software. In addition to this, a benefit-cost table was created for high-risk freeways to determine whether a concrete barrier is a more economical alternative to the guardrail.

OCLC Number

1362895921

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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