Detecting Foundation Pile Length of High-Mast Light Towers

(c) 1006625 (wo) 62The goal of the project is to establish a non-destructive field testing technique, including a data analysis algorithm, for determining in-place pile lengths by way of seismic waves. The length of each pile supporting a high-mast light tower (HMLT) will be identified through a systematic sensing approach that includes (i) collection and classification of the pertinent foundation designs and soil conditions; (ii) use of ground vibration waveforms captured by a seismic cone penetrometer; (iii) three-dimensional visco-elastodynamic finite element analysis (FEA) used as a tool to relate the sensory data to in situ pile length; (iv) use of machine learning (ML) algorithms, trained with the outputs of FEA simulations, to solve the germane inverse problem; (v) HMLT field testing; and (vi) analysis-driven data interpretation. Several hundred HMLTs throughout Minnesota have foundation systems, typically concrete-filled steel pipe piles or steel H-piles, with no construction documentation (e.g., pile lengths). Reviews of designs within current standards suggest that some of these foundations may have insufficient uplift capacity in the event of peak wind loads. Without knowledge of the in situ pile length, an expensive retrofit or replacement program would need to be conducted. Thus, developing a screening tool to determine in situ pile length \u2014 as compared to a bulk retrofit of all towers with unknown foundations \u2014 would provide significant cost savings

Jobs and Automated Freight Transportation: How Automation Affects the Freight Industry and What to Do About It

Caltrans 65A0686 Task Order 046 USDOT Grant 69A3551747114The expansion of automation in the U.S. economy is increasingly tangible and will presumably entail positive and negative impacts that are not yet well understood. In the freight sector, there is uncertainty about how and when automation will impact labor. Beyond this, there are further unknowns about what the impacts will be on such freight subsectors as warehousing, long- and short-haul. It is expected that penetration rates of freight automation will vary across subsectors. In some subsectors, new jobs will be created and/or working conditions will improve. Other subsectors will see declining job quality and/or job losses that require workers to transition to new roles or sectors entirely, when possible. Changes in job opportunities and quality will vary within sectors and subsectors, by region, and/or by firm. This study offers an overview and recommendations in three directions. First, despite the uncertainties and based on past and present examples of automation, it provides some insights about strategies that may help impacted workers within and outside of the heavy freight sector transition. Second, it discusses examples of existing public policies that can support a transition for automation-impacted workers. And third, it provides insights on how different freight subsectors are likely to be impacted by automation

Lessons from Cities Considering Congestion Pricing

UC-ITS-2021-57Congestion pricing (CP) is widely considered to have significant potential for effectively reducing vehicle miles traveled, reducing emissions, and providing a reliable revenue source for transportation investments. This study evaluated cities interested in CP\u2014five in the U.S. (Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle) and two in other countries (Vancouver, Canada, and Auckland, New Zealand). This study examines the following features of a CP system for each of these cities: 1) duration of CP investigations, 2) equity mitigations, 3) range of alternatives considered, 4) public engagement, and 5) importance of emissions reductions. Timelines are impossible to predict with certainty, but New York and Auckland appear closest to implementation. Vancouver, San Francisco, and Seattle are well into the process; and Boston and Los Angeles are early in the process. Other key findings include that most of the cities start considering a range of options before narrowing down to comparing more detailed CP systems. Vancouver and San Francisco have made public engagement a cornerstone of their plan development, using polls and workshops to finetune the details of their CP proposals. In contrast, Auckland, while still engaging with stakeholders and experts for guidance, has mainly focused on how to ensure public support and understanding of the proposals they recommend. In terms of equity, discounts are a common and primary strategy proposed among the cities, but some also develop a more comprehensive set of equity policies to accompany a CP system