Public Perceptions of the Midwest’s Pavements - Wisconsin - Phase I (Winter Ride)

The Wisconsin Winter Ride Survey was designed to determine the extent to which drivers were tolerant of the rougher ride of pavements on rural two-lane highways in the winter. Survey objectives, as such, were centered around this primary question of winter ride tolerance. A telephone survey was conducted by the Wisconsin Survey Research Laboratory (WSRL), which added questions to its quarterly Wisconsin Opinion Poll for the data collection period of January 15 to March 15, 1997. A similar survey focusing only on the topic of winter driving on rural highways was conducted in Minnesota during the same period. Random digit dial samples were drawn for both states according to accepted sampling procedure. The survey data set provided by WSRL included 417 respondents. Conclusions derived from the Wisconsin Winter Ride Survey included the following. Overall, Wisconsin respondents were predominately tolerant of the pavement’s potentially rougher ride in winter. Three-fourths of the 173 respondents who had noticed a change in the pavement indicated that they were more tolerant of the rough ride in winter than they would be the rest of the year. The extent to which motorists noticed changes in the pavement was influenced by the driving and vehicle characteristics. Respondents who drove more frequently on rural two-lane highways and those driving trucks, full-size vans or sport utility vehicles were more 2 likely to notice changes. The latter finding suggests that differences in suspension and ride entered in for respondents driving cars versus those driving trucks. It follows, therefore, that noticing pavement changes generally increased as ratings of the vehicle’s ride quality declined

Weighing Vehicles in Motion [1965]

An agreement between the Kentucky Department of Highways and the University of Kentucky Research Foundation dated October 1, 1964 defined the minimum objectives of the subject research project as follows: A. Developing and furnishing plans for an in-stream transducer system for dynamic axle weighing with manufacturers\u27 specifications for the components required. B. Constructing and furnishing a scale having an optimum mechanical configuration and which would perform the dynamic axle-weighing function in an overall data-gathering system, as determined in A. above. This report describes the way in which these objectives were attained by the project staff during the period October 1, 1964 - September 30, 1965. Other activities pertinent to the work are also described

Public Perceptions of the Midwest’s Pavements - Minnesota - Phase I (Winter Ride)

The Minnesota Winter Ride Survey was designed to gauge the extent to which motorists were tolerant of the rougher ride of pavements on rural two-lane highways in the winter. Survey objectives, therefore, were centered around this focal question of winter ride tolerance. A telephone survey was conducted during the first quarter of the year (January 15 to March 15, 1997) by the Wisconsin Survey Research Laboratory (WSRL), which simultaneously conducted a similar survey in Wisconsin. Random digit dial samples were drawn for both states according to accepted sampling procedure. The survey data set provided by WSRL included 417 respondents. Analysis of the survey responses, performed by Marquette University, yielded insights into the sample composition and relationships between respondents’ perception/tolerance and their driving and demographic characteristics. In terms of demographics, the sample was evenly split male versus female, with two-thirds of the respondents in the 21-49 age range. Almost half were lifetime residents of Minnesota, and one-third had a college degree or beyond. A majority drove cars, as opposed to minivans, trucks, etc., and very few of the respondents rated the roughness of their vehicle’s ride as less than average. Minnesota Winter Ride Survey findings, on the whole, were reasonably consistent. Minnesota drivers who had noticed a change in the pavement’s ride since the beginning of winter were largely more tolerant of the rough ride than they would be the rest of the year. Based on the analysis, it was apparent that the perception and tolerance of the survey respondents was influenced by particular driving and demographic characteristics

On-the-job training manual

In an effort to assist you with administering and/or implementing the Training Special Provision (TSP) requirements on Local Public Agency (LPA) projects, SCDOT has developed a standardized LPA On-the-Job Training Program Manual. All contractors working on federal-aid LPA projects in the state of South Carolina will utilize this manual when fulfilling TSP requirements. All LPAs/Consultants will also be responsible for utilizing this manual when monitoring contractor compliance with TSP requirements on LPA projects. SCDOT developed this manual as a convenience for LPAs/Consultants and contractors