Facilitated Identification of KYTC Performance Measures

Federal and state government agencies are embracing performance management as a means to (1) justify the use of tax dollars and (2) monitor and report program accomplishments. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) efforts to fold Transportation Performance Management (TPM) into its business processes and workplace culture required training that would educate personnel about TPM’s benefits, objectives, and activities. After reviewing training resources on performance management from FHWA, NHI, AASHTO, and state DOTs, Cabinet leadership concluded that their emphasis on federal requirements was not exactly what KYTC was looking for in a training program. Instead, KYTC wanted a training program that explained “what performance measures are” while also meeting their goal of building a culture focused on the internal and external benefits of performance management. Although the Cabinet must comply with TPM-related federal requirements, leadership wanted a training that went beyond the federal measures, one that would establish metrics that benefit transportation stakeholders across Kentucky. They decided the best option was to develop a KYTC-specific training that reviewed performance management and allowed participants to help develop their own performance measures, thereby allowing for the development of a participatory performance management program. KYTC retained Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) researchers to provide technical assistance. Researchers were tasked with the following: • Develop KYTC-specific training material for TPM • Conduct training for KYTC program areas as identified by the Study Advisory Committee (SAC) • Facilitate identification of process performance goals within each program area As part of this effort, KTC convened 15 facilitated sessions with KYTC Central Office staff. The purpose of these sessions was to identify performance goals for each program area in the Division of Highways, Office of Safety, and Office of Highway Safety. Researchers also conducted eight workshops at the District level focused on areas that overlapped with District functions. These workshops also reviewed and developed additional performance measure

Extended Weight Systems Pavement Analysis

Kentucky established its Extended Weight Coal or Coal By-products Haul Road System (EWCHRS) in 1986. This road network includes segments of the Coal Haul Highway System on which more than 50,000 tons coal or coal byproducts were transported by motor vehicles during the previous calendar year. In the past few years, the state has introduced extended weight (EW) systems focused on petroleum products and metal commodities. Trucks can operate above posted weight limits on these networks by paying annual fees that range from $160 to$2,000. While EW networks benefit motor carriers by improving efficiency, vehicles that exceed weight limits can damage pavement and reduce its service life. This study examines the relationship between pavement age and pavement condition on EWCHRS routes and non-EWCHRS routes to understand the implications of EW networks for infrastructure life-cycles. Using data from 2008 through 2020 (with the exception of 2016) to perform regression analysis, researchers found that routes which spent at least 20% of the study period on the EWCHRS saw pavement life decline by 1.5 – 2 years. In general, a positive correlation was observed between exposure on the EWCHRS and loss of pavement life, which can increase maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation costs. While the future of commodity-specific EW networks in Kentucky is unclear, data management strategies can be adopted by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to improve its support of existing and future EW networks

Evaluating the Use of a Near-Miss Reporting Program to Enhance Employee Safety Performance

Using safety incidents and crashes to improve safety performance is an outdated and reactive practice in safety and health programs. One component of a modern approach to safety is a near-miss reporting program. This type of program tracks close calls or near misses that do not result in an incident or crash, but which often can be an early indicator that one may happen. While most construction companies have implemented some methods for reporting near-miss events, many agencies, such as the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), struggle getting employees to report near misses. To fill this gap, potential factors that result in a lack of reporting are identified through a synthesis of existing literature, areas for improving existing near-miss reporting systems are discussed, and a survey was administered to KYTC maintenance superintendents. Results of this study suggest that many of the barriers that lead to a lack of near-miss reporting stem from the management level. Proposed suggestions to overcome barriers related to near-miss reporting include providing and/or requiring better near-miss training, making KYTC’s web-based reporting tool more well-known and accessible, and taking more visible corrective actions once near misses are reported. Future work should address the causes of near-miss events and strategies to reduce near-miss incidents on jobsites

Best Practices for Highway Project Scoping

One of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) foremost priorities in fulfilling its mission is to deliver successful projects — quality solutions that meet the defined scope and are delivered on time and within the budget specified in the Highway Plan. When a project scope is not clearly defined or uncertain, revisions may take place after the project is already underway, leading to delays or overpromising what can be delivered. Ideally, a reliable, decisive project scope is defined in the early phases of the highway project development process. The scope should include a project definition that clearly communicates the project scope’s framework and specifies what the project will and will not deliver. Recognizing the effectiveness of systematic approaches for managing preconstruction engineering activities and resources, KYTC initiated a study to identify effective methods for defining highway projects. The findings presented in this report will help KYTC strengthen scoping processes so it can clearly and accurately identify project needs, better control project development activities, optimize resource use, keep activities on schedule, and improve project outcomes. The guidance in this report is targeted for the phase of project development that begins will the purpose and need statement and progresses to letting. Each recommended best practice defines a goal and implementation strategies, and is ranked by implementation effort and value to the agency

Analysis of Truck Weight Limit Regulations

In the United States vehicle weight limits are set by laws and regulations enacted at the state and federal levels. On interstates the maximum allowable gross vehicle weight is 80,000 lbs. States use different rules for permitting overdimensional and overweight (OD/OW) vehicles, and most have carve outs that exempt specific commodities from standard weight limits. This results in a complex legal and regulatory landscape that enforcement personnel can find difficult to negotiate. This report discusses strategies that can be adopted in the state of Kentucky to improve enforcement and mitigate infrastructure damage caused by OD/OW loads. After presenting a thorough review of laws pertaining to vehicle weight limits at the national and state levels, the report presents the results of a nationwide survey administered to agency staff directly involved in weight limit enforcement. Survey respondents reported that OW trucks inflict a disproportionate amount of damage on pavements and bridges that permitting fees and fuel taxes are insufficient to ameliorate roadway damage caused by these vehicles, and that commodity exemptions and staff shortages make enforcement a challenging proposition. In addition to sharing many of the opinions of agency staff elsewhere, Kentucky personnel said that many bridges and roadways are not designed to withstand repeated loads of 80,000 lbs. of gross vehicle weight, heavier vehicles with commodity exemptions are especially damaging to collector and local roads, and that enforcement efforts need to be redoubled. Recommendations for improving weight limit enforcement in Kentucky cover areas such as legislation (e.g., reducing the number of commodity exemptions, using axle-based weight limits), highway design, enforcement and judicial practices, and permitting and fees. Implementing these recommendations can help Kentucky modernize and standardize its enforcement efforts

A Review of Kentucky’s Extended-Weight Hauling Programs

Kentucky established its Extended Weight Coal or Coal By-products Haul Road System (EWCHRS) to increase the state’s competitiveness within the coal industry and reduce financial burdens on coal haulers. A new extended-weight haul system for unrefined petroleum products will come online in 2022. To facilitate enforcement of weight limits throughout Kentucky, this report surveys literature on how overweight vehicles affect roads and bridges, describes statutes and regulations governing weight limits in the state, discusses policies and strategies used throughout the US to handle overweight vehicles, and makes recommendations for improving extended-weight policies in Kentucky. It is apparent that pavements and bridges repeatedly exposed to overweight vehicles have shorter life-cycles, but methods for quantifying deterioration rates are lacking. In both Kentucky and throughout the US, agency personnel find that not enough revenues are collected from permitting fees to offset damage caused by overweight trucks. The enforcement landscape is made complex by exemptions that apply to specific industries and commodities. Without adequate staffing and weigh station operations, robust enforcement of weight limits is very challenging. Some of the recommendations for Kentucky to improve its extended-weight policies include studying the feasibility of a statewide long-haul network that accommodates all commodities, modifying the EWCHRS fee structure to generate enough funds to repair damage inflicted by overweight vehicles, strengthen enforcement of weight limits on the EWCHRS, mandate installation of GPS systems on vehicles that travel the EWCHRS to streamline mileage reporting and improve driver awareness of prohibited routes, and eliminate inconsistencies, ambiguities, and redundancies in regulatory and statutory language

Extended Weight Systems Pavement Analysis

SPR 22-57-2Kentucky established its Extended Weight Coal or Coal By-products Haul Road System (EWCHRS) in 1986. This road network includes segments of the Coal Haul Highway System on which more than 50,000 tons coal or coal byproducts were transported by motor vehicles during the previous calendar year. In the past few years, the state has introduced extended weight (EW) systems focused on petroleum products and metal commodities. Trucks can operate above posted weight limits on these networks by paying annual fees that range from $160 to$2,000. While EW networks benefit motor carriers by improving efficiency, vehicles that exceed weight limits can damage pavement and reduce its service life. This study examines the relationship between pavement age and pavement condition on EWCHRS routes and non-EWCHRS routes to understand the implications of EW networks for infrastructure life-cycles. Using data from 2008 through 2020 (with the exception of 2016) to perform regression analysis, researchers found that routes which spent at least 20% of the study period on the EWCHRS saw pavement life decline by 1.5 \u2013 2 years. In general, a positive correlation was observed between exposure on the EWCHRS and loss of pavement life, which can increase maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation costs. While the future of commodity-specific EW networks in Kentucky is unclear, data management strategies can be adopted by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to improve its support of existing and future EW networks