Date of Award

Spring 5-10-2025

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Open-Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE)

Department

Civil Engineering

First Committee Advisor

Mohammadali Shirazi

Second Committee Member

Per Erik Garder

Third Committee Member

Lauren Ross

Abstract

Lane departure collisions account for many roadway fatalities across the United States. Many of these crashes occur on horizontal curves or ramps and are due to speeding. This research investigates factors that impact the odds ratio of speeding on Interstate horizontal curves and ramps. We collected and combined two unique sources of data. The first database involves comprehensive curve and ramp characteristics collected by an automatic road analyzer (ARAN) vehicle; the second database includes volume, average speed, and speed distribution gathered from probe data provided by StreetLight Insight®. We evaluated the impacts of level of service (LOS), which reflects traffic density or level of congestion, time of the day (morning, evening, and offpeak hours), time of the week (weekdays and weekends), and month of the year (Jan-Dec), and various information about geometric characteristics, such as curve radius, arc angle, and superelevation, on the odds ratio of speeding. The results show that the odds ratio of speeding increases at horizontal curves with improved levels of service, as well as those with larger radii and superelevation. The odds ratio of speeding decreases on curves with larger arc angles and during the winter months of the year. The findings indicate a reduction in the odds ratio of speeding at diagonal/loop ramps with larger arc angles and narrower lane widths. The results show the importance of using speed enforcement and other countermeasures to reduce speeding on curves with lower traffic volumes, higher speed limits, and larger radius and superelevation, especially for those in rural areas. The results could be used to prioritize locations for the installation of speed countermeasures or dispatch enforcement resources to high-priority locations and times.

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