Optimizing Selection of Rumble Strip Design and Construction
Advisor: Professor Khaled A. El-Rayes
Abstract
Rumble strips are proven cost-effective roadway safety measures in reducing traffic crashes by generating in-vehicle noise for alerting inattentive drivers who are about to leave their travel lanes and/or approach stop-controlled intersections. Despite these safety benefits, they generate external noise levels that often cause disturbance and noise complaints from nearby residents. To address these challenges, this research study conducted comprehensive field evaluations to analyze in-vehicle and external noise performance of a wide range of rumble strip designs. The findings of these evaluations were then used to identify and rank top-performing designs for shoulder, centerline, and transverse rumble strips that are capable of reducing traffic crashes while minimizing their external noise impact on nearby residents. This research study also developed a novel model for ranking and optimizing the selection of rumble strip construction projects to maximize roadway safety benefits while complying with the limited availability of budgets.
The main contributions of this research study to the body of knowledge include (1) new knowledge on in-vehicle and external noise performance of twenty-five traditional and sinusoidal designs for shoulder and centerline rumble strips; (2) original datasets on external noise performance and effectiveness of five traditional and alternative transverse rumble strip designs including traditional, shorter, angled, staggered, and sinusoidal designs in alerting drivers of a wide range of vehicles; (3) an innovative decision support tool (DST) for ranking and selecting shoulder, centerline, and transverse rumble strip designs based on the noise performance of rumble strips and the specific conditions of each roadway project; and (4) a novel model for ranking and optimizing the selection of rumble strip construction projects to maximize roadway safety benefits while complying with the limited availability of budget.
The findings of this research are expected to support the state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in (1) identifying best-performing shoulder, centerline, and transverse rumble strip designs that can alert distracted drivers of all vehicle types on U.S. roadways to reduce related traffic crashes while decreasing the roadside noise and their impact on nearby residents; (2) improving roadway safety and mobility while achieving compliance with state and federal regulations for traffic noise control; (3) optimizing the selection of roadway safety construction projects to maximize roadway safety benefits; and (4) improving the cost-effectiveness of their roadway safety budgets.