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Highway Models and Sustainability
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Highway Models and Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Transportation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 20028

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. María Castro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Transport Engineering, Urban and Regional Planning, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, 28040, Spain
Interests: road geometric design; road safety; highway modeling
Dr. Keila González-Gómez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Transport Engineering, Urban and Regional Planning, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, 28040, Spain
Interests: road geometric design; vulnerable road users; road safety

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, modeling techniques are key to assuring sustainability during the lifecycle of roads (from preliminary design to operation). The advantages of modeling pavements to get a better understanding of their materials’ behavior and the comparison of different design options in order to achieve more sustainable solutions are well known. Additionally, three-dimensional models of the roadway and roadside elements provide more realistic representations of the highway and its surroundings. These models could contain not only roadway geometry elements, but also important features related to the interaction between the route and the landscape, such as vegetation, side slopes, etc. Highway models help to create better designs, roads better integrated with their environment and better understood by drivers. All these enhancements can lead to a safety increase and a reduction of their environmental impact. The main objective of this Special Issue is to publish current advances in how highway models improve sustainability. From infrastructure depictions, to those improving mobility or safety, topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Finite element modeling for pavement structural design;
  • Traffic flow models;
  • Data collection, processing, and frameworks aimed at the modeling of existent road geometries and roadside elements (including vegetation, road safety elements, signals, etc.);
  • 3D modeling of road and roadside elements (aimed at sight distance estimations, design consistency studies, design and development of driving simulator scenarios, etc.);
  • Building information modeling (BIM) for roads;
  • Operating speed models for geometric design consistency;
  • Statistical modeling of crashes studies;
  • Modeling of intersections and roundabouts.

Prof. Dr. María Castro
Dr. Keila González-Gómez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Pavement structural design
  • 3D road modeling
  • LiDAR
  • Drones
  • Road element extractions
  • Traffic flow models
  • Speed models
  • Road geometric design consistency
  • Sight distance
  • Intersections and roundabouts

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 5864 KiB  
Article
Semi-Automatic Extraction of Geometric Elements of Curved Ramps from Google Earth Images
by Mohammed AL-Qadri, Jianchuan Cheng and Yunlong Zhang
Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 1001; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14021001 - 17 Jan 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2103
Abstract
Generating and updating roadway geometric elements from aerial images is necessary for multiple geospatial information system purposes, which have been addressed through various approaches. However, most existing methods cannot deal with challenges such as differently curved ramp characteristics, whereas measurements of geometric elements [...] Read more.
Generating and updating roadway geometric elements from aerial images is necessary for multiple geospatial information system purposes, which have been addressed through various approaches. However, most existing methods cannot deal with challenges such as differently curved ramp characteristics, whereas measurements of geometric elements are still of low effectiveness and accuracy. This paper presents a new method for the semi-automatic extraction of horizontal parameters of curved highway ramps using Google Earth images. The proposed method first determines a road centerline manually using a graphics editor software; the file is then saved and processed with a program that analyzes and splits the centerline into its basic components. After that, the curvature analysis and linear fitting methods are integrated for automatic PC and PT determination. Finally, at the post-processing stage, the radii of the curves are computed automatically using the least-squares method. The proposed method was tested on four highway ramps and validated by comparison with the obtained design plans. Results show that the proposed method successfully detected the curves’ PC/PT and measured their radii with a high degree of accuracy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Highway Models and Sustainability)
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23 pages, 6427 KiB  
Article
Modeling Urban Road Scenarios to Evaluate Intersection Visibility
by Keila González-Gómez, Derrick K. Rollins and María Castro
Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 354; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14010354 - 29 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2263
Abstract
Road safety is key to sustainable mobility. Rapid technological advances have allowed several road safety-related analyses, previously performed in situ, to be conducted virtually. These virtual analyses benefit understanding of how roads operate and how users perceive them. Additionally, they facilitate the assessment [...] Read more.
Road safety is key to sustainable mobility. Rapid technological advances have allowed several road safety-related analyses, previously performed in situ, to be conducted virtually. These virtual analyses benefit understanding of how roads operate and how users perceive them. Additionally, they facilitate the assessment of several parameters that are fundamental to road design and operation. The available sight distance (ASD) is one of these parameters that, if not provided adequately, could alter the proper functioning of roads. This study presents a framework to assess the impact of certain features on visibility. First, the ASD is estimated using a geographic information system (GIS)-based procedure with LiDAR-derived three-dimensional (3D) models. Afterward, obstructions are detected and categorized. If the obstruction cannot be removed, their redesign or relocation is simulated to re-run the analysis. These simulations are performed using 3D city objects, and their results are statistically evaluated, providing evidence as to their effects on visibility. The results proved that the procedure helped achieve the efficient use of roadside space, while including safety concerns. Additionally, this study reflects the need for more inspections on the impact of on-street parking on drivers’ fields of view. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Highway Models and Sustainability)
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13 pages, 4958 KiB  
Article
Effects of Fog in a Brazilian Road Segment Analyzed by a Driving Simulator for Sustainable Transport: Drivers’ Speed Profile under In-Vehicle Warning Systems
by Felipe Calsavara, Felipe Issa Kabbach, Jr. and Ana Paula C. Larocca
Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10501; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131910501 - 22 Sep 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1628
Abstract
Intelligent transport systems enable vehicles to communicate with each other and with the environment, ensuring road safety. Their implementation can help reduce the number of accidents, especially in stretches of s-curves, where speed control is essential to ensure the safety of drivers, and [...] Read more.
Intelligent transport systems enable vehicles to communicate with each other and with the environment, ensuring road safety. Their implementation can help reduce the number of accidents, especially in stretches of s-curves, where speed control is essential to ensure the safety of drivers, and under hazardous weather conditions. Such systems promptly notify drivers about potentially dangerous road conditions, such as fog, so that they can better adapt their driving behavior. This study evaluates the driver’s speed profile in different scenarios (clear weather, fog weather, and fog with an in-vehicle fog warning system) considering the road geometry elements (s-curves). A driving simulator recreated the real scenarios of a principal Brazilian road segment, showing the geometric and weather conditions of a road known for its several s-curves and frequent incidence of fog. A preliminary study identified the most critical curves through a weighted severity index methodology to define the critical segment. The results showed drivers considerably reduced their speed in the scenario with a warning system, thus contributing to the safety of s-curved segments. The implementation of in-vehicle warning systems can avoid or reduce the need for major infrastructure interventions such as geometric design, through investments in new intelligent transport systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Highway Models and Sustainability)
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13 pages, 3637 KiB  
Article
Effects of Fog in a Brazilian Road Segment Analyzed by a Driving Simulator for Sustainable Transport: Drivers’ Visual Profile
by Felipe Calsavara, Felipe Issa Kabbach Junior and Ana Paula C. Larocca
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9448; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13169448 - 23 Aug 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2269
Abstract
Visibility is a critical factor for drivers to perceive roadway information, and fog is an inclement weather condition that directly impacts their vision, since it reduces both overall contrast and visibility of the driving scene. Visual attention has been considered a contributing factor [...] Read more.
Visibility is a critical factor for drivers to perceive roadway information, and fog is an inclement weather condition that directly impacts their vision, since it reduces both overall contrast and visibility of the driving scene. Visual attention has been considered a contributing factor to traffic crashes, and fog-related accidents are prone to be more severe and involve multiple vehicles. The literature lacks studies on the influence of fog on drivers’ visual performance and environment’s infrastructure design. This article investigates the effects of fog on drivers’ performance in a Brazilian curved road segment through a driving simulator experiment – more precisely, whether the presence of fog (foggy scenario) or its absence (clear scenario) significantly affects the visual profile. In the foggy scenario, the results showed the tracked area was concentrated in a smaller region, despite an increase in the number of fixations compared with the clear scenario. The fixation duration did not change between the scenarios and the pupil dilation was shorter in the foggy one. The study shows the influence of environmental conditions on the driver’s performance and is one of the first on the use of driving simulators with realistic representations of the road infrastructure and its surrounding for the understanding of driving under fog in the Brazilian scenario. Besides roadway geometry elements, driving simulator studies enable analyses of features related to the interaction between route environment and driver’s answer, and can improve safety in places with visibility problems caused by fog, reducing their environmental impact and preserving drivers’ lives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Highway Models and Sustainability)
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30 pages, 6574 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Route Flow Estimation in Road Networks Using Data from Automatic Number of Plate Recognition Sensors
by Santos Sánchez-Cambronero, Fernando Álvarez-Bazo, Ana Rivas and Inmaculada Gallego
Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4430; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13084430 - 15 Apr 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1679
Abstract
The traffic flow on road networks is dynamic in nature. Hence, a model for dynamic traffic flow estimation should be a very useful tool for administrations to make decisions aimed at better management of traffic. In fact, these decisions may in turn improve [...] Read more.
The traffic flow on road networks is dynamic in nature. Hence, a model for dynamic traffic flow estimation should be a very useful tool for administrations to make decisions aimed at better management of traffic. In fact, these decisions may in turn improve people’s quality of life and help to implement good sustainable policies to reduce the external transportation costs (congestion, accidents, travel time, etc.). Therefore, this paper deals with the problem of estimating dynamic traffic flows in road networks by proposing a model which is continuous in the time variable and that assumes the first-in-first-out (FIFO) hypothesis. In addition, the data used as model inputs come from Automatic Number of Plate Recognition (ANPR) sensors. This powerful data permits not only to directly reconstruct the route followed by each registered vehicle but also to evaluate its travel time, which in turn is also used for the flow estimation. In addition, the fundamental variable of the model is the route flow, which is a great advantage since the rest of the flows can be obtained using the conservation laws. A synthetic network is used to illustrate the proposed method, and then it is applied to the well-known Nguyen-Dupuis and Eastern Massachusetts networks to prove its usefulness and feasibility. The results on all the tested networks are very positive and the estimated flows reproduce the simulated real flows fairly well. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Highway Models and Sustainability)
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21 pages, 3832 KiB  
Article
Development of Driving Simulation Scenarios Based on Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Road Safety Analysis
by Juan F. Dols, Jaime Molina, F. Javier Camacho-Torregrosa, David Llopis-Castelló and Alfredo García
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2039; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13042039 - 14 Feb 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4064
Abstract
The analysis of road safety is critical in road design. Complying to guidelines is not enough to ensure the highest safety levels, so many of them encourage designers to virtually recreate and test their roads, benefitting from the evolution of driving simulators in [...] Read more.
The analysis of road safety is critical in road design. Complying to guidelines is not enough to ensure the highest safety levels, so many of them encourage designers to virtually recreate and test their roads, benefitting from the evolution of driving simulators in recent years. However, an accurate recreation of the road and its environment represents a real bottleneck in the process. A very important limitation lies in the diversity of input data, from different sources and requiring specific adaptations for every single simulator. This paper aims at showing a framework for recreating faster virtual scenarios by using an Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)-based file. This methodology was compared to two other conventional methods for developing driving scenarios. The main outcome of this study has demonstrated that with a data exchange file in IFC format, virtual scenarios can be faster designed to carry out safety audits with driving simulators. As a result, the editing, programming, and processing times were substantially reduced using the proposed IFC exchange file format through a BIM (Building Information Modeling) model. This methodology facilitates cost-savings, execution, and optimization resources in road safety analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Highway Models and Sustainability)
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Review

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33 pages, 11125 KiB  
Review
Highway Planning Trends: A Bibliometric Analysis
by Karen Castañeda, Omar Sánchez, Rodrigo F. Herrera and Guillermo Mejía
Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5544; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14095544 - 05 May 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4110
Abstract
An efficient highway infrastructure network is a determining factor in promoting the socio-economic development of countries and regions. Highway planning activities are highly important because their results ensure that projects are delivered within budget, schedule, and scope. Therefore, academics and professionals have promoted [...] Read more.
An efficient highway infrastructure network is a determining factor in promoting the socio-economic development of countries and regions. Highway planning activities are highly important because their results ensure that projects are delivered within budget, schedule, and scope. Therefore, academics and professionals have promoted various methodological and technological advances focused on improving highway planning processes, evidenced by many scientific documents that address the topic. Despite progress, few studies have focused on analyzing the state of the knowledge structure and the technological and methodological trends of the highway planning topic. Considering this gap, this study presents trends in highway planning and its knowledge structure based on a bibliometric analysis from January 2015 to September 2021. The research method is based on a bibliometric analysis composed of five main stages: (1) scope definition, (2) selection of bibliometric analysis techniques, (3) data collection, (4) bibliometric analysis execution, and (5) evidence analysis and synthesis. Information from 1703 journal papers was collected and analyzed. The findings show that the main trends of highway planning focus on life cycle analysis, computational tools, smart cities, sustainability issues, construction processes, new equipment and materials, and multi-objective optimization, among others. Thus, the findings of this study allow the reader to identify the methodological and technological trends in highway planning and their knowledge gaps to guide future studies in the field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Highway Models and Sustainability)
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