Transportation engineering

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Transportation engineering
Old Market Roundabout, Bristol.jpg
Engineering of roundabout in Bristol, England
(attempts to make traffic flow free-moving)
Occupation
Names
  • Transportation engineer
Occupation type
Profession
Activity sectors
Description
Competencies
Education required
Fields of
employment
Related jobs

Transportation engineering or transport engineering is a sub discipline of Civil engineering specialized in the application of technology and scientific principles to the planning, functional design, operation and management of facilities for any mode of transportation in order to provide for infrastructure for safe, efficient, rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and environmentally compatible movement of people and goods transport. [1] [2]

Contents

History

The beginning of road construction could be dated to the time of the Romans. [3] [4] With the advancement of technology from carriages pulled by two horses to vehicles with power equivalent to 100 horses, road development had to follow suit. The construction of modern highways did not begin until the late 19th to early 20th century. [3]

The history of rail, water and air transport can be dated around 19th and 20th century. [5] With the development of air craft by wright brothers, the development of air transport began in early 1900s. [6]

Theory

The planning aspects of transportation engineering relate to elements of urban planning and involve technical forecasting, decisions and political factors. Technical forecasting of passenger travel usually involves an urban transportation planning model requiring the estimation of trip generation, trip distribution, mode choice, and route assignment. More sophisticated forecasting can include other aspects of traveler decisions, including auto ownership, trip chaining and the choice of residential or business location. Passenger trips are the focus of transportation engineering because they often represent the peak of demand on any transportation system. [7]

Transportation engineering, primarily involves planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operation of transportation facilities. The facilities support air, highway, railroad, pipeline, water, and even space transportation. The design aspects of transportation engineering include the sizing of transportation facilities (how many lanes or how much capacity the facility has), determining the materials and thickness used in pavement designing the geometry (vertical and horizontal alignment) of the roadway (or track).

Before any planning occurs an engineer must take what is known as an inventory of the area or, if it is appropriate, the previous system in place. This inventory or database must include information on population, land use, economic activity, transportation facilities and services, travel patterns and volumes, laws and ordinances, regional financial resources, and community values and expectations. These inventories help the engineer create business models to complete accurate forecasts of the future conditions of the system.

Operations and management involve traffic engineering, so that vehicles move smoothly on the road or track. Older techniques include signs, signals, markings, and tolling. Newer technologies involve intelligent transportation systems, including advanced traveler information systems (such as variable message signs), advanced traffic control systems (such as ramp meters), and vehicle infrastructure integration. Human factors are an aspect of transportation engineering, particularly concerning driver-vehicle interface and user interface of road signs, signals, and markings. [8]

Specializations

Highway engineering

A typical cross-section drawing of a roadway. Typical roadway cross-section sheet in transportation engineering.jpg
A typical cross-section drawing of a roadway.

Engineers in this specialization:

Railroad engineering

Railway engineers handle the design, construction, and operation of railroads and mass transit systems that use a fixed guideway (such as light rail or monorails).

Typical tasks include:

Railway engineers work to build a cleaner and safer transportation network by reinvesting and revitalizing the rail system to meet future demands. In the United States, railway engineers work with elected officials in Washington, D.C., on rail transportation issues to make sure that the rail system meets the country's transportation needs. [9]

Railroad engineers can also move into the specialized field of train dispatching which focuses on train movement control.

Port and harbor engineering

Port and harbor engineers handle the design, construction, and operation of ports, harbors, canals, and other maritime facilities.

Airport engineering

Airport engineers design and construct airports. Airport engineers must account for the impacts and demands of aircraft in their design of airport facilities. These engineers must use the analysis of predominant wind direction to determine runway orientation, determine the size of runway border and safety areas, different wing tip to wing tip clearances for all gates and must designate the clear zones in the entire port. The Civil Engineering Department, consisting of Civil and Structural Engineers, undertakes structural design of passenger, terminal design and cargo terminals, aircraft hangars (for parking commercial, private and government aircraft), runways and other pavements, technical buildings for installation of airport ground aids etc. for the airports in-house requirements and consultancy projects. They are even responsible for the master plan for airports they are authorized to work with. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civil engineering</span> Engineering discipline focused on physical infrastructure

Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage systems, pipelines, structural components of buildings, and railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Ghana</span> System of transport in Ghana

Transport in Ghana is accomplished by road, rail, air and water. Ghana's transportation and communications networks are centered in the southern regions, especially the areas in which gold, cocoa, and timber are produced. The northern and central areas are connected through a major road system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road</span> Land route for travel by vehicles

A road is a thoroughfare for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles and pedestrians. Unlike streets, whose primary function is to serve as public spaces, the main function of roads is transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road transport</span> Collective term for all forms of transport which takes place on roads

Road transport or road transportation is a type of transport using roads. Transport on roads can be roughly grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people. In many countries licensing requirements and safety regulations ensure a separation of the two industries. Movement along roads may be by bike, automobile, bus, truck, or by animal such as horse or oxen. Standard networks of roads were adopted by Romans, Persians, Aztec, and other early empires, and may be regarded as a feature of empires. Cargo may be transported by trucking companies, while passengers may be transported via mass transit. Commonly defined features of modern roads include defined lanes and signage. Various classes of road exist, from two-lane local roads with at-grade intersections to controlled-access highways with all cross traffic grade-separated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation planning</span> Process of planning for movement of people and goods

Transportation planning is the process of defining future policies, goals, investments, and spatial planning designs to prepare for future needs to move people and goods to destinations. As practiced today, it is a collaborative process that incorporates the input of many stakeholders including various government agencies, the public and private businesses. Transportation planners apply a multi-modal and/or comprehensive approach to analyzing the wide range of alternatives and impacts on the transportation system to influence beneficial outcomes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traffic engineering (transportation)</span>

Traffic engineering is a branch of civil engineering that uses engineering techniques to achieve the safe and efficient movement of people and goods on roadways. It focuses mainly on research for safe and efficient traffic flow, such as road geometry, sidewalks and crosswalks, cycling infrastructure, traffic signs, road surface markings and traffic lights. Traffic engineering deals with the functional part of transportation system, except the infrastructures provided.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highway engineering</span> Civil engineering of roads, bridges, and tunnels

Highway engineering is a professional engineering discipline branching from the civil engineering subdiscipline of transportation engineering that involves the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of roads, highways, streets, bridges, and tunnels to ensure safe and effective transportation of people and goods. Highway engineering became prominent towards the latter half of the 20th century after World War II. Standards of highway engineering are continuously being improved. Highway engineers must take into account future traffic flows, design of highway intersections/interchanges, geometric alignment and design, highway pavement materials and design, structural design of pavement thickness, and pavement maintenance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Department of Transportation</span> Government agency in Georgia, United States

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in developing public transportation and general aviation programs. GDOT is headquartered in downtown Atlanta and is part of the executive branch of state government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Department of Transportation</span> Department of transportation for the U.S. state of Tennessee

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is the department of transportation for the State of Tennessee, with multimodal responsibilities in roadways, aviation, public transit, waterways, and railroads. It was established in 1915 as the Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works, and renamed the Tennessee Department of Transportation in 1972. The core agency mission of TDOT is to provide a safe and reliable transportation system for people, goods, and services that supports economic prosperity in Tennessee. Since 1998, TDOT has been ranked amongst the top five in the nation for quality highway infrastructure. It is primarily headquartered in downtown Nashville and operates four regional offices in Chattanooga, Jackson, Knoxville, and Nashville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Department of Transportation</span> Texas state government agency

The Texas Department of Transportation is a Texas state government agency responsible for construction and maintenance of the state's immense state highway system and the support of the state's maritime, aviation, rail, and public transportation systems. TxDOT previously administered vehicle registration prior to the creation of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles in November 2009.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to transport:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nevada Department of Transportation</span> U.S. state government agency

The Nevada Department of Transportation is a government agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. NDOT is responsible for maintaining and improving Nevada's highway system, which includes U.S. highways and Interstate highways within the state's boundaries. The department is notable for its aggressively proactive approach to highway maintenance. Nevada state roads and bridges have also been named some of the nation's best.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Land transport</span> Mode of transport

Land transport is the transport or movement of people, animals or goods from one location to another location on land. This is in contrast with other main types of transport such as maritime transport and aviation. The two main forms of land transport can be considered to be rail transport and road transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traffic simulation</span>

Traffic simulation or the simulation of transportation systems is the mathematical modeling of transportation systems through the application of computer software to better help plan, design, and operate transportation systems. Simulation of transportation systems started over forty years ago, and is an important area of discipline in traffic engineering and transportation planning today. Various national and local transportation agencies, academic institutions and consulting firms use simulation to aid in their management of transportation networks.

Urban freight distribution is the system and process by which goods are collected, transported, and distributed within urban environments. The urban freight system can include seaports, airports, manufacturing facilities, and warehouse/distribution centers that are connected by a network of railroads, rail yards, pipelines, highways, and roadways that enable goods to get to their destinations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portage Glacier Highway</span> Highway in Alaska, United States

The Portage Glacier Highway, or Portage Glacier Road, is a highway located in the U.S. state of Alaska. The highway is made up of a series of roads, bridges, and tunnels that connect the Portage Glacier area of the Chugach National Forest and the city of Whittier to the Seward Highway. Most of the highway travels through mainly rural areas just north of the Kenai Peninsula, with the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel passing under Maynard Mountain, part of the Chugach Mountain Range. Parts of the route were first constructed in the early 1900s, and the entire highway was completed on June 7, 2000, as part of the Whittier Access Project. The main portion of the highway traveling from the western terminus to the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center at Portage Lake is designated as National Forest Highway 35 by the United States Forest Service (USFS).

In transportation engineering, the K factor is defined as the proportion of annual average daily traffic occurring in an hour. This factor is used for designing and analyzing the flow of traffic on highways. K factors must be calculated at a continuous count station, usually an "automatic traffic recorder", for a year before being determined. Usually this number is the proportion of "annual average daily traffic" (AADT) occurring at the 30th-highest hour of traffic density from the year's-worth of data. This 30th-highest hour of traffic is also known as "K30" or the "Design Hour Factor". This factor improves traffic forecasting, which in turn improves the ability of designers and engineers to plan for efficiency and serve the needs of this particular set of traffic. Such forecasting includes the selection of pavement and inclusion of different geometric aspects of highway design, as well as the effects of lane closures and necessity of traffic lights. Engineers have reached consensus on identify K30 as reaching a reasonable peak of activity before high outliers of traffic volume are used as determinative of overall patterns. The K factor has three general characteristics:

Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) established in 1952 is a constituent laboratory of India's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The CRRI is located on Mathura road in Okhla, New Delhi and conducts research and development in the areas of design, construction, maintenance and management of roads and airport runways. It also works in area of traffic and surface transportation planning.

The Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Society of Civil Engineers. It covers planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of air, highway, rail, and urban transportation systems and infrastructure. Papers on road, bridge, and transit management; and transportation systems are encouraged, as well as those on connected and autonomous vehicles; highway engineering and economics, safety and environmental aspects of transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois Transportation Taxes and Fees Lockbox Amendment</span>

On November 8, 2016, Illinois voters approved the Illinois Transportation Taxes and Fees Lockbox Amendment, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment that prohibits lawmakers from using transportation funds for anything other than their stated purpose.

References

  1. https://civil.pcampus.edu.np/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/final-to-faculty-board-Transportation-MSc.pdf
  2. "What is Transportation Engineering?". CivilEngineeringBible.com. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 O'Flaherty, C.A., ed. (2002). Highways the location, design, construction and maintenance of road pavements (4th ed.). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN   978-0-7506-5090-8.
  4. "History – Transportation" . Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  5. "History Of Transportation - Introduction | Types of Transportation". BYJUS. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  6. 1 2 "wright brothers started air craft in - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  7. "Transportation Engineering". Civil Engineering. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  8. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/what-is-transportation-engineering
  9. "Association of American Railroads". AAR. Retrieved 30 June 2011.