Highway Infrastructure Innovations Funding
Project Awards Summaries 2004

Previous Project Awards Summaries 2006 2005 2004 2003

Carleton University:

1.  Integrating Freeway and Aerial Transportation Management

Develop a realistic integrate Freeway and arterial network model for testing ITS application. Analyse and evaluate ITS based transportation methods. Identify most suitable traffic responsive ramp metering system.

MTO Contact: Steve Erwin

2.  Managing Traffic through Highway Work Zones

Define safe, efficient, reliable and cost effective means for managing traffic through highway work zones. Develop guidelines for use of ITS technologies for managing delay, defining variable speed limits, guiding the lane merging process and automated enforcement

MTO Contact: Steve Erwin

McMaster University:

1.  Unbound Resilient Modulus Testing

Conduct resilient modulus testing on unbound material and subgrade soils according to SHRP AASHTO T307-99. Database of the material and subgrade soils will be established

MTO Contact: Tom Kazmierowski

2.  Identification of Effect of Climate Change on Future Design Standards for Drainage

Asses the state of research on the effect of climate change on design standards. Propose appropriate methodologies on applying current information on climate change to the design of drainage infrastructure.

MTO Contact: Joe Bucik

Ryerson University:

1.  Operational Performance Assessment of Freeway Interchanges and Ramps

Update and expand on MTO operational performance functions for interchanges and ramps. In addition to Central Region, data from across the province will be utilized.

MTO Contact: Janice Munro

2.  Comparison of Satellite Derived Digital Elevation Models (DEM) and Conventional Aerial Methods

Examine the geometric potential of stereo methods for DEM generation. Assess the accuracy, cost effectiveness and time savings.

MTO Contact: Ron Berg

3.  Engineering Survey Collection and Automation of Pavement Condition Surveys

Examine the use of a multi-sensor mobile data collection system for acquiring highway pavement data. Semi-automated methods of for the acquisition of pavement distress and geometric data will be examined in comparison to existing field methods.

MTO Contact: Ron Berg

Royal Military College:

1.  Limit State Design (LSD) for Retaining Walls for Structures

Development of a new limit state design working stress method applicable to both metallic and geosyntheic reinforced soil walls and consistent with the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code.

MTO Contact: Tom Kasmierowski

Queens University:

1.  Improved Low Temperature Asphalt Binder Specification Test Method
Note: Continuation of 2003 HIIFP research project

Evaluation of Highway 655 binders for low-temperature performance properties.

MTO Contact: Kia Tam

University of Guelph:

1.  Potential integrating Renewable Energy Generation into Highway Infrastructure

Establish the feasibility of integrating renewable energy generating technologies into the existing highway infrastructure. Identify the potential benefits and barriers of such an integration scheme. Provide MTO with a methodology for evaluating such projects.

MTO Contact: Mark Ayton

University of Western Ontario:

1.  Fatigue Reliability of Steel Girder Bridges

Asses the fatigue reliability of steel girder bridges using collected live load data. Calibrate reliability-consistent design factor for fatigue design.

MTO Contact: Bala Tharmabala

University of Toronto:

1.  Evaluation of Work Zone Strategies

Evaluate work zone strategies to improve worker and user safety. Determine how user delay costs could be incorporated into decision making. Evaluate the feasibility of implementing new technologies to improve highway work zone safety.

MTO Contact: Gerry Chaput

2.  Integrated GPS-GIS for Static and Dynamic Travel Time Measurement

Develop an integrated GPS-GIS system for linking travel time estimation analyses, including static estimation for planning purposes and dynamic prediction for ITS applications.

MTO Contact: Steve Erwin

University of Waterloo:

1.  Automation of Pavement Condition Surveys

Determine applicability of high speed pavement distress data collection in Ontario as a replacement for the existing manually based method of visual condition surveys.

MTO Contact: Li Ningyuan

2.  Improved Understanding of Half Cell Potential Measurements

Provide a basis for a more confident evaluation of reinforcement corrosion activities using half cell potential measurements. The results of the research may/will allow MTO to better assess the state of concrete structures and take remedial actions.

MTO Contact: Hannah Schell

3.  Tack Coat Test

Evaluation of several test methods for determining the bond strength between layers. Two different types of tests for the characterization of asphalt mixes will be evaluated.

MTO Contact: Pam Marks

4.  Maintenance Operations Analysis

Developing statistical models that can be used to quantify the effects of winter storms on the safety and mobility of Ontario highways related to factors such as storm, road and traffic characteristics and maintenance methods.

MTO Contact: Shael Gwartz