The Golf Outing is Getting Closer

Have you signed up for golf yet?  If not, what's holding you back?  Please give us your foursome as soon as possible. Individuals are welcome as well -- RSVP information is below. Please let us know sooner than later.

Also, we have 9 consultant sponsors to date.  Remember, hole sponsorship money goes toward the scholarship -- please consider a consultant sponsorship if you haven't done so already.

We are working on the final details for the golf outing and wanted to share them with you:

Date: Monday, June 6th

Time: 12:00 (Lunch) / 1:00 (Golf)

Location: Juniper Hills in Frankfort, Kentucky

Costs (Golf and Lunch): $40 (a portion goes toward scholarship fund)

RSVP: Tony Lewis by May 30, 2011

Prize: Bragging Rights (is there anything else more important?!?!) AND prizes for winning team and individual best shots.

For more details, including the option to pre-pay, please go to our website.

  

HCM 2010: Kentucky's Connection

Most our members are probably aware that the Highway Capacity Manual 2010 is currently shipping.  Many of you might not know, however, that someone from Kentucky had an important role in its development.  In this article, we have interviewed Dr. Tom Creasey, PE, who works for ENTRAN in Lexington, KY.  We appreciate Tom's willingness to participate in this interview and look forward to his webinar on July 21.

1. First and foremost, congratulations on your recent Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky?  How relieved are you that the journey is complete?

More than anything I feel a great sense of satisfaction and
accomplishment. This is a goal I set for myself almost 30 years ago. I don't feel relief as much as I feel pride in never giving up.

2. How long have you been involved with the TRB Committee on Highway Capacity and Quality of Service?

My first exposure to the Committee came in 1988 when I was at the Texas Transportation Institute and the Committee held its mid-year meeting in College Station. I thought it was so cool to interact with the people that actually "wrote the book" (the 1985 version of the Highway Capacity Manual had been released not long before that). Many of the people I met then are friends of mine today.

I became of member of a couple of HCQSC subcommittees in the late 1990's and was appointed as a member of the full Committee in 2000. I was scheduled to rotate off the Committee last year but was asked by incoming Chair Dr. Lily Elefteriadou to serve as the Committee Secretary, an invitation I gladly accepted.

3. How long have you and the committee been working on the HCM 2010?

Production of the 2010 HCM was initiated in 2007 under NCHRP Research Project 3-92. The prime contractor was Kittelson & Associates and the research was overseen by a panel of peers, several of whom were members of the Committee. The Committee had the ultimate authority by approving individual chapters. The actual process of applying for the research funding and getting the project programmed began a couple of years before that, so it's safe to say that it takes at least 5 years from initiation to delivery and that assumes no delays in funding.

4. What are the major differences in the HCM 2010 versus HCM 2000?

Current methods have been improved or expanded and there are some new methods. The Signalized Intersection method computes the uniform delay (d1) term of the delay equation differently and the method addresses actuated signal control much more effectively. The Roundabout method is much more robust. The Urban Streets method (formerly Arterials) has been revamped totally and is now multimodal. Freeway Facilities and Interchange Ramp Terminals are brand new methods and definitely should be checked out. One other big difference is the organization - the primary parts of the method chapters appear in Volumes 1-3, while many of the technical details are located in supplemental chapters in Volume 4. This makes for much easier reading.

5. The HCM 2010 is published in three printed volumes and a fourth volume that is accessible online.  Can you give us more detail on that 4th volume?

Volume 4 may give us a sneak peek into the future as it is accessible online only. Each purchased copy of the HCM will come with a registration number and that number will be used to gain log-in access to Volume 4. If you are purchasing a single copy for your office or work
group, treat it like a software site license and make the log-in information available to all who might be using Volume 4 materials.

In addition to the supplemental chapters, Volume 4 will contain a wealth of supporting information like research reports, white papers, possibly some computational engines, and even an electronic copy of the 1950 HCM. Volume 4 will be dynamic in that materials may be added as new research
results come online. HCM 2010 interpretations and errata will be handled through Volume 4 as well. Don't ignore Volume 4 or you'll be missing out on a lot of valuable information.

6.  Can you give us a little bit more information about the ITE web briefing you will be conducting on July 21?

The web briefing will deal with planning applications of the 2010 HCM and specifically with service volume tables (SVTs). Application of the HCM for planning functions is a cross-cutting issue that touches just about all of the methods. I'll talk about the planning application of several methods as part of work that is being done to update the Kentucky Statewide Traffic Model. I'll talk about SVTs - what they are,
how they are applied, and how to construct them. I'll have an interesting example application of SVTs that were constructed for the downtown street grid in Milwaukee using the Signalized Intersection methodology.

7.  Is there anything else you would like to add?

As some people who know me can attest, the TRB Highway Capacity and Quality of Service Committee has been my passion and it's a big reason why I never gave up on my goal of getting a Ph.D. I would advise any professional, especially the young ones trying to figure it all out, to find your passion and pursue it. It's made all the difference for me.

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