LaRa-OHVD: An Innovative Over-Height Vehicle Detection System to Protect our Bridges to Prosperity Abhishek Singhal, Ph.D. Candidate in Transportation Engineering The City College of New York A student essay submitted for ITS- NY 2015 Best Student Essay Competition at 2015 Intelligent Transportation Society of New York 22nd Annual Meeting Saratoga Springs, NY
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LaRa-OHVD: An Innovative Over-Height Vehicle Detection System to
Protect our Bridges to Prosperity
Abhishek Singhal, Ph.D. Candidate in Transportation Engineering
The City College of New York
A student essay submitted for ITS- NY 2015 Best Student Essay Competition at
2015 Intelligent Transportation Society of New York 22nd Annual Meeting
Saratoga Springs, NY
LaRa-OHVD: AN INNOVATIVE LASER RANGING OVER-HEIGHT VEHICLE DETECTION SYSTEM TO PREVENT BRIDGE STRIKES
Department of Civil Engineering, The City College of New York, CUNY, NY 10031
1. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 2. BRIDGE HIT PROBLEM
4. STATE OF PRACTICE OHVDs 5. LaRa-OHVDs
7. LaRa-OHVD PROTOTYPE 8. TESTING & RESULTS
3.CURRENT MITIGATION METHODS
9. CONCLUSIONS
ECR SSC
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Over-height vehicle bridge strikes a major problem all over the world. More than 200 bridge hits annually in New York state. Current Over-Height Vehicle Detection Systems (OHVDs) are installed across
the road width up to quarter mile (1320 feet) before the bridge. System & installation costs significantly high (up to $200,000 in some cases). Installation limited to very few locations. No innovation in OHVDS technology in U.S. since 1998
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
To develop a new over-height vehicle detection system that can be installed on the face of the bridge/overhead gantry/existing roadside infrastructure .
Can detect incoming over-height vehicle at safe stopping distance. Most bridges already have electricity (street lights), telephone connections. Low cost device based on mature LADAR (Laser Detection and Ranging)
technology, special optics and existing traffic engineering guidelines. Mass deployment because of low cost. Better performance features than existing OHVD systems.
Source: Trigg Industries Product Catalog Introduced in 1965, proven effective in reducing hits, used by 15 State DOTS (2011) Consist of pair of aligned optical transmitter-receiver (A), Alarm bell (B) and VMS sign (C) Improvements to basic set up have been limited to:
Modifications in the light source (visible/red/Infrared/laser) Light modulation (visible), Operation Mode: diffuse, reflective or opposed (infrared) Using single, dual beam or Z-beam systems
LIMITATIONS Systems installed at greater distance before the bridge; up to a quarter mile Power & communication lines may have to be brought up to the installation site. Systems require a communication cable between the transmitter and receiver units. Requires digging a
trench across the road width. Results in additional roadway closures & traffic delays. Structural & Installation costs usually much higher than system costs
ITS grade installation $50,000 -$100,000 per approach Stand alone detector-pair cost is also expensive
$9000-$25,000 per approach (Trigg Industries) Installed only at critical locations because of very high costs (entrance ramps). Suffer from false detections due to snow deposits on vehicle, antennas, flying debris or birds. Suffer from alignment issues due to ground heave. Most times, drivers miss the only warning sign. Some do not hear the alarm bell (while listening to
radios, etc.) There is no further line of sight signage to stop them from hitting the bridge. Some OHVDS use expensive VMS/matrix signs ($20,000-$70,000)
Uniqueness in Operation First OHVDS which can be mounted on the bridge being protected (or overhead gantry/roadside infrastructure). Long range detection (>1000 feet). Detect incoming over height vehicle at safe
stopping distance (570 feet @ 60 mph, Level Grade AASHTO) Broad detection zones instead of single optical beam for sure detection. Eye safe, infrared laser rangefinder based device. Uses a standard freeway sized warning sign with flashing yellow beacons,
installed on the bridge face next to the detector. Meet or exceed current OHVDS performance specifications
Vehicle detection algorithms minimize false detections Minimal System Cost including Detector, Warning Sign, Signals & Installation Line of Sight Warning Sign and Traffic Signal design
Drivers can always see the warning sign No need for expensive VMS/Matrix signs
Provide Over-Height measurement Useful statistic for crash/damage assessment
Collision Prediction by Speed Measurement Pre-emptive Emergency Response & Recovery Controlled Damage due to driver response
By combining a mature vehicle detection technology (LADAR), special optics and existing traffic engineering guidelines; a cost effective Laser Ranging Over-Height Vehicle Detector is developed.
Represents a new sensor innovation in over-height detection in decades. Current OHVDs lack market competition, with archaic operation resulting in very high sensor and
deployment cost. Find limited use at most problematic locations. Thousands of low clearance bridges & overpasses still vulnerable to over-height vehicle hits. LaRa-OHVD is envisioned to detect over-height tractor trailers and large trucks which cause the
maximum number of bridge hits (94 %) in New York State. With respect to New York State, majority (78%) of bridge hits have been found to occur on
Parkways, State Highways and Interstates; where the LaRa detector can be utilized. Actual field testing is required to validate the system utility and note performance limitations. The low cost design, minimal installation, features like broad vehicle detection zones, algorithms
to minimize false detections, line of sight warning sign, collision prediction & over height measurement; makes the LaRa OHVD an innovative concept in over height detection.
LaRa-OHVD has the potential to prevent thousands of bridge strikes; save lives, prevent congestion, save tax payer’s dollars and contribute to the vital infrastructure preservation goals in the United States.
Performance Feature Value
Operating Speed 1-75 mph
Maximum Range (across road width) 200 feet
Minimum size of detected object ¼-4 inch (2 inch)
Alarm/Sign Interface 1-2
False Positives Minimum
Direction Discerning Dual Beam Type
Additional Features
Fail Safe Mode Default Warning Sign Activation
Fault reporting Power Failure, Beam or Sensor Failure, Beam obstruction
Remote Management Interface to TMC, event recorder
Vehicle Detector Road loops to eliminate false positives
New York State: Number of Bridge Hits between 1993-2011
United States: Number of Bridge Hits between 2005-2008
LaRa OHVD: Top View of Installation Proposed Warning Sign with Signals
Detection Concept (Regular Height Vehicle)
Detection Concept (Over-Height Vehicle)
Region 8
Region 5
Region 10 Region 11 New York State: Number of recorded bridge hits by year (* Through 4/20/2015)
~5,000 over-height vehicle bridge hits/year in U.S. result in over $100 million worth of damage to public & personal property
Over-height truck bridge hits resulted in ~20 fatalities (2003-2013) and 75 injuries (2010-2013) per year respectively.
Over-height trucks have resulted in 13,108 structural damage bridge hits in four years (2010-2013).
Societal cost of a major over height vehicle-bridge hit estimated to be $694,000 based on 1994 FHWA figures.
14 European Union Member States, Ireland (>180 hits/year), United Kingdom (>2,000 hits/year), Australia (332 hits between 2005-2013) consider bridge hits as a significant safety risk.
An artist’s rendition of LaRa-OHVDs installation
68% State DOTs consider bridge hits to be a significant problem.
New York State had 1,600 hits since 1993. Many bridges have been repeatedly hit.
Tractor trailers, large trucks constitute majority (98%) of hits.
Bridges over Parkways, State Highways, Interstates most affected
30 States 44 States
Target Passive Effectiveness /Challenges Driver Driver education on bridge hits
Testing on CMV license exams Vehicle height signs in cabin Measuring height of cargo before trip
Developing a new regulation Driver compliance and awareness is required Most challenging to enforce
Structure Protection through in-line barriers (Hanging rods, chains) Sacrificial beams or Bash bars on or before the structure
Costly to implement, Vehicle/cargo damage or driver injury may result in liability issues
Roadway
Efficient posting of over-height warning signs Markings on roadway and structure Provide better lighting conditions
Economical from DOT perspective Limited effectiveness
Target Active Effectiveness /Challenges Driver In-cab proximity alerts (GPS/CB Radio)
Use commercial GPS for trucks/CMVs Utilize DOT oversize permit, escort vehicle services Use authorized truck route maps Real-time truck routing mobile apps
Commercial GPS costly for fleet/truck owners Permit process requires planning Time consuming, enforcement? Low clearance database validity
Structure Alteration of structure height through raising the bridge/overpass or Grinding the roadway surface
100 % effective to eliminate hits Most Cost Prohibitive Solution
Roadway Detection and re-routing using over height vehicle detection (OHVDs) sensors and VMS warning signs
Practical & expensive solution Highly effective in reducing hits
April 13, 2015, $1/month
March 2, 2015, FREE!
An eye-safe (Class 1) infrared laser based prototype developed < USD $4,000 Size of a typical shoe box: L x B x H =12”x 6”x 6” Weight < 3 lbs. Actual product design can further reduce size & weight considerably Custom laser rangefinder design uses special optics to transform the elliptical
laser beam into a thin sheet of laser light (fan shape) Field interface to Traffic Management Center can be integrated All weather performance needs to be tested Mounted on a traditional camera enclosure bracket- simple installation Uses a standard 12” warning traffic signal for higher visibility - Flash rate set as per MUTCD Operational parameters configured through a PC – Serial interface Requires one time on-site calibration Single Lane design, Meets “Performance features” of existing OHVDs “Direction discerning” feature not implemented “Additional features” of existing OHVDs can be implemented
Traffic Signal & Detector Test Set Up
Oblique views of the LaRa detector Front view (left) and Back view (right) of LaRa detector
12 V DC Switches Power
110 V AC /
Traffic Signal
Serial Port
Test Signals
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research is supported by the University Transportation Research Center, Region 2
Optical Testing to validate Laser Beam Shape
8 ft.
Collimated Laser Beam at Detector (left) & at distance of 8 Ft. (Right), 2 cm thickness
LaRa LRF Range Testing & Target characteristics
Beam Resolution @120 Ft (20 mph): 2.36 inch x 2.5 Ft wide @ 220 Ft (30 mph): 3.65 inch x 4.5 Ft wide
Finer focusing of optics can correct beam shape at field distances.
Range limitations due to APD receiver design Height Resolution in Centimeters Vehicle / False Detection Algorithms : Currently Under Development
Triangular laser sheet, 7.2 cm wide @ 8 Ft. (left edge, center, right edge), 2 cm thick