Investigation of Methods and Approaches for Collecting and Recording Highway Inventory Data

摘要

The Highway Safety Manual (HSM) provides decision makers and engineers with information and tools to evaluate safety when making decisions related to designing and operating roadways. The first edition of the HSM, published in 2010, provides predictive methods for three types of facilities: rural two-lane, two-way roads; rural multi-lane highways; and urban and suburban arterials. The main purpose of this research project was to identify cost-effective methods for collecting highway inventory data not currently stored in IDOT databases and for implementing the recently published HSM. The highway inventory data collected can also be used for other functions within the Bureau of Safety Engineering, other IDOT offices, and local agencies. State and local agencies have adopted a variety of techniques for collecting highway inventory data. Field inventories, photo/video logs, integrated GPS/GIS mapping systems, satellite/aerial imagery, virtual photo tourism, terrestrial laser scanners, mobile mapping systems (i.e., vehicle-based LiDAR, and airborne LiDAR) are examples. Each of these methods has its strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, the utility of these methods in terms of collecting HSM-related road inventory data is not well understood by state departments of transportation (DOTs).