Ibrahim Odeh

Field Experiments to Evaluate and Control Light Tower Glare in Nighttime Work Zones

An increasing volume of highway repair and construction work is being performed during the off-peak nighttime hours to mitigate the impact of construction-related daytime traffic congestions and shorten the duration of construction operations. The utilization and placement of light towers to illuminate the work zone in this type of construction can cause harmful levels of glare for both drivers and construction workers. This paper presents the results of field experiments which were conducted to (1) study the levels of glare and lighting performance generated by light towers in and around nighttime work zones; (2) analyze the combined impact of the light tower set up parameters including its height as well as its aiming and rotation angles on glare and lighting performance; and (3) provide practical recommendations to reduce and control lighting glare in and around nighttime work zones. The results of these experiments confirm that the set up of light towers has a significant impact on glare and therefore it should be carefully designed and executed on nighttime highway construction projects to ensure the safety of the traveling public as well as construction workers.

Economic Sustainability of DBO Water Based on Wastewater Projects in the U.S.: Three Case Studies

AbstractAs public utility owners face increased budget constraints and greater expectations, alternative project delivery methods will increasingly be used to fast track projects, reduce costs, promote innovation, and ensure proper performance for water and wastewater facilities. The goals of public utility owners and U.S. federal tax regulations suggest why design-build-operate (DBO) projects have been selected over other procurement processes. The research reported in this paper contributes to the body of knowledge and benefits industry practitioners, by identifying tax regulations and best practices that when jointly considered improve the project delivery selection process, while enhancing risk-mitigation efforts on DBO water and wastewater projects. A procurement selection process using multiple-criteria decision and financial risk analyses is presented to select the most economically sustainable delivery method given each project’s characteristics. A present value analysis establishes a range of val...

New Approach to Compare Glare and Light Characteristics of Conventional and Balloon Lighting Systems

With the increasing needs to adopt nighttime construction strategies in order to avoid disruption of traffic flow, state agencies are currently experimenting with a new class of light towers known as balloon lights. Compared to regular lighting tower, balloon lights have been reported to reduce glare significantly and to provide more uniform lighting conditions at the site. The objective of this study was to measure light and glare characteristics of two balloon lighting systems in the field. Glare and lighting characteristics of this new class of light towers were compared to a conventional lighting system. For this purpose, field measurements were made of the pavement luminance and the horizontal and vertical illuminance on a predefined experimental grid. Results of this study indicated that while being comparable in terms of wattage and luminous flux, the tested balloon light systems differed in terms of light and glare characteristics. In addition, while conventional light tower provided greater illuminance intensity at the light source than balloon lights, the disability glare was greater for conventional light tower than balloon lights when mounted at the same height. Results of this study revealed that optimum conditions should be sought in the work zone, through which adequate lighting conditions are provided for workers while disability glare is kept below a safe threshold for drive-by motorists. Plotting the maximum veiling luminance ratio (disability glare) against the workable distance provides a simple approach to consider the two factors concurrently in the design of work zone lighting.

Benchmarking Project-Driven Production in Construction Using Productivity Function: Capacity and Cycle Time

AbstractDespite being inaccurate, linear models are often used by construction managers to describe production, which limits the development and application of a production theory. The objective of...

System Dynamics Models for the Valuation of Real Options in P3 Concession Project Agreements

AbstractPublic-private partnerships (P3) are increasingly being pursued for infrastructure procurement because of their ability to alleviate pressure on government budgets, promote innovation, and ...

Design-Build Mega Bridge Projects in New York and Best Practices in Procurement

Three of New York’s public transportation agencies have embarked on the construction of design-build Mega projects. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Kosciuszko Bridge, The NYSTA New NY (Tappan Zee) Bridge and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) Goethals Bridge are all cable stayed bridge structures utilizing the design-build project delivery method. Although these mega bridge projects are currently in various phases of construction, the procurement methodologies have been reviewed, analyzed, compared, and contrasted using a review of the request for proposal (RFP) documents, selection criteria, and interview data gathered from key project pursuit team and RFP development team members. The initial findings are discussed in detail and will be utilized as they key areas of future research in developing a RFP scoring criteria development model to maximize the benefits of utilizing design-build project delivery and lead to further research in the procurement practices of mega-bridge construction projects.