Tag Archives: MoDOT

MoDOT uses SCE students’ design

Students in the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Computing and Engineering’s Fall 2009/Spring 2010 Civil Engineering Capstone Design course, taught by Professor Deborah O’Bannon and Adjunct Professor Thomas Kimes, have created a design that the Missouri Department of Transportation recently used to improve traffic operations along Route 50 in eastern Jackson County. In early November, MoDOT hosted a ribbon-cutting for the improved highway in Lone Jack, Mo.

During the 2009-2010 academic year, MoDOT partnered with UMKC to give Civil Engineering students an opportunity to receive hands-on experience while creating a design to improve traffic operations at five intersections along Route 50 in eastern Jackson County. The students were tasked with the job of using innovative design techniques to find viable solutions to improve these areas. Through close interaction with MoDOT engineers, the students created a design that met MoDOT’s approval and was constructed along this section of Route 50. Complete story is posted at http://www.umkc.edu/news/announcements/civilengineering1111.asp.

MoDOT uses Civil Engineering students’ design

Students in the UMKC School of Computing and Engineering’s Fall 2010/Spring 2011 Civil Engineering Capstone Design course have created a design that the Missouri Department of Transportation will use to improve traffic operations along Route 50. The course is taught by Professor Deborah O’Bannon; Thomas Kimes, an adjunct instructor and engineer; and Erich Schmitz, an adjunct instructor and engineer. 　

In early 2010, MoDOT partnered with UMKC to give several engineering students an opportunity to receive hands-on experience while creating a design to improve traffic operations at intersections along Route 50. The students were tasked with the job of using innovative design techniques to find viable solutions to improve these areas. Through close interaction with MoDOT engineers, the students created a design that met MoDOT’s approval and will be constructed along this section of Route 50. For more information, click here.

Ganesh Thiagarajan’s Bridge Approach Slab Research Report Published by MoDOT

Bridge Approach Slab Research conducted by Ganesh Thiagarajan, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at UMKC’s School of Computing and Engineering, is featured in MoDOT’s January 2011 electronic newsletter, Fast forward, under the title More Cost Efficient Bridge Approach Slabs Possible.  Fast forward notes, “ Bridges are expensive to build and rehabilitate. And just a minor change in one of the components can save a significant amount of money. MoDOT research has discovered three new alternative designs for bridge approach slabs that are estimated to cost about 20 percent less. Potential savings were found for both new construction and bridge approach slab replacements.”

Dr. Thiagarajan was the principal investigator for this research.  He led a team that included a researcher from UMKC, Dr. Ceki Halmen and from UMC, Professor Gopalratnam, along with a number of graduate students from both institutions.  The research work was done in close collaboration with MoDoT engineers and took  two years to complete.  It is an excellent example of translational research as the findings will directly impact application in the field, potentially reducing costs associated with new bridge approach slabs.  Additional research on the field implementation of the proposed bridge approach slabs is currently underway.   For the full report, see  http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy0915/or11009.pdf