Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

The Profession of
Transportation

2015 Cengage Learning Engineering. All Rights Reserved.

Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

To understand the importance of

transportation
To know the critical issues of the industry
To become familiar with the evolution of
transportation
To identify the employment opportunities
in transportation and highway engineering
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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

1.1: Importance of Transporta2on

Transportation is necessary for human

interaction and economic competitiveness

Leading countries in commerce (Canada,

USA, Europe and China) all have effective

transportation systems

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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

Economic Growth
Speed, cost, and capacity of available

transportation significantly affect economy

Good transportation cannot guarantee

economic growth. However, the absence of

supportive transportation limits the
industrial potential

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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

Economic Growth
Good transportation:
Reduces total cost of raw materials and

manufactured goods
Increases competition between regions
Provides greater choices for the
consumer
Is critical in the event of personal and
national emergencies
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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

Costs and Benets

Building vast transportation systems

require great resources of energy,

material, and land
Every mode of transportation can be
dangerous
Benefits include providing medical services
to rural areas, enabling people to commute
to work, school, or social events
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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

Costs and Benets

Transportation engineer must:
Balance societys needs for safe and

efficient transportation with costs

Assure that the environment is not
compromised or destroyed with these
systems
Needs to work closely with officials
Must know modern engineering
practices
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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

Importance of Transporta2on in the

USA
Critical issues include:
Congestion
Emergency response and mitigation
Energy, environment, and climate change
Finance and equity
Mismatch between 20th and 21st century
missions
Inadequate investment in intellectual capital
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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

Importance of Transporta2on in the

USA
Transportation accounts for ~30% of total

energy consumption across the country

95% of this total is derived from petroleum

products

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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

1.2: Transporta2on History

Principal topics:
Travel by foot and horseback
Automobile and truck travel
Road and highway development
Canals and inland waterways
Expansion of the West
Steamboats and railroad construction
Public transportation (bus and metro systems)

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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

U.S. Transporta2on History

Late 1700s: 95% of the population lived in

rural areas

Now: Over 75% lives in urban or suburban

areas

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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

Signicant Events in U.S. Transporta2on History

1794: First toll
road (Lancaster
Turnpike)

1825: Erie Canal is

completed

1887: First daily

coast-to-coast
railroad service

1969: Men land

on moon and
return

2005: Energy-
ecient autos
gain popularity

2011: Global
warming
becomes an
emerging issue

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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

City Transporta2on Succession

Horse-drawn carriages
Carriages on steel-tracks
Cable cars
Electric streetcars
Underground railroads
Bus transportation
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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

1.3: Transporta2on Employment

Logistics and Supply-Chain Management
Plans and implements effective flow and
storage of services and goods
Vehicle Design and Transportation Services
Involves mechanical, electrical, or aerospace
engineers and technically trained workers
Transportation Infrastructure Services
Responsible of plan, design, construction,
operation and management of transportation
systems. Mainly civil engineers
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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

Transporta2on Infrastructure Engineering

Planning

Research &
Development

Operations &
Management

Design

Construction

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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

Planning
Selection of projects for design and

construction
Defining problem, gathering and analyzing
data, evaluating solutions
Estimating the impact of the facility on the
environment and the community
Creating alternatives to achieve the task at
the lowest cost

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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

Infrastructure Design
Specifying all features of the

transportation system
Creating a set of detailed plans in order to
estimate cost and facilitate construction
Considering pavement and structural
requirements and the concrete or asphalt
surface material

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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

Highway Construc2on
Inspecting and clearing the native soil
Preparing the surface for construction
Placing the final pavement
Preparing the final roadway for use by

traffic
Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are
used in the area to establish line and grade
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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

Opera2ons & Management

Integrating all aspects of traffic to achieve

safety and improvement of traffic flow

Analyzing accidents
Improving parking & loading, traffic signs
speed regulations and lighting
Scheduling work crews for repairs
Minimizing delay and cost

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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

Challenges in Transporta2on Engineering

Meeting the expectations of the public for

efficient, effective, long-lasting, and safe

transportation
Mostly working on one-of-a-kind projects
Integrating new technology and
innovations
Finding the most cost-effective solution
Evaluating cost and benefits in an ethical
manner
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Traffic & Highway Engineering, 5th Edition

Garber & Hoel

Summary
Transportation is essential for economic

development
The history of transportation illustrates
that the way people move is affected by
technology, cost, and demand
The specialties in transportation
engineering are planning, design,
construction, management & operations,
and maintenance
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