TTI: 0-6860 Develop Metrics of Tire Debris on Texas Highways: Technical Report Technical Report 0-6860-1 Cooperative Research Program TEXAS A&M TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and the Texas Department of Transportation http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6860-1.pdf Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. FHWA/TX-16/0-6860-1 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date DEVELOP METRICS OF TIRE DEBRIS ON TEXAS HIGHWAYS: Published: June 2017 TECHNICAL REPORT 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Raul E. Avelar, Michael P. Pratt, Jeffrey D. Miles, Tomas Lindheimer, Report 0-6860-1 Nada Trout, and Jason Crawford 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Texas A&M Transportation Institute College Station, Texas 77843-3135 11. Contract or Grant No. Project 0-6860 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Texas Department of Transportation Technical Report: Research and Technology Implementation Office January 2015–June 2016 125 E. 11th Street 14. Sponsoring Agency Code Austin, Texas 78701-2483 15. Supplementary Notes Project performed in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Project Title: Develop Metrics for Tire Debris on Texas Highways URL: http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6860-1.pdf 16. Abstract This research effort estimated the amount, characteristics, costs, and safety implications of tire debris on Texas highways. The metrics developed by this research are based on several sources of data, including a statewide survey of debris removal practices, field data from a probability sample of Texas roads, Texas Department of Transportation crash databases, and publically available reports on economic and environmental impact of road debris. A statewide survey found differences in road debris removal practices among districts. A cost analysis showed that the unit cost of debris removal activities increases with increasing proportion of contractor debris removal. Data from a probability sample of Texas highways were obtained. This probability sample represented approximately 2289 lane-miles, or 443 centerline miles, of Texas highways. A total of 14,998 pieces of tire debris were identified from this sample, and their dimensions were estimated using an image-processing procedure. A safety assessment of tire debris on Texas highways was performed. It was found that tire debris crashes are extremely rare, amounting to less than 0.1 percent of all crashes in Texas. However, this research found that the odds of this type of crash increase with increasing speed limits, truck percent, and number of lanes, as well as on rural rather than urban facilities. A suit of statewide metrics of tire debris metrics was generated. It is estimated that between 1,389.2 and 7,226.1 metric tons of tire debris were left on Texas highways last year. Between 501.4 and 3,616.3 metric tons corresponded to pieces of tire debris 64 in.2 or bigger. The statewide generation rate of tire debris was estimated to be between 10.27 and 13.94 lb per mile of highway per week. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Tire Debris, Road Debris, Maintenance, Maintenance No restrictions. This document is available to the Costs, Safety, Debris Removal public through NTIS: National Technical Information Service Alexandria, Virginia http://www.ntis.gov 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 204 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized DEVELOP METRICS OF TIRE DEBRIS ON TEXAS HIGHWAYS: TECHNICAL REPORT by Raul E. Avelar, Ph.D., P.E. Research Supervisor Texas A&M Transportation Institute Michael P. Pratt, P.E. Researcher Texas A&M Transportation Institute Jeffrey D. Miles, P.E. Researcher Texas Department of Transportation Tomas Lindheimer, Ph.D. Researcher Texas A&M Transportation Institute Nada Trout Researcher Texas A&M Transportation Institute and Jason Crawford, P.E. Researcher Texas A&M Transportation Institute Report 0-6860-1 Project 0-6860 Project Title: Develop Metrics for Tire Debris on Texas Highways Performed in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration Published: June 2017 TEXAS A&M TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE College Station, Texas 77843-3135 DISCLAIMER This research was performed in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official view or policies of the FHWA or TxDOT. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project was conducted in cooperation with TxDOT and FHWA. The authors thank Sonya Badgley, the research project manager for the TxDOT Research and Technology Implementation Office. The research team especially thanks Brandye Munn for providing crucial data for this work and for her feedback throughout this research effort. The authors thank all the members of the project monitoring committee: • Brandye Munn, TxDOT Maintenance Division. • Carolyn Dill, TxDOT Maintenance Division. • Charlotte Aslin, TxDOT Atlanta District. • Danny Magee, Laredo District. • David Salazar, Laredo District. • Larbi Hanni, TxDOT Traffic Operations Division. • Jason Dupree, Atlanta District. • Kellie Pierce, TxDOT Traffic Operations Division. • Dennis Markwardt, Maintenance Division. • Debra Vermillion, TxDOT Traffic Operations Division (retired). The authors also thank the following Texas A&M Transportation Institute employees who provided assistance with data collection, data reduction, and data processing on this project: • George Gillette, student intern. • Maria C. Rodriguez, student worker. • Dan Walker, assistant research specialist. • Crystal Salazar, student technician. • Caitlin Sheehan, student assistant. • John Graber, assistant transportation • Abigail Carine, student worker. researcher. • Mehdi Mohades, graduate student worker. • Colby Arthur, research assistant. • Ivan Lorenz, research specialist. • Nick Wood, associate transportation • Stacey Alejandro, office assistant. researcher. • Jeremy Dai, graduate student worker. • Ashesh Pant, assistant transportation researcher. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ x List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... xii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ....................................................................................... xiv Chapter 1. Introduction................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2. Literature Review ...................................................................................................... 3 Volume of TD Produced on U.S. Highways............................................................................. 3 The 2009 National Litter Study .......................................................................................... 4 Volume of TD in Various Places in the United States ........................................................ 4 Difference between Retread and New Tires ....................................................................... 6 Volume of TD in Texas ...................................................................................................... 6 TD Physical Properties ....................................................................................................... 8 Costs of Removing TD ............................................................................................................. 9 Manual Removal Procedures .............................................................................................. 9 Cost of Roadside Litter for Various States ....................................................................... 11 Use of Specialized Equipment .......................................................................................... 11 TD Disposal around the Country ............................................................................................ 13 TD Disposal in Arizona .................................................................................................... 13 TD Disposal in Oregon ..................................................................................................... 13 TD Disposal in Florida...................................................................................................... 13 TD Disposal in Texas........................................................................................................ 14 Relationship between TD and Crashes ................................................................................... 15 Narrative-Based Studies .................................................................................................... 16 Summary of Findings .............................................................................................................. 18 Chapter 3. Statewide Survey of Tire