Date of Award

5-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Legacy Department

Civil Engineering

Committee Chair/Advisor

Kaye, Nigel B

Committee Member

Putman, Bradley

Committee Member

Klotz, Leidy

Abstract

Bicycles have proven to be an efficient and reliable form of transportation in urban settings. Therefore, the addition of bicycle lanes into the transportation network could significantly impact and improve the sustainability of our infrastructure by reducing greenhouse emissions and improving the health of individuals who cycle on a regular basis. Pervious pavements are an approved (LID) strategy that could potentially be used to construct these new facilities thereby reducing the quantity of stormwater runoff and improving the water quality. Practicing engineers need both a design aid and research supported methods for designing these improvements before they can be fully implemented throughout the state and country. The data and results presented in this thesis have accomplished three main objectives: 1) the effects of slope on surface infiltration rates of pervious pavements due to run-on from adjoining impervious traffic lanes were analyzed and a design procedure for surface infiltration was presented; 2) the characteristics of sub-surface flow for multiple slope, flow rate, and discharge weir conditions were analyzed and a design procedure for the bicycle lane subbase was presented; and 3) a preliminary investigation of an improved test method was completed to determine the permeability of pervious materials which could be used for bicycle lane construction. Three apparatus were constructed for use in these experiments; the bicycle lane test rig, used to complete the surface and sub-surface flow experiments, along with two falling head permeameters and two forced flow permeameters used to evaluate different procedures for measuring the permeability of a porous material. The design procedures included in this thesis include a method to determine the required bicycle lane width and hydraulic conductivity required to intercept a design storm flow and a routine to design a cascading reservoir subbase system to control and infiltrate stormwater intercepted by the bicycle lane. This thesis does not specifically address the structural design of the pervious pavement or subbase. Further research is needed to fully evaluate the effectiveness of current and alternative procedures for determining the permeabilities of pervious pavements and subbase aggregates. Additionally, further details need to be addressed for the pervious bicycle lane design including the use of underdrains, the potential for surface clogging, and the stability of adjacent roadways.

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