Date of Graduation
5-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Civil Engineering
Advisor/Mentor
Hernandez, Sarah
Committee Member/Reader
Hall, Kevin
Committee Member/Second Reader
Becknell, Natalie
Abstract
Pedestrian access to the Interstate is prohibited, but many pedestrian-involved accidents still occur on the Interstate in the United States. This project is a case study of West Memphis, Arkansas, which has the second highest occurrence of pedestrian-involved accidents on the Interstate in Arkansas. The study site location includes a segment of Interstate I-40 which is at- grade. The surrounding area contains several different land-uses, which is believed to be the primary generator of these accidents. The goal of this project is to determine the primary causes of these accidents and determine potential countermeasures to reduce the crash rate for pedestrian-involved accidents on Interstate 40 and 55 in West Memphis, Arkansas.
The objective of this study is to determine the causes of pedestrian-involved accidents in West Memphis and determine appropriate countermeasures. To better understand the causes of pedestrian-involved accidents, we designed and implemented a mail-back style survey, preformed a site visit, and conducted a matched city analysis. Once countermeasures are identified, they are compared based on Crash Reduction (CR) factors and costs of implementation.
Countermeasures analyzed in this study were separated into two categories: site improvements and deterrent methods. Site improvements analyzed include pedestrian barriers/fencing, lighting improvements, pedestrian signage, driver signage, and overpass improvements. Deterrent methods include the implementation of public transportation and educational programs with increased law enforcement. CRs were determined for each countermeasure, and similar countermeasure CRs were used for countermeasures without a documented CR. Combinations of countermeasure CRs were also analyzed, and the most effective countermeasure(s) was determined to be a combination of all countermeasures listed above. However, the single most effective solution was concluded to be pedestrian barriers/fencing.
Keywords
Pedestrian, Pedestrians on Interstate, Countermeasures for Pedestrians, Pedestrian Countermeasures, Pedestrians on Interstate-Highways, Countermeasures for Pedestrian-Involved Accidents on Interstate-Highways, Service learning
Citation
Hunter, A. C. (2020). Countermeasures for Pedestrian-Involved Accidents on Interstate-Highways. Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cveguht/57