Finding and Characterizing Hidden Dips in Roads

Sometimes when connecting a crest vertical curve, followed by a sag and another crest, a road disappears from the view of a driver to reappear later. Then, there is a loss of path or a hidden dip in a road. It is essential to avoid losses when they hide dangerous points, such as intersections or une...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: María Castro, Alejandro de Blas, Roberto Rodríguez-Solano, José Angel Sánchez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: RTU Press 2015-12-01
Series:The Baltic Journal of Road and Bridge Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://bjrbe-journals.rtu.lv/article/view/3460
Description
Summary:Sometimes when connecting a crest vertical curve, followed by a sag and another crest, a road disappears from the view of a driver to reappear later. Then, there is a loss of path or a hidden dip in a road. It is essential to avoid losses when they hide dangerous points, such as intersections or unexpected changes in direction. In addition, this loss disrupts drivers and its effect depends on quantitative relationships between the variables involved in the problem. This paper presents a quantitative procedure for studying hidden dips in roads. The method is based on calculating the sections visible and hidden by a driver using a Geographic Information System. An application to a Spanish road is presented. Procedure results were compared with in situ carried out studies and with a video of the highway recorded using a Global Positioning System equipped video camera embarked in a vehicle. The main quantitative issues related to hidden dips are discussed.
ISSN:1822-427X
1822-4288