MT. VERNON CANYON RUNAWAY TRUCK ESCAPE RAMP

A gravel arrester bed type Runaway Truck Escape Ramp was built on a 5.2% downgrade along I-70 in Mt. Vernon Canyon, Colorado. The ramp was completed in July 1979 and to date it has stopped fifty-three runaway or potentially runaway trucks. Only two trucks sustained damage and there were no injuries or fatalities in the escape ramp. During the same period at this location there were eighteen accidents involving runaway trucks that did not use the escape ramp, resulting in seven fatalities and twenty-four injuries. A closed circuit TV surveillance system was included as part of the project, and twenty-three trucks were recorded on video tape as they used the escape ramp. Analysis of the tape indicated the rolling resistance to a truck in the gravel decreased as the speed increased. Further research is needed to verify and expand this finding for design purposes. Research is also needed to develop the methodology to predict the maximum probable entry speed of a runaway truck. Research is currently underway to predict the deterioration or contamination rate of the aggregate materials used in arrester beds. (FHWA)

• Corporate Authors:

  Colorado Department of Highways

  4201 East Arkansas Avenue
  Denver, CO  United States  80222

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Hayden, R L
• Publication Date: 1982-12

Media Info

• Pagination: n.p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aggregates; Arrester beds; Closed circuit television; Escape lanes; Forecasting; Motor vehicles; Speed; Traffic speed; Traffic surveillance; Trucks
• Old TRIS Terms: Runaway vehicles
• Subject Areas: Design; Geotechnology; Highways; Motor Carriers; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00377299
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-CO-RD-83-03 Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: 1583
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 30 1983 12:00AM