Case study | Transportation Engineering & Geographic Information Systems
I-69 Ditching and Clipping Field Work
Details
Owner
Indiana Department of Transportation
Client
HNTB
Project Cost
$9 Million
Status
Estimated Completion 2023
Summary
Kaskaskia Engineering Group, LLC (KEG) was tasked with identifying and inventorying the ditching and clipping locations along I-69 in Vanderburgh County, Indiana from RP 2.959 to 21.503 to be included as part of the INDOT Concrete Pavement Restoration (CPR) Project [DES Nos. 2000889]
Project
KEG staff conducted a project site field visit after a rain event to assess and digitally locate the locations where the roadside and median ditches required maintenance. KEG utilized handheld GPS units to define the limits of each of the locations, as well as classified by priority with respect to each site’s potential to impact the roadway: High, Medium, and Low.
Each inventoried location was cataloged as a ditching or clipping location. Ditching locations required cleaning to allow the ditches to flow freely and prevent standing water to result in subsequent flooding issues. Clipping locations were identified where build-up along the edge of the paved shoulder required removal to allow for water sheet flow off the edge of pavement into the ditches. The clipping locations were classified by roadside feature: areas under guardrails or areas with grass, dirt, or gravel shoulder.
KEG processed the GPS data collected in the field using ArcGIS. A geospatial database containing each individual run of ditching or clipping, a priority level, and linear length was developed. A KMZ and spreadsheet were delivered to HNTB for subsequent use on the project.
