2023 Design and Research Conference

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

Integrated Engineering and Science Building 124.

1:00 p.m.	Issues with LA 5 in DeSoto Parish Team Members: Asaph Camillo, Bailey Gonzales, Amanda Gordon, Tedris Smith Sponsor: LA DOTD, District 04 Advisor: Dr. Nazimuddin Wasiuddin Louisiana Highway 5 (LA 5) in DeSoto Parish is experiencing a high number of run-off-the-road accidents along a 90° curve in the roadway. Motorists are driving too fast, driving off the road, and crashing when they encounter the curve and cannot slow down enough to safely navigate it. This location needs to be investigated to provide the most cost-effective solution to reduce the number of accidents. We investigate the location and crash history to determine the cause of the run-off-the-road accidents, and the most cost-effective way to reduce these crashes (Using Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Guidelines). The project includes pavement design, watershed design, replacement, and resizing of the existing drainage structures.
1:30 p.m.	Mantra Inc. Office & Warehouse Project in West Monroe, LA Team Members: Pierce Althoff, Reed Edwards, Colton Gordon, Darby Ryland Sponsor: Aillet, Fenner, Jolly, McClelland, Inc. Advisor: Dr. Shaurav Alam Our team was put in charge of fabricating two building designs: a 25,000-square-foot, two-story office building and a 19,000-square-foot warehouse. The request for proposal (RFT) for the office building states that the first floor should be 15 ft. tall and the second floor should be 14 ft. to the roof deck. Steel beams are required for both the floor and frame. The second floor should have a 5-inch, lightweight concrete slab on a metal deck. The exterior walls should consist of non-load-bearing metal studs spanning between floors, and brick veneer will also be used over metal studs. The RFP for the warehouse states that the size should be 127 ft. by 150 ft. The biggest aspect of this design is the 35-ton overhead bridge crane. Also, we will need to design the slab to 500-psf uniform load, which will need to hold the Linde H45D lift truck. Our team is expected to do all the structural steel designs such as framing and connection designs for this project. We are also expected to do all the foundation and slab-on-grade designs.
2:00 p.m.	Multiple Designs with LA 818 @KCS Rail Team Members: Jeffree Chapa, Sophie Kubicek, Mason Macaluso, Mallory Mankins Sponsor: LA DOTD, District 05 Advisor: Dr. Nazimuddin Wasiuddin For this project, our goal is to improve the intersection at the railroad of KCS Rail and Louisiana Highway 818 (LA 818). This railroad crossing poses a heightened risk of pedestrian and vehicular accidents due to a ninety-degree curve that makes a steep and sudden increase in slope over the railroad tracks. This design presents drivers with limited visibility over the tracks. The area contains very little reflective signage and roadway striping and lacks appropriate lighting. These factors create a dangerous situation for even the most experienced drivers. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has closed this crossing to trucks and large vehicles due to safety concerns. Our goal is to make the intersection safer by using the engineering design process. We have divided our project into three phases. During the first phase of the project, we will assemble geotechnical explorations, survey data, LiDAR data, crash report history, and traffic studies data to make the appropriate engineering decisions. After we have collected all of the necessary information, we will move to the preliminary design. In this phase, we will follow engineering standards to determine the feasibility of our design options. Once we complete the preliminary design phase, we will begin the final design. In this phase, we will choose a singular option to produce a full set of deliverable plans, which will include full topographic and LiDAR maps of the site, drainage plan, utility coordination, full construction plans, specifications, and details.
2:30 p.m.	Carpool Lane Paving at Fairfield Element School (Fairfield Elementary Magnet Project) Team Members: Reed Bennet, Robert Dixon, Noah Savoie, Gloriana White Sponsor: Civil Design Group, LLC. Advisor: Dr. Nazimuddin Wasiuddin Fairfield Elementary Magnet School’s pickup line is causing traffic congestion on the street running next to the school. In order to fix the traffic congestion, the team has been tasked with designing a carpool lane and canopy in the unused acre of land next to the school. During the design of the carpool lane and canopy, we will introduce new impermeable surfaces, and to account for the added runoff, we will design and construct a detention basin. The basin will hold up to 1356 ft^3 of water for the 25-year storm scenario and will release water at a rate of 5.07 ft^3/s to match the existing site drainage discharge. The watershed area that drains into the detention basin is 2.51 ac, and the proposed conditions should not introduce any bypass flow to the site. The pavement design was largely informed by a geotechnical report done on the site. It will consist of 7” of portland cement concrete over the aggregate base and fill material. Additionally, 6” curbs will be used to ensure proper water flow throughout the carpool lane. The walkway canopy is being designed as a steel structure with an aluminum roof and will be built in three sections each measuring 11’ by 52’. Having multiple sections of the canopy will minimize the amount of fill added since the land is sloped. Using the maximum LRFD loading scenario, the total canopy load was determined to be 20 kips, which is a distributed load of 12 PCF. The canopy will be supported by 18 steel beams and 36 steel columns.
3:00 p.m.	Design of US 165 Pedestrian Bridge Team Members: Michael Hargroder, Zach Hill, TK Kittisubcharoen, Ryan Phillpott Sponsor: LA DOTD, District 05 Advisor: Dr. Hadi Salahi Our project concerns a pedestrian bridge at the intersection of US Highway 165 (US 165) and Renwick Street that users have complained is not Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant. It was originally built in the 1970s but has undergone recent updates. Tiered stairs occupy both sides of the bridge, which stands at a height of twenty feet and gives pedestrians a safe walk across a bustling highway. However, the tiered stairs are fairly steep and can be treacherous for disabled users to climb. To address this issue, we were tasked with making recommendations for safer ADA-compliant alternatives. ADA was signed into law in 1990. The bill “guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state, and local government services, and telecommunications.” The client overseeing the pedestrian bridge is the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), which is responsible for ensuring projects adhere to ADA guidelines. Our senior design group was given specific requirements from the DOTD to resolve the disability issue. The only access point to the bridge is the tiered stairs. The department issued some ADA-compliant alternatives including concrete spiral, concrete zig-zag, aluminum, and wheelchair lift. The design process includes examining these four alternatives to come up with the best recommendation. We will include a cost estimate for our alternative along with a pedestrian study to see whether undertaking the project would be a beneficial use of state funds.

Integrated Engineering and Science Building 126.

1:00 p.m.	Jefferson Paige Rd Bridge Replacement in Caddo Parish Team Members: Guillermo Arellano, Peyton Forester, Blaine Holloway, Will Perilloux Sponsors: Parish of Caddo Advisor: Dr. Roya Solhmirzaei For this project, we aim to design a bridge crossing over the tributary to Page Bayou on Jefferson Paige Road in Caddo Parish. The Parish has requested a new design for this bridge due to the condition of the bridge. There have been many repairs done to the timber piles, and it is expected that if the bridge doesn’t get replaced, repairs will continue to be needed. The Parish wants the replacement to be a three-span concrete bridge supported by concrete piles, with a 2:5:1 revetment slope. A hydraulic analysis was completed for the area to determine the creek flow beneath the bridge which allowed us to analyze the conditions of the water flow to create a channel design to prevent flooding over the bridge. The team has started the preliminary deck and girder design of the bridge. The deck will be three concrete simple spans of 20 feet composed of transverse and longitudinal reinforcement to ensure that there will be enough strength to withstand all trucks and cars using the bridge. For each span, the 32-foot-wide deck will be placed on top of 4 LG concrete girders that have 9-foot spacing.
1:30 p.m.	Bridge Overpass Issue on US 80 in Webster Parish Team Members: Brooke Edmondson, Rachel Moffett, Sam Pitts Sponsor: LA DOTD, District 04 Advisor: Mr. Reginald Jeter Highway US 80 in Webster Parish has a bridge overpass that restricts the clearance of over-height loads and the ability of trucks carrying them to drive underneath. For this project, we investigated how to provide a unique way to increase the clearance between the roadway and the bridge, allowing for taller, over-height loads to travel under the bridge. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LA DOTD) has been asked to design this project. The design must obtain a minimum clearance of 17.5 ft. We must create a pavement design to determine the typical section for the newly proposed roadway and need to account for drainage after adjusting the roadway profile grade elevation. DOTD Minimum Design Guidelines, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, DOTD Pavement Design Guidelines, and DOTD Hydraulics Manual are a few of the guidelines and manuals that we will follow. We will accomplish our goals by lowering the existing roadway by approximately 3 feet, implementing new drainage, improving aesthetics, and constructing new guardrails to meet the new standards of DOTD Minimum Design Guidelines.
2:00 p.m.	160 AC Greenfield Site Development (DFW Area, TX) – Bridge and Road Designs Team Members: Stuart Hender, Tanner Hines, Gerardo Velazquez, Chandler Warren Sponsor: Halff Associates, Inc. Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Matthews For this report, the focus will be on the development of the 160 AC Greenfield Site. This area is located in the town of Grand Prairie, Texas, at the intersection of Highway 161 and Arkansas Lane. The goal of this project is to develop a greenfield by designing the plans for a parking lot, connecting roads and tie-ins, as well as a bridge with an appropriately designed channel below. Surface drainage must be calculated for the planned parking lot. Topographic and geological data have been collected by the consultant for the site and were used to develop current and future drainage conditions. We will utilize several different software packages to plan out the parking lot, road, and bridge design. The major software will include Civil 3D and RISA 3D. All data required for drainage calculations have been obtained. Pavement design will be a crucial part of the parking lot and roads as the team will be using concrete pavement design manuals for this endeavor. The bridge spans about 120 ft long and 35 ft wide.
2:30 p.m.	160 AC Greenfield Site Development (DFW Area, TX) – Water Resources Development Team Members: Luke Bell, Camden Cowart, Bryce Fuller, Christopher Swedburg Sponsor: Halff Associates, Inc. Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Matthews This project was initially a master plan design with multiple buildings and facilities. Our group is turning Warrior Creek into a stage of ponds with spillways that reduce the water flow rate and then release the water back into the Grand Prairie drainage system. There will also be a parking lot that will increase the water runoff either into the lakes or into a separate drainage system. Throughout this project, our overall objective is to successfully design a way to reduce the flow rate of water draining through warrior creek by designing detention ponds with spillways. This process requires us to evaluate warrior creek, calculate the surface drainage across the site, and determine flow rates from one pond to another. Our group is also designing a parking lot to accommodate a 60,000-square-foot building that will be used for a senior citizen workout recreational facility. Depending on the difference in elevation from the water’s edge to the downhill slope, there is a possibility of a retaining wall design. However, there are a few design constraints that we must be mindful of while designing this. There is an existing FEMA floodplain that runs along the Warrior Creek basin that must be protected as well as designed for. The preexisting discharge rate measured for Warrior Creek was 1650 ft^3/s, which is another parameter that the lakes must either match or slow down the flow rate to prevent flooding. Parking becomes another parameter that we must design for. The parking lot is being designed for a senior citizen building, so the building will need more parking that conforms to the Americans with Disabilities Act than a normal parking lot would call for. Throughout this project, our overall objective is to successfully design a way to reduce the flow rate of water draining through Warrior Creek by designing retention ponds with spillways and/or culverts. This process requires us to evaluate Warrior Creek, calculate the surface drainage across the site, design a parking lot to accommodate a 60,000 sf building, and potentially a retaining wall design.