Dennis Corporation’s Traffic Engineering Manager, Berry Mattox, EIT, was recently published in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies. Entitled Safe and Aesthetic Design of Urban Roadside Treatments, Mr. Mattox’s participation in this publication was based heavily off of his thesis research and discoveries, the Evaluation of Roadside Collisions with Utility Poles and Trees at Intersection Locations.

While completing his degree for a Masters of Science in the School of Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Mr. Mattox collected data from locations spread across the United States, some of which included Atlanta, GA, Orange County, CA, Chicago, Illinois and Portland, Oregon. Utilizing advanced technology, Mr. Mattox collected video of intersections which was connected to a GPS to track the location along the roadway. After collecting the video data, Mr. Mattox reviewed vehicle collision data from off road collisions with fix objects. He discovered that a disproportionate percentage of the fixed object collisions occurred at or near intersections.

“I hope that my research contribution can be utilized through the NCHRP to lead to stricter guidelines at the state or federal or level, governing the placement of utility poles and other fixed objects at intersection locations,” said Mr. Mattox.

In its attempt to continually produce research that will provide safer and aesthetically appealing designs, the NCHRP provided the funding for this report. The compilation of Mr. Mattox’s and the other contributor’s research identify possible solutions that will assist in reducing future fatalities and crashes at intersections and along roadways.

Dennis Corporation is a South Carolina licensed civil engineering, surveying and construction management firm. Dennis Corporation’s specific fields of expertise include civil infrastructure, construction management, construction services, expert witness services, program management, intelligent transportation systems, special projects, surveying, traffic engineering and transportation engineering.