Routing Superheavy Vehicles Using ArcView GIS

Author: Octavio Melchor-Lucero
Organization: University of Texas at El Paso

500 W University Ave
Engr Bldg. Room 201
El Paso, TX 79968-0516
USA

Phone: 915-747-5692
Fax: 915-747-8037
melchor@utep.edu

The University of Texas at El Paso developed a GIS for the Texas DOT to automate the routing of superheavy vehicles. The GIS uses a network representation of the highways with attributes linking to a bridge information database. Given vehicle characteristics and points of origin and destiny, shortest paths and bridges along routes are found. Information is retrieved from the database and bridge adequacy is evaluated from established formulae. Network segments containing inadequate bridges are disabled and new paths are searched, repeating the process until a suitable route is found. Information management issues are addressed that may benefit the transportation community.