The Impact of Uneven Joint of Bridge Approach Slab and Deck to Road Users Perception and Speed: A Case Study in Jambatan Parit Jamil and Jambatan Parit Haji Ibrahim, Johor

Abstract

Bridge approaches offered a smooth and safe transition for any vehicle from the road pavement to the bridge structure and vice versa. Settlement of the soil that of Jambatan Parit Jamil results in a slight change of their level which can create a ‘bump’ on the roadway. This uneven joint occurs due to soil settlement under the bridge approach due to the increasing number of rough rides by the driver that cause cracking at the approach slab. Thus, the ‘bump’ or uneven joint between the bridge deck and road pavement will cause driver discomfort, impair driver safety, reduce steering response, and. The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception of the respondents about the shock impact and to evaluate their speed reduction during maneuvering the uneven joint of the approach slab and the bridge deck. Thus, a social survey has been conducted in Kampung Parit Jamil and Kampung Parit Penyengat to investigate the perception of frequent road users about uneven joints. The spot speed study method has been used to evaluate vehicle speed reduction in maneuvering the uneven joint. The speed reduction results were then compared with the speed of vehicles on a good condition bridge as a control sample. The results show that most of the respondents suggest that they are ‘very disturbed’ (70%) with uneven joint. The speed reduction on the uneven joint bridge recorded 13km/h mean speed readings of 13 km / h and possess 5km/h differences with a good condition bridge. The results are expected to highlight the impact of uneven joint issue on road users’ comfort and traffic speed.