The results of research involving a well-designed before-and-after evaluation of the safety effects of providing left- and right-turn lanes for at-grade intersections are presented. Geometric design, traffic control, traffic volume, and traffic accident data were gathered for a total of 280 improved intersections as well as 300 similar intersections that were not improved during the study period. The types of improvement projects evaluated included installation of added left-turn lanes, added right-turn lanes, and extension of the length of existing left- or right-turn lanes. An observational before-and-after evaluation of these projects was performed by using several alternative evaluation approaches. Three contrasting approaches to before-and-after evaluation were used: the yoked comparison or matched-pair approach, the comparison group approach, and the empirical Bayes approach. The research not only evaluated the safety effectiveness of left- and right-turn lane improvements but also compared the performances of these three alternative approaches in making such evaluations. The research developed quantitative safety effectiveness measures for installation design improvements involving added left-turn lanes and added right-turn lanes. The research concluded that the empirical Bayes method provides the most accurate and reliable results. Further use of this method is recommended.

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Highway agencies face a dilemma in determining the appropriate balance of resurfacing and safety improvements in their programs to maintain the structural integrity and ride quality of highway pavements. Highway agencies currently lack a tool that would allow them to determine which sites should be resurfaced without accompanying safety improvements and which sites should be resurfaced and improved in other ways that would enhance safety. A resource allocation process that maximizes the benefits from resurfacing and safety improvements within a specified improvement budget can provide such a tool. A resource allocation process that accomplishes this goal has been developed and implemented in a software tool known as the Resurfacing Safety Resource Allocation Program (RSRAP). RSRAP uses an optimization process based on integer programming to determine which improvement alternatives (or combinations of alternatives) would optimize the benefits for a specified set of improvement projects. RSRAP incorporates the best available estimates of the safety effectiveness of specific geometric and safety improvements. RSRAP also gives consideration to the potential effects of resurfacing on vehicle speeds and on safety. The goal of the optimization process is not to optimize safety at any particular site but to optimize systemwide safety for a given set of resurfacing projects while not exceeding a user-specified improvement budget.

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With the aim of proposing the legalization of the use of buildings that are subject to restrictions on fire safety legislation in Pernambuco, Brazil, some performance-based fire assessment methods have been described and one of them has been chosen to be applied to two buildings in the city of Recife, proving its effectiveness. As a result, safe and viable solutions have been envisaged, given the restriction for buildings considered as historical heritage or constructed based on previous laws that have been updated. Gretener's method, if implemented, could become an interesting practice, insofar as it proposes some low cost and safealternatives without structural interventions, given the international verification of its effectiveness. Keywords: fire; safety; legislation; methods. Legal InformationRevista ALCONPAT is a quarterly publication of the Latinamerican Association of quality control, pathology and recovery of construction-International, A.C.; Km. 6, Antigua carretera a Progreso, Mérida, Yucatán, México, C.P. 97310, Tel.5219997385893. E-mail: revistaalconpat@gmail.com, Website: www.revistaalconpat.org. Editor: Dr. Pedro Castro Borges. Reservation of rights to exclusive use No. 04-201304- -011717330300-203, eISSN 2007 awarded by the National Institute of Copyright. Responsible for the latest update on this number, ALCONPAT Informatics Unit, Eng. Elizabeth Maldonado Sabido, Km. 6, Antigua carretera a Progreso, Mérida Yucatán, México, C.P. 97310. The views expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The total or partial reproduction of the contents and images of the publication without prior permission from ALCONPAT International A. C. is not allowed. Any discussion, including authors reply, will be published on the first number of 2018 if received before closing the third number of 2017.Revista ALCONPAT, 7 (2), 2017: 186 -199 Fire safety evaluation: an alternative method for Brazilian buildings A. Hahnemann, C. Corrêa, E. Rabbani 187Avaliação de segurança contra incêndio: método alternativo aplicado a edificações brasileiras RESUMONo intuito de legalizar o uso de edificações que se encontram com restrições de adequações à legislação de segurança contra incêndio vigente em Pernambuco, Brasil, alguns métodos de avaliação de incêndio com base no desempenho são descritos e escolhido um deles para ser aplicado a duas edificações, na cidade de Recife, atestando sua eficácia. Como resultados foram vislumbradas soluções seguras e viáveis, haja vista a restrição em edificações tombadas pelo patrimônio histórico ou construídas baseadas em leis anteriores que foram atualizadas. O Método de Gretener, se aplicado, poderá se tornar uma prática interessante à medida que propõe algumas alternativas sem intervenções estruturais e de baixos custos, e seguras, tendo em vista a comprovação internacional de sua eficácia. Palavras chave: legislação; segurança; incêndio; métodos.Evaluación de seguridad contra incendio: método alternativo aplicado a edificaciones brasileña RESUMENC...

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Tendo em vista a importância da sustentabilidade, bastante discutida na atualidade, o presente artigo tem por objetivo analisar a formação dos engenheiros civis de uma Instituição de Ensino Superior - IES de Pernambuco e observar se os conceitos e aplicações das três principais dimensões da sustentabilidade – ambiental, social e econômica – são abordadas em sala de aula, em aplicações práticas e na gestão da própria IES. A IES escolhida para o estudo foi recentemente nomeada como a sexta melhor do nordeste no curso de Engenharia Civil, de acordo com pesquisa da Folha de São Paulo. Para o estudo analisou-se a grade curricular dos cursos de graduação e de pós-graduação em Engenharia Civil sendo elaborados e aplicados questionários específicos, para os professores e os alunos com questões voltadas ao ensino, aprendizagem e prática de conceitos sustentáveis. Após a aplicação dos questionários, as respostas foram compiladas e analisadas de forma a verificar a aplicação dos conceitos de sustentabilidade na formação dos engenheiros, bem como mensurar a importância das dimensões ambiental, econômica e social sob a ótica dos docentes e discentes da IES. Os resultados mostraram que a maioria dos alunos e professores valorizam e afirmam conhecer os conceitos relacionados a aplicação da sustentabilidade na Engenharia Civil, porém nem todos conseguem distinguir as ações da dimensão social aplicada a projetos de construção havendo uma maior valorização das dimensões ambiental e econômica da sustentabilidade.