Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2004

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Committee Chair

Lloyd James French, III.

Abstract

Under the Federal Clean Air Act, the United States Environmental Protection Agency sets nationwide standards for maximum permissible levels of air pollution, while States retain primary responsibility for monitoring air quality to comply with these standards. MOBILE6 is a computer model developed by the E.P.A. for estimating emissions of air pollutants by motor vehicles. This model strongly encourages development of local data as input requirements in order to improve the quality of the modeling. The purpose of this study was to develop methodologies and appropriate factors or truck distribution profiles to convert basic short-term classification counts into volume estimates for the sixteen MOBILE6 vehicle classifications. Three types of vehicle classification profiles were developed for the interstates and non-interstate roads across the state using field collected data. The results of this research can be input in lieu of accepting nationally-based default values, resulting in more accurate air quality forecasting in the State of West Virginia.

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