By: The Robotic Pandas

What community did we research?  Avon, CT  Avon is a suburb of Hartford  Population is 17,209  Our town, Avon, consists of beautiful parks, a river, forests, and it is a great school district.

How do people and things travel in and through Avon?  Cars  Delivery Trucks  Buses  Bikes  & Internet  Walking/etc.

What is a transportation problem in our community?  Truck safety on Avon Mountain is a big problem  “One of the worst traffic accidents in Connecticut history occurred at the intersection of US 44 and Route 10 at the foot of Avon Mountain on July 29, 2005 when a runaway dump truck plowed into many stopped vehicles, causing four deaths.”  “A second crash occurred at the same location on September 7, 2007 when a runaway truck crashed into Nassau's Furniture store. “ * Source: * *

Research Question: Will the new Escape Ramp on Avon Mountain work?  A truck ramp was opened in 2008 to prevent further accidents.  This type of truck ramp is called a “Dragnet”.  People when they first see the truck ramp they think the gates look weak and trucks would fall into the restaurant at the end of the “short” truck ramp.

How did we do our research?  Looked at truck escape ramp plans with Mr. Whitney, a Civil Engineer  Interviewed Mr. Ferraro, DOT Engineer  Visited the truck ramp on Avon Mountain.  Built a model truck ramp made of lego. We tested many things. Our ideas weren’t all tested (especially not the shock wave).

What did we learn about the Avon Mountain Truck Escape Ramp?  Cable nets on dragnet type truck ramps are much stronger than they appear.  The ramp has actually never been tested due to the costs to replace the cable nets, but this type of truck ramp has worked successfully in other places.  The gravel pile was not chosen because due to the area’s climate, the pile would freeze up in the winter.  The ramp even has a deicing system to melt snow and ice build up during the winter.

How do Dragnet Type Truck Ramps Work?  Cable nets are connected to steel strips in drums which are set into concrete walls  When a truck hits the cable net, the steel strips are pulled out of the drum like thread on a spool  Pins inside the drums bend the strips as they are pulled out creating friction but still permitting a safe amount of give  This creates a net with a low center of gravity which safely slows the runaway truck without causing the truck to tip

Truck Ramp Experiments  Dragnet

Other Truck Ramp Experiments for Fun  Marshmallows  Springs and Sponges  Straws

What did we conclude?  The dragnet is reliable and it will stop the truck gradually, so the driver and their load will not get damaged.

What is a solution to make Avon Mountain even more safe?  Add another dragnet at the other side of the Avon Mountain.

How did we communicate that we learned to our community?  We posted our research on the internet at:

The End