Research
RESEARCH PROJECTS
(Sole PI unless otherwise noted)
57. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI) and Parth Bhavsar (Co-PI), Effectiveness of Automated Speed Enforcement in School Zones and Guidance for Continuous Usage in Georgia, Funded by the Georgia Department of Transportation, 2023. ($200,000) SELECTED FOR FUNDING.
56. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI) and Tien Yee (Co-PI), Training the Next Generation of County Environmental Health Specialists, Funded by the Georgia Department of Public Health, 2022. ($ 29,400) CURRENT.
55. Evaluation of Wrong-Way Driving Countermeasures at Kansas Urban and Rural Interstate Ramps, (PI- Dr. Eric Fitzsimmons, Co-PI: Sunanda Dissanayake), Funded by Kansas Department of Transportation, 2018. ($ 67,981) COMPLETED
54. Guardrail Evaluation for Embankments and Culvert for Kansas Low-Volume Rural Roads, (PI- Dr. Eric Fitzsimmons, Co-PI: Sunanda Dissanayake) Funded by Kansas Department of Transportation, 2018. ($ 69,456) COMPLETED
53. Understanding Overweight/Oversize Freight Flow and Safety in Kansas Using KTRIPS, (PI- Dr. Eric Fitzsimmons, Co-PI: Sunanda Dissanayake) Funded by Kansas Department of Transportation, 2017. ($ 63, 932) COMPLETED
52. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Calibrating the HSM Safety Prediction Tools for Kansas Freeways, Interchanges, Urban and Suburban Arterial Intersection Models for Kansas”, Funded by Kansas Department of Transportation, 2016. ($ 146,500) COMPLETED
51. “Continued Updating the Lane Closure Guide for Urban Highways in Kansas”, (PI- Dr. Eric Fitzsimmons, Co-PI: Sunanda Dissanayake). Funded by Kansas Department of Transportation, 2016 ($ 58,116). COMPLETED
50. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Development of a Microsoft Access Database for Tracking KDOT Research”, Funded by Kansas Department of Transportation, 2016, ($ 2,628) COMPLETED
49. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Safety Evaluation of Raised Speed Limits on Kansas Freeways and Other Roadways”, Funded by Kansas Department of Transportation, 2015. ($ 58,000) COMPLETED
48. “Updating the Lane Closure Guide for Urban Freeways in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area”, (PI- Dr. Eric Fitzsimmons, Co-PI: Sunanda Dissanayake).2015. ($61,000) COMPLETED
47. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Crash Modification Factors for Lane Departure Countermeasures in Kansas”, US Department of Transportation, Funded by Region VII University Transportation Center/Iowa State University, 2015. ($ 50,000) COMPLETED
46. “Demonstration and Development of an Implementation Plan to Integrate the United States Road Assessment Program (usRAP) into Existing Kansas Highway Safety Programs”, (PI- Dr. Eric Fitzsimmons Co-PI: Sunanda Dissanayake), Funded by Kansas Department of Transportation, 2014. ($ 50,000) COMPLETED
45. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Effect of Vehicle Color and Background Visibility for Improving Safety on Rural Kansas Highways”, (Co-PI Dr. Thomas Hallaq), Funded by Kansas Department of Transportation, 2014. ($ 45,090) COMPLETED
44. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Aging Road User Survey and Crash Analysis to Identify Issues and Applicable Improvement Strategies for Kansas Conditions”, Funded by the K-TRAN program of the Kansas Department of Transportation, 2014. ($ 69,000) COMPLETED
43. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI),“Reducing Work Zone Duration, Comparison of Nighttime vs. Daytime Crashes and Effectiveness of Lighting in Highway Work Zones”, Funded by Mid-America Transportation Center (MATC), 2013 ($ 60,418) COMPLETED
42. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Calibrating the HSM Rural Multi-Lane Model for Kansas Highways”, Funded by the K-TRAN program of the Kansas Department of Transportation, 2013. ($ 65,000) COMPLETED
41. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Gravel Road Paving Guidelines”, Funded by the K-TRAN program of the Kansas Department of Transportation, 2013. ($ 69,000) COMPLETED
40. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Highway Work Zone Capacity Estimation Using Field Data from Kansas”, Funded by the Smart Work Zone Deployment Initiative, FHWA Pooled Fund Project, US Department of Transportation/Iowa State University, 2013 ($ 49,962). COMPLETED
39. “Implementation of the AASHTO Design Guide for Pavement Structures”, (PI - M. Hossain, Co-PI: Sunanda Dissanayake), New York State Department of Transportation, 2013 ($ 200,000). COMPLETED
38. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Evaluation of Low-Cost Intersection Countermeasures to Reduce Red Light Running Violations”, Funded by Mid-America Transportation Center (MATC), Joint Project between KSU, KU, and UNL, 2012 (KSU share $ 60,917) COMPLETED
37. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Evaluation of Bypass Lane Safety, Operations, and Design in Kansas”, Funded by the K-TRAN program of Kansas Department of Transportation, 2011. ($ 79,000) COMPLETED
36. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Effects of Geometric Design Features on Truck Crashes on Limited Access Highways”, Funded by Mid-America Transportation Center (MATC), 2010 ($ 54,601) COMPLETED
35. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Characteristics and Contributory Causes Related to Large Truck Crashes (Phase II)” Funded by Mid-America Transportation Center (MATC), 2009 ($ 44,000) COMPLETED
34. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Keeping Vehicles on the Roadway in Rural Areas: Analysis of Run-Off-The-Road Crashes”, (Co-PIs: Drs. Russell, Stokes and Rys), Funded by the University Transportation Center, Kansas State University, 2009. ($ 120,000) COMPLETED
33. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Improving Safety of Teenage and Young Adult Drivers in Kansas - Phase II”, Funded by the K-TRAN program of Kansas Department of Transportation, 2009. ($ 23,000) COMPLETED
32. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Identification of Safety Belt Restraint Usage Characteristics Related to 5-14 Year Olds”, Funded by the K-TRAN program of Kansas Department of Transportation, 2009. ($ 40,000) COMPLETED
31. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Improving Safety of Teenage and Young Adult Drivers in Kansas-Phase I”, Funded by the K-TRAN program of Kansas Department of Transportation, 2008. ($ 35,000) COMPLETED
30. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Developing Safety Performance Functions for Kansas Safety Studies” (Co-PI: Gene Russell), Funded by the University Transportation Center, Kansas State University, 2009. ($ 40,000) COMPLETED
29. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Improving Safety of the Surface Transportation System by Addressing the Issues of Vulnerable Road Users in Traffic with Heavy Vehicles for Freight Transportation: Case of the Motorcyclists” Funded by Mid-America Transportation Center (MATC), 2009 ($ 48,000) COMPLETED
28. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Evaluation of Motorcycle Safety in Kansas”, Funded by the K-TRAN program of Kansas Department of Transportation, 2008 ($ 40,000) COMPLETED
27. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Characteristics and Contributory Causes Related to Large Truck Crashes (Phase I)” Funded by Mid-America Transportation Center (MATC), 2008 ($ 46,400) COMPLETED
26. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Speed Management in Rural Communities”, Funded by the University Transportation Center, Kansas State University, 2008. ($ 82,000) COMPLETED
25. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Identification of Work Zone Crash Characteristics” Funded by the Smart Work Zone Deployment Initiative, FHWA Pooled Fund Project, Iowa State University, 2007. ($ 48,104) COMPLETED
24. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI),“Factors Affecting Fatal Crash Involvement of Older Drivers”, Funded by the University Transportation Center, Kansas State University, 2007. ($ 75,000) COMPLETED
23. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Improving the Usage of Demand Response Transit Services in Rural Kansas”, (Co PI Bob Stokes), Funded by the University Transportation Center, Kansas State University, 2007. ($ 80,000) COMPLETED
22. “A High Risk Rural Roads Guide to Assist Local Road Officials Increase Safety on HRRR”, With Gene Russell (PI) and Sunanda Dissanayake (Co-PI),, K-TRAN Project funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation, 2007. ($ 60,000) COMPLETED
21. “Knowledge Discovery in Transportation Databases (KDiTD)”, With Yacoub Najjar (PI) and Sunanda Dissanayake (Co-PI),, Funded by the University Transportation Center, Kansas State University, 2007. ($ 180,000) COMPLETED
20. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Highway Safety Issues of Older Drivers in Kansas”, K-TRAN Project funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation, 2007. ($ 55,000) COMPLETED
19. “Developing a Statewide Truck Trip Management System”, (With Dean Landman (PI), Sunanda Dissanayake (Co-PI), and Mike Babcock (Co-PI), K-TRAN Project funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation, 2006. ($ 60,000) COMPLETED
18. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Speed Limit Related Issues on Gravel Roads”, K-TRAN Project funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation, 2006. ($ 45,000) COMPLETED
17. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Effects of not Wearing Safety Belts on Injury Severity”, Funded by the US Department of Transportation through Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center, University of Arkansas, 2006. ($ 30,000) COMPLETED
16. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Rural Transportation Initiative Supporting Agricultural Transition and Sustainability”, (With Drs. Steward, Apley, and White), Funded by the University Transportation Center, Kansas State University, 2006. ($ 50,000) COMPLETED
15. “Development of a Comprehensive Rural Transportation Safety Research Program for the 21st Century”, (With Drs. Stokes (PI), Sunanda Dissanayake (Co-PI), Russell, and Rys) Funded by the University Transportation Center, Kansas State University, 2006. ($ 100,000) COMPLETED
14. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Development of Efficient Asset Management Practices for Transportation Infrastructure in Rural Communities”, (With Drs. Najjar (PI), Romanoschi, and Esmaeily), Funded by the University Transportation Center, Kansas State University, 2006. ($ 75,000) COMPLETED
13. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI),“Economic Impacts of not Wearing Seat Belts”, K-TRAN Project funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation, 2005. ($ 50,000) COMPLETED
12. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Evaluation of the Effects of Longitudinal Construction Joints on Traffic Operations”, (With D. Landman (PI) and Gene Russell), K-TRAN Project funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation, 2005. ($ 60,000) COMPLETED
11. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Exploring the Methods to Increase Safety Belt Usage in Kansas”, K-TRAN Project funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation, 2004. ($ 65,000) COMPLETED
10. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), “Identification of Countermeasures to Reduce Severity of Rural Highway Crashes”, Funded by the US Department of Transportation through Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center, University of Arkansas, 2003. ($ 30,000) COMPLETED
9. "Implementation of the 2002 AASHTO Design Guide for Pavement Structures (NYDOT)”. (With M. Hossain (PI), S. Romanoschi (Co-PI), and Sunanda Dissanayake (Co-PI),), Funded by New York Department of Transportation, 2003. ($ 862,000) COMPLETED
8. “Implementation of the 2002 AASHTO Design Guide for Pavement Structures in KDOT”, (With M. Hossain (PI), S. Romanoschi, and Sunanda Dissanayake (Co-PI),), K-TRAN Project funded by Kansas Department of Transportation, 2003. ($ 65,000) COMPLETED
7. "Road Weather Forecast Quality Analysis", K-TRAN Project funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation, July 2003. (With D. Landman (PI), Sunanda Dissanayake (Co-PI), and M. Knapp) K-TRAN Project funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation, 2004. ($ 60,000) COMPLETED
6. Sunanda Dissanayake (PI), "Factors Affecting Traffic Crash Severity in Kansas", Kansas State University Provost’s Office, 2003. ($ 6,000) COMPLETED
5. "Right Turn Followed by U-Turn at Signalized Intersections as an Alternative to Direct left Turn from Driveways", funded by the Florida Department of Transportation, Sept. 2001. (With Prof. J. Lu (PI)) ($ 170,000) COMPLETED
4. "Community Roadway Safety of School Age Children as Pedestrians and Bicyclists", funded by the University Community Initiative at University of South Florida, December 2000. (With Prof. J. Lu (PI)) ($15,000) COMPLETED
3. "Criteria for Setting Speed Limits in Urban and Suburban Areas in Florida", funded by the Florida Department of Transportation, Sept. 2000. (With Prof. J. Lu (PI)) ($169,999) COMPLETED
2. "Turning Movement Counts for Hillsborough County Intersections", Lincks Engineering, Tampa, FL. ($6,000) COMPLETED
1. "Young Driver Highway Crashes: What Makes It Worse?" funded by the University Community Initiative at University of South Florida, June 2000. (With Prof. J. Lu (PI)) ($ 15,000) COMPLETED
