Simplified Web-Based Decision Support Method for Traffic Management and Work Zone Analysis

Traffic congestion mitigation is one of the key challenges that transportation planners and operations engineers face when planning for construction and maintenance activities. There is a wide variety of approaches and methods that address work zone impacts, starting with simple equations, over spreadsheets and deterministic methods, to high-level computer simulation software. Some of the widely used tools include CA4PRS, QuickZone, and VISUM. However, every model has its own limitations and assumptions that are dictated by the applied computational technique. These analysis tools may not fully capture the dynamic nature of drivers’ responses to traffic management techniques and significant changes in the transportation network. In this case, performing analyses with a Dynamic Traffic Assignment (DTA) engine, or a similar traffic estimation method, may meet this need while providing additional analysis details (e.g., network, path, origin-destination (OD), and link analyses) for local engineers to justify their decisions/actions. At the same time, technical expertise, data management, and software licensing often become significant barriers for incorporating this type of analysis into everyday operations. This research presents a DTA-based tool that is designed to overcome the existing limitations in work zone simulation and analysis.

• Record URL:
  https://www.ugpti.org/resources/reports/details.php?id=864
• 
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/31947
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Utah, Salt Lake City

  Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
  Salt Lake City, UT  United States  84112

  Arizona State University, Tempe

  School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
  Tempe, AZ  United States  85287-5306

  Utah Department of Transportation

  Salt Lake City, UT  United States 

  Mountain-Plains Consortium

  North Dakota State University
  Fargo, ND  United States  58108

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Zlatkovic, Milan
  • Zhou, Xuesong
• Publication Date: 2017-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 80p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Analysis; Decision support systems; Dynamic traffic assignment; Simulation; Traffic congestion; Travel demand management; Web applications; Work zone traffic control
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01629970
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: MPC 17-317
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Mar 27 2017 9:29AM