Application of Dynamic Traffic Assignment (DTA) Model to Evaluate Network Traffic Impact During Bridge Closure - A Case Study in Edmonton, Alberta

The application of macroscopic travel demand models to quantify traffic operational performance measures, such as delay, queues, level of service, and corridor travel time has some significant limitations. Due to the lack of temporal variation of traffic flow in Static Traffic Assignment (STA) and allowance of demand over capacity in macroscopic travel demand models, the validity and reliability of traffic diversion estimate from major road/bridge closures are often subject to question. Dynamic Traffic Assignment (DTA), on the other hand, is a new and evolving technique which is sensitive to time dependent congestion phenomenon and thus can properly estimate traffic diversion to alternate routes during temporal/spatial traffic flow shifts induced by network supply or traffic demand changes. In summer 2013, the City of Edmonton closed the Stony Plain Road Bridge crossing over Groat Road for four months as part of its roadway rehabilitation program. In order to estimate traffic diversion and evaluate network traffic impacts during the construction period, a DTA model was developed using the Dynameq program. Unlike most models where both the calibration and validation data is collected from the same traffic condition, this model utilized the bridge open (pre-construction) traffic data for model calibration, and the bridge closure (during-construction) data for model validation. Additionally, since traffic demand before and during the short-term bridge closure will likely be the same, the assessment of the model forecasting capability can be considered more credible. This paper presents the DTA model development and traffic impact evaluation process, which covers data collection and analysis, traffic origin-destination demand adjustment, the DTA model network preparation, as well as model calibration and validation using the traffic conditions observed before and during the Stony Plain Road Bridge closure. It is expected that the findings and lessons learned from this study will provide practitioners the understandings and benefits of a DTA model in the application of traffic operational analysis. Recommendations on how to apply a calibrated DTA model to a short-term network supply change are also highlighted.

• Record URL:
  http://conf.tac-atc.ca/english/annualconference/tac2014/s-11/xin.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Association of Canada (TAC)

  401-1111 Prince of Wales Drive
  Ottawa, Ontario  Canada 
• Authors:
  • Xin, P
  • BHOWMICK, A
  • Juran, I
• Conference:
  • Transportation 2014: Past, Present, Future - 2014 Conference and Exhibition of the Transportation Association of Canada // Transport 2014 : Du passé vers l'avenir - 2014 Congrès et Exposition de 'Association des transports du Canada
• Publication Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 1 PDF file, 961 KB, 21p.
• Monograph Title: Transportation 2014: Past, Present, Future - 2014 Conference and Exhibition of the Transportation Association of Canada // Transport 2014 : Du passé vers l'avenir - 2014 Congrès et Exposition de 'Association des transports du Canada

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridges; Calibration; Case studies; Conferences; Construction; Dynamics; Impact studies; Mathematical models; Software; Traffic assignment; Traffic control
• Geographic Terms: Canada
• ITRD Terms: 3455: Bridge; 6171: Calibration; 8018: Canada; 8531: Case study; 8525: Conference; 3655: Construction; 5473: Dynamics; 9112: Impact study; 6473: Mathematical model; 8645: Software; 679: Traffic assignment; 654: Traffic control
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Operations and Traffic Management; I71: Traffic Theory; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01553234
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transportation Association of Canada (TAC)
• Files: ITRD, TAC
• Created Date: Feb 13 2015 4:20PM