MOBILITY AND SAFETY IMPACTS OF WINTER STORM EVENTS IN A FREEWAY ENVIRONMENT

Several factors influence a driver's decision to travel, choice of vehicle speed and the safety of a particular trip. These factors include, among others, the trip purpose, time of day, traffic volumes, weather and roadway conditions and the range of vehicle speeds on the roadway. The main goal of the research project summarized in this report was the investigation of winter storm event impacts on the volume, safety and speed characteristics of interstate traffic flow. A literature review of weather related speed and trip choice factors, roadway weather information systems and traveler information dissemination was completed. Additionally, weather and roadway condition data, hourly traffic volumes and vehicle crash information during the 1995-1998 winter seasons was requested from the Iowa Department of Transportation. The first phase of this project included the collection, use and analysis of archived weather and roadway condition data, traffic volumes and vehicle crash information. The second phase of this project involved the field collection of interstate traffic flow, roadway and weather characteristics. The models that resulted from this research can be applied in conjunction with each other to produce expected winter storm event volume and speed reductions (i.e., event travel and delay impacts), and crash increases (i.e., event safety impacts). Combined with an estimate of the value of delay and/or crashes, these models could be used to approximate the average financial impacts on travelers of winter storm events and this could be incorporated into winter maintenance policies and procedures.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Pagination: 71 p.

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00796866
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: TR-426
  • Files: NTL, TRIS, STATEDOT
  • Created Date: Aug 25 2003 12:00AM