U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
| Project Information | ||
| Project ID: | FHWA-PROJ-10-0019 | |
| Project Name: | Traffic Analysis and Simulation Pooled Fund StudyTask 2: Guidance on the Level of Effort Required to Conduct Traffic Analysis | |
| Project Status: | Completed | |
| Start Date: | April 1, 2010 | |
| End Date: | February 28, 2012 | |
| Contact Information | ||
| Last Name: | VanGorder | |
| First Name: | Randy | |
| Telephone: | 202-493-3266 | |
| E-mail: | randall.vangorder@dot.gov | |
| Office: | Office of Operations Research and Development | |
| Team: | Trans Ops Concepts and Analysis Team [HRDO-20] | |
| Project detail | ||
| Project Description: | This study will develop guidance/templates for State and local agencies and consultants by demonstrating, through case studies and/or examples, the proper application of traffic modeling and simulation process, from cradle to grave. The templates will display traffic modeling in simulation process information from system monitoring and problem identification through demand forecasting, into design and operational analysis, and into deployment and operations and management resulting from the transportation decision. A boilerplate/template Statement of Work will be developed so that State and local agencies can use it in their Request for Proposals to reflect the required level of effort and resources needed to effectively and efficiently carry out the work. This project will enable agencies to scope projects properly and determine more realistic levels of effort required, leading to better decisions on transportation improvement projects. | |
| Goals: | The key project objective is to develop guidance for analysis/modeling managers to successfully conduct traffic analyses. This guidance will benefit transportation agencies by providing systematic ways to scope and budget for their traffic analysis efforts and review traffic analysis outputs, resulting in better project and program decisions on transportation improvement projects with fewer project delays and cost overruns. | |
| Background Information: | In an effort to get the most out of every system, new technologies and policies, such as high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, are being combined with existing approaches like high occupancy vehicle (HOV) or carpool lanes. Increasingly, sophisticated traveler information systems are being deployed, which have a significant impact on travel patterns under both incident and nonincident operational conditions. The capability of existing tools to address some of these new technologies and policies is limited. At the same time, levels of congestion are rising across the networks; an analyst is asked to model and represent tools that may not deal with gridlock conditions in an accurate way. Decisionmakers are asking an increased amount of complex questions about system improvements. They may ask for an impact assessment that goes beyond a single facility and may span a range of effects beyond delay to travel reliability, environmental, and other impacts. Even standard analyses that are considered routine requests have become more complex. Putting into perspective the challenge of meeting the increasing needs of traffic analyses while keeping up with limited budgets, a guide is needed to help tackle different critical areas of those analyses, pinpointing best practices and identifying ways to tailor the level of effort invested to analysis expectations. | |
| More Information URL(s): | ||
| Test Methodology: | Microscopic simulation | |
| Partners: | Federal Highway Administration: Resource Center; Role(s): Technical | |
| Expected Benefits: | This project will enable agencies to scope projects properly and determine more realistic levels of effort required, leading to better decisions on transportation improvement projects. | |
| FHWA Topics: | Road Operations and Congestion--Tolling and Pricing Program | |
| TRT Terms: | High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes Simulation Operations Research High Occupancy Toll Lanes Traffic Highway Traffic Control |
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| FHWA Disciplines: | Design Environment Operations Planning Program and Management Analysis |
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| Subject Areas: | Operations and Traffic Management Education and Training Data and Information Technology |
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