Roads/Highways

Impacts Assessment of Dynamic Speed Harmonization with Queue Warning

Dowling, R
Skabardonis, A
Barrios, J
Jia, A
Nevers, B
Kittelson and Associates Incorporated
Federal Highway Administration
Department of Transportation
2015

This report assesses the impacts of a prototype of Dynamic Speed Harmonization (SPD-HARM) with Queue Warning (Q-WARN), which are two component applications of the Intelligent Network Flow Optimization (INFLO) bundle. The assessment is based on an extensive analysis of the Prototype using a Vissim simulation model for the US 101 freeway corridor in San Mateo, CA as well as an evaluation of a small-scale demonstration that was conducted in Seattle, WA. Results from the simulation analysis found that the Prototype significantly reduces the magnitudes of the speed drops (shock waves) between...

Impact of Transit Signal Priority on Level of Service at Signalized Intersections

Skabardonis, Alexander
Christofa, Eleni
2011

The assessment of Transit Signal Priority (TSP) impacts at traffic signals is typically based on simulation and field studies. There is a need for macroscopic procedures for analysis of TSP as part of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) analysis methodology for signalized intersections. This capability will allow prediction of TSP impacts (and related control strategies) at a planning and operations level without the complexity of simulation modeling. The paper presents a technique of estimating the average green times for each lane group, and modifications to the HCM formula for estimating...

Impact of traffic states on freeway crash involvement rates

Yeo, Hwasoo
Jang, Kitae
Skabardonis, Alexander
Kang, Seungmo
2013

Freeway traffic accidents are complicated events that are influenced by multiple factors including roadway geometry, drivers' behavior, traffic conditions and environmental factors. Among the various factors, crash occurrence on freeways is supposed to be strongly influenced by the traffic states representing driving situations that are changed by road geometry and cause the change of drivers' behavior. This paper proposes a methodology to investigate the relationship between traffic states and crash involvements on the freeway. First, the authors defined section-based traffic states: free...

Impact of Peak and Off-Peak Tolls on Traffic in San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge Corridor in California

Barnes, Ian C
Frick, Karen Trapenberg
Deakin, Elizabeth
Skabardonis, Alexander
2012

The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge is located in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area in California and connects two of the largest cities in northern California over San Francisco Bay. In July 2010, the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) increased tolls on the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge from a flat toll collected westbound only to weekday peak and off-peak tolls. BATA also instituted a carpool toll of $2.50 (previously carpools crossed for free) payable by FasTrak electronic toll collection tag only. With floating-car data provided by BATA, the change in travel time for the I-80, I...

Impact of Adverse Weather on Freeway Bottleneck Performance

Seeherman, Joshua
Skabardonis, Alexander
2020

Congestion on freeways occurs when demand exceeds the available capacity. Common causes of recurring congestion, also known as freeway bottlenecks, include lane drops, on-ramp merges, and weaving sections. Adverse weather can reduce the maximum queue discharge flow, but this effect has not been systematically investigated. This research examined the relationship between discharge flow and weather characteristics including rainfall intensity, wind speed, and visibility. Queue discharge rates at four isolated merge bottlenecks were measured using an established methodology of cumulative...

Identification and Analysis of Queue Spillovers in City Street Networks

Geroliminis, Nikolas
Skabardonis, Alexander
2011

We propose a methodology for identifying queue spillovers in city street networks with signalized intersections using data from conventional surveillance systems, such as counts and occupancy from loop detectors. The key idea of the proposed methodology is that when spillovers from a downstream link block vehicle departures from the upstream signal line, queues discharge at rates smaller than the saturation flow. The application of the methodology on an arterial site and the comparison with field data show that it consistently identifies spillovers in urban networks with signal-controlled...

I-880 Field Experiment: Data-Base Development and Incedent Delay Estimation Procedures

Skabardonis, A
Petty, K
Noeimi, H
Rydzewski, D
Varaiya, P P
Transportation Research Board
1996

The collection and processing of field data on freeway incidents and operating conditions are described, and the development and application of a methodology for estimating incident delays are presented. The data were collected on a section of the I-880 freeway in the San Francisco Bay Area before and after the implementation of freeway service patrols (FSPs). Incident characteristics were obtained through observations of probe vehicle drivers traveling at an average of 7-min headways. Travel times were obtained from the specially instrumented probe vehicles. Speeds, flows, and occupancies...

I-880 Field Experiment: Analysis of Incidnet Data

Skabardonis, A
Petty, K F
Bertini, Robert L
Varaiya, P P
Noeimi, H
Rydzewski, D
Transportation Research Board
1997

The I-880 field experiment has produced one of the largest data bases on incidents and freeway traffic-flow characteristics ever compiled. Field data on incidents were collected through observations of probe-vehicle drivers before and after the implementation of freeway service patrols (FSPs) over a freeway section. Supplementary information was collected from the California Highway Patrol's computer-aided dispatch system, FSPs, and tow-truck company logs. The incident patterns are described and the major factors affecting incident frequency and duration are identified. FSPs significantly...

Hybrid Data Implementation: Final Report for Task Number 3643

Khan, Sakib Mahmud
Fournier, Nicholas
Mauch, Michael
Patire, Anthony D.
Skabardonis, Alex
2020

This report investigates how Caltrans may incorporate third-party vendor data into its established system for performance measurement to improve accuracy of vehicle hours of delay (VHD) estimates and to enable smarter deployment of point-based sensors, such as loops. Methods are evaluated to project data from multiple sources, including multiple vendors and internal data feeds, onto the same domain of analysis so as to compute performance metrics with high fidelity. The recommended VHD estimation method depends on the infrastructure type and the data available. Overall a hybrid approach...

Highway Capacity Manual Methodologies for Corridors Involving Freeways and Surface Streets

Skabardonis, Alex
University of Florida Transportation Institute
Cambridge Systematics Incorporated
2020

The objective of this research project is to develop materials for the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) in order to modify the freeway analysis methods and the urban street methods so that the effects of operations from one facility to the other can be evaluated. This report summarizes the entire research effort and provides the proposed new HCM Chapter (Chapter 38) in Appendix A- Chapter 38 - System Analysis. The new methods produced can be used to evaluate operations along networks that include both freeways and urban streets. The methods can also evaluate the impact of spillback into...