Final report.

Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center

NTL-INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS-INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS ; NTL-OPERATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROLS-Traffic Flow ; NTL-PLANNING AND POLICY-PLANNING AND POLICY ;

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An understanding of traffic flow in time and space is fundamental to the development of

strategies for the efficient use of the existing transportation infrastructure in large

metropolitan areas. Thus, this project involved developing the methods necessary to

systematically describe, explain, and predict the flow of traffic with respect to time and

space. The utility of this knowledge was demonstrated in routing voluminous traffic.

Achieving these objectives required the collection, management, and analysis of traffic

data concerning volume, speed, and traffic sensor occupancy. Management of this data

required the design and implementation of a database management system as well as

assuring data quality. Descriptive, explanatory, and predictive statistical models were

developed to help gain the desired understanding of traffic flow. Application efforts

focused on the Detroit metropolitan area. Traffic data was regularly obtained from the

Michigan Intelligent Transportation System Center. Statistical models of traffic flow in

the Detroit area I-75 corridor were constructed. A previously developed routing model

was extended and adapted to the I-75 corridor and the newly developed statistical models

incorporated to help compute traffic flow metrics. Both a software solver and a hardware

solver for the model were implemented. A framework for traffic simulation was

constructed and used to develop and calibrate a micro-simulation model of the same

subset of the I-75 corridor. This model was used to demonstrate the benefits of guidance

in re-routing traffic as a result of a traffic incident. A web site describing project

activities and supporting downloading of traffic data was developed.

US Transportation Collection