Work Zone Mobility and Safety Program
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Office of Operations 21st Century Operations Using 21st Century Technologies

Prediction Modeling and Impact Analysis: Congestion and Crashes

Main Guidebook > State of the Art

State of the Art

Available prediction/analysis tools are user-friendly and readily adapted to the local construction site and situation. These tools can accurately analyze and reliably predict congestion situations including travel times, queue length, travel speed, total delay, crash rates, severity levels, and interactive feedback to both the design and construction team.

To achieve state-of-the-art prediction modeling and impact analysis, transportation agencies would need to:

  • Update and enhance existing computer modeling software to make it user friendly and to realistically predict traffic impacts (travel times/speed, queue lengths) and the crash potential (frequencies and severity) for various reconstruction alternatives on freeways as well as urban arterial grids.
  • Develop user-friendly computer modeling software (PC based) for analyzing proposed project specific changes to the traffic control plan at the project site. (Comparisons of travel times/speed, queue lengths, as well as crash frequencies and severity.)
  • Develop user-friendly project-specific computer software (PC based) that can predict capacity breakdown on freeways before it occurs.

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