Transportation Facilities Management Under Emergencies

In order to address limitations of static traffic assignment, recent research focused on the development of Dynamic Traffic Assignment (DTA) models that are capable of estimating time-varying network conditions by capturing traffic flow and route choice behavior. Such models compute the spatio-temporal path for every vehicle so that no user can switch path and improve his travel. Moreover, they account for real-time routing behavior in response to congestion due to recurrent and non-recurrent events. In this context, DTA models provide transportation planners and engineers with modern tools to improve the accuracy of traditional transportation planning approaches and enable modeling of Intelligent Transportation Systems technologies that are used to improve transportation system management. This project developed a Dynamic Simulation/Assignment Model for Birmingham, Alabama area to study emergencies in the Birmingham area for preplanning purposes and to evaluate alternative relief strategies. The Visual Interactive System for Transport Algorithms (VISTA) platform was utilized for this purpose. Case studies were constructed to demonstrate the potential use of the software for traffic management and transportation planning under emergencies. More specifically, one incident management case study with six scenarios and one emergency analysis case study with two scenarios were tested on a sub-network of the Birmingham regional network. The study confirmed that a DTA approach could provide transportation agencies with a powerful tool with which to improve their existing management plans through the evaluation of route diversion strategies, information dissemination through variable message signs placement, signal preemption in support of evacuation, and a variety of emergency response actions.

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