Following the unprecedented multi-state coastal evacuation for Hurricane Floyd in 1999, the NCDOT developed a lane reversal plan for I-40 to facilitate the safe and efficient evacuation of residents and tourists in southeastern North Carolina. The plan, approved in 2000, was developed and will be administered by the NCDOT in concert with the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety - Division of Emergency Management and State Highway Patrol. The reversal plan is detailed and thorough. However, an in-depth traffic operations analysis has not been performed for the plan, and the NCDOT has specific concerns about the plan operation.
The proposed two-year project will address these concerns. The first year will include a review of relevant literature; review and assessment of evacuation experiences in NC and other states; data assessment, collection and assembly; model scoping and selection of modeling tools; and development of evacuation scenarios. Given the critical need to assess the operational characteristics at the beginning of the reversal, the first year will also include focused modeling of the transition to contraflow and presentation of the preliminary findings from this modeling effort.
The second year will include modeling of the entire lane reversal plan, presentation of interim findings, incorporation of NCDOT feedback into final model runs, and preparation of the project final report. Based on the NCDOT feedback and direction, the final modeling phase will likely involve assessment of possible changes to the current lane reversal plan.
