The NCLOS program is being used extensively in planning applications within NCDOT. Output capacities are used in travel demand forecasting models and in developing Comprehensive Transportation Plans (CTPs). Output values can also be used in the statewide travel demand model now under development. Currently the tool is also used to provide data for the Performance Metrics Dashboard and is used as a scoring component in the Strategic Prioritization Process and Urban Loop Prioritization Process.
In early 2011, the new 2010 HCM will be available for transportation facility analyses. There are significant and important improvements for many of the methodologies in the new HCM based on the most recent national research over the last 7-8 years. As with previous editions of the manual, the new 2010 HCM will become the standard for determining capacity of most highway facilities. It will be critical for NCLOS to be re-programmed to incorporate these new methodologies and other enhancements to remain current with the state-of-practice.
In addition, NCHRP 3-82 looked at national default values appropriate for the methodologies in the 2000 HCM. These values need to be reviewed and checked against values appropriate for North Carolina drivers and regional patterns for various highway facilities.
The North Carolina Level of Service (NCLOS) program is a planning-level highway capacity analysis tool developed for NCDOT under a previous project. The program uses the operational methodologies in the 2010 Highway Capacity Manual (HCM), along with specific default parameters from North Carolina data, to determine level-of-service (LOS) threshold “capacities” for freeways, multilane highways, two-lane highways and arterial streets. The program is unique in that it provides a graphical display of the measure of effectiveness (MOE) plotted against AADT for each facility type. Users see best case, default case, and worst case curves, plus a highlighted curve for the LOS selected for the analysis. The focus of this effort was to provide technical support to NCDOT programmers who re-programed NCLOS and analyze NCDOT traffic data for the development of default values and input limitations.
The project will provide technical support to NCDOT programmers who will be re-programming NCLOS as a web-based application. This will help ensure consistency in using default values within the program as there will be only one file hosted on a server.
