This project is focused on enhanced modeling, continued monitoring, and assessment of a large work zone project in Raleigh, North Carolina. The work zone project covers work to be completed under TIP numbers I-5311/I-5338: I-40 and I-440 Re-Construction Work from Exit 293 to I-40 Exit 301 and I-440 Exit 14. The ITRE team has previously been involved in a NCDOT research project to predict operational impacts of this work zone using network-wide and corridor-level evaluations tools to estimate the congestion and traffic diversion impacts of the eleven-mile work zone.
With this project, ITRE and the NCDOT have a unique opportunity to conduct a real-time evaluation of the work zone while under construction. With the use of high-density traffic sensors and cameras already deployed in the work zone and surrounding areas, the team will be able to validate the enhanced model predictions of queuing and congestion impacts, as well as verify predicted diversion impacts. The latter were critical assumptions going into the initial modeling effort, and the ability to field-verify these diversion impacts represents an exceptional opportunity that will benefit this and future modeling efforts. In addition, the enhanced modeling work will feed directly into an outreach effort (to be developed in a separate project) to provide timely and useful information on impacted areas to citizens as well as public and private organizations in the Triangle Region.
The results of this research are expected to have an immediate impact on the operations of the Triangle area traffic network, as state and local agencies can react to predicted traffic patterns through signal optimization or traffic diversion strategies, including telecommuting, car-pooling, transit, and peak spreading strategies. The research is further expected to result in long-term benefits for the NCDOT, as lessons learned in this monitoring and assessment project will have direct application for the calibration of future large-scale work zones in North Carolina. As such, the team expects to develop work zone assessment guidance and analysis protocols that can be directly applied to future work zones of such magnitude.
