Design/build vs. traditional construction user delay modeling : an evaluation of the cost effectiveness of innovative construction methods for new construction. Part 1 : I-15 reconstruction in Davis County : evaluation of various traffic maintenance plans

1053565182549087PDFResearch Paperhttp://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC07-187A.pdfMPC07-187ANTIS-PB2007112265Highway planningConstruction managementTraffic modelsTraffic delayTraffic assignmentCost effectivenessUtahUniversity of Utah. Traffic LaboratoryUniversity Transportation Centers Program (U.S.)Martin, Peter T.Stevanovic, AleksandarUniversity of Utah. Traffic LaboratoryUniversity Transportation Centers Program (U.S.)NTL-PLANNING AND POLICY-PLANNING AND POLICYNTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-Construction and MaintenanceUS Transportation CollectionThis paper evaluates impact of various I-15 reconstruction closure scenarios on the travelers in Ogden area. The purpose of the research was to investigate impact of the scenarios and facilitate decision about future maintenance of traffic during the reconstruction. The original Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) transportation planning model was converted from the TP+ software to the VISUM software. The VISUM model of the whole WFRC area was then calibrated and validated. Coefficient of determination between modeled and observed traffic volumes was 0.78. The model was then reduced, by partial network generation process in VISUM, to the Ogden area. Another set of calibration and validation was performed. The coefficient of determination has improved to 0.88. Twenty-one reconstruction closure scenarios were developed in consultation with Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) project managers. Traffic assignments were executed for each scenario for five diurnal periods. Measures of effectiveness were reported for two spatial levels: area wide and corridor specific. Five investigated corridors were: I-15, Riverdale Road, SR-126, Wall Avenue, and Washington Boulevard. For the whole area scenario 18 was found little better than the other scenarios in terms of total delays. All scenarios that assume that two lanes remain open on I-15 during the reconstruction were significantly better than those with only one open lane on the I-15 mainline during the reconstruction. In respect to the addition of one lane on SR-126 between 450 N and 12th Street, the model estimates savings of US $878,800.00 over two years of reconstruction. The model failed to estimate acceptably accurate V/C ratios on the corridors. This was due to low fidelity traffic model used in transportation planning applications. The other corridor-specific measures were found to be comparable with the field observations. /Abstract from report, p. [ii]