WEATHER RESPONSIVE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT WRTM

1
WEATHER RESPONSIVE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT (WRTM)

• Roemer Alfelor - FHWA RWMP HQ
• David Yang - FHWA Turner-Fairbank Highway
  Research Center

2
WRTM Program Area

• Goals Develop strategies and tools to help
  agencies effectively manage traffic and highway
  operations during inclement weather.
• WRTM Strategies
• Advisory
• Control
• Treatment

3
WRTM Measures of Success

• Transportation agencies use current and forecast
  road and weather conditions to manage and control
  traffic flow and highway operations.
• Weather impacts are incorporated in traffic
  analysis and engineering models.
• Motorists receive and respond to road weather and
  traffic information.

4
WRTM Activities

• Weather Response System (WRS) for Transportation
  Management
• Integration of Weather in TMC/TOC
• Weather and Traffic Flow Studies

5
Weather Response System Goals

• Bring together advanced weather and road
  condition technologies
• Operationalize the use of weather information for
  transportation management (winter and non-winter)
• Apply advisory, control and treatment strategies
  for road weather management

6
Prototype WRS

• Prototype WRS developed in Missouri
• Provides information on precipitation,
  temperature, dew point, wind speed, sky cover,
  water vapor, etc.
• Utilizes National Weather Service (NWS) digital
  forecast database
• Tested and evaluated in Kansas City
• Decision-support capability needed

7
Maintenance and Operations Decision Support
System (MODSS)

• MODSS Maintenance Operations Decision Support
  System
• Leverages lessons learned software developed
  for MDSS and Prototype WRS
• Expands DSS functionality beyond snow ice
  control to other areas of transportation
  maintenance operations

8
MODSS High Level View
9
MODSS Progress and Plans

• State DOT representatives were invited to
  participate in stakeholder meetings last year to
  gather requirements for
• Maintenance beyond snow ice control
• Traffic Management
• Concept of Operations document was developed
  Summer 2007
• Traffic Management Use Cases to be developed as
  part of Clarus Regional Demonstrations

10
Weather Integration in TMC/TOC

• Objectives
• Document existing practices, needs, opportunities
  and challenges associated with TMC weather
  integration
• Assist TMCs with their weather integration
  activities
• Approach
• Develop concepts and measures of integration
• Survey TMCs to document integration practices
• Develop recommendations for improved weather
  integration (e.g. conduct self-evaluation)
• Provide technical support for implementing and
  evaluating recommended strategies

11
TMC Wx Integration Progress to Date

• Completed a State of the Practice Study on TMC
  Weather Integration(2006)
• Developed a Weather Integration Self-Evaluation
  and Planning Guide (2008)
• Worked with 2 TMCs (Sacramento and Milwaukee) in
  evaluating the guide and developing Wx
  integration plan

12
Major Elements of the Guide

• TMC team evaluates their needs and opportunities
  for enhanced weather integration
• Identify weather conditions
• Understand weather impacts
• Identify TMC needs for weather information
• An electronic version of the Guide sorts through
  the information provided by the TMC and
  identifies potential integration strategies
• TMC develops a practical weather integration plan
  to implement those strategies

13
Next Steps (Underway)

• Work with the Sacramento RTMC to implement their
  plan
• Develop strategic marketing and deployment plans
  for the Guide
• Identify and work with 3 TMCs to conduct
  self-evaluation and develop integration plans
• Update the Guide

14
Weather and Traffic Flow Analysis

• GOALS
• Analyze and quantify how various weather events
  impact traffic flow (at the macro and micro
  levels)
• Improve existing knowledge and models on traffic
  flow analysis under adverse weather conditions
• Empirical Study on Weather and Traffic
• Goals Develop weather-sensitive traffic flow
  models using empirical weather and traffic data
• Completed and published in 2007
• Developed capacity and speed adjustment factors
  for rain and snow

15
Microscopic Analysis of Weather and Traffic

• Goals Analyze car following, lane changing and
  gap acceptance behavior during inclement weather
  and develop models to incorporate in existing
  micro-simulation tools
• Contractor Cambridge Systematics and Virginia
  Tech
• Period of Performance 2/08 5/09
• Major Tasks
• Review and summarize literature
• Characterize and recommend data and analysis
  procedures
• Develop Car-Following, Lane Changing and Gap
  Acceptance Models
• Incorporate models in NGSIM tools

16
Incorporating Weather Impacts in TrEPS

• TrEPS- Traffic Estimation and Prediction Systems
• Goal - Update existing dynamic traffic assignment
  models (both real-time and off-line) to account
  for weather effects
• Contractor SAIC and Northwestern Univ.
• Period of Performance 9/07- 3/09
• Major Tasks
• Review literature on traffic response to weather
  and WRTM strategies
• Review and summarize existing Traffic Estimation
  and Prediction Systems (TrEPS)
• Develop and incorporate weather-responsive models
  to existing TrEPS

17
Human Factors Analysis of Weather Advisory and
Control Information

• Goals
• Review, evaluate and recommend strategies for
  improving existing Road Wx messages and
  dissemination methods
• Contractor Battelle, Meridian and TTI
• Period of Performance 7/08 11/09
• Major Tasks
• Identify traveler requirements for Wx information
  and review current practices
• Review and propose methodology for evaluating the
  effectiveness of Wx information and dissemination
  methods
• Develop research plan and conduct human factors
  study
• Recommend improvements to existing messages and
  methods

18
Contact Info

• Roemer Alfelor
• FHWA Office of Operations
• [phone]
• roemer.alfelor_at_dot.gov
• David Yang
• FHWA Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
• [phone]
• david.yang_at_dot.gov