01371226

Component

http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/167060.aspx

http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/167060.aspx

Traffic flow is often disrupted to varying degrees during precipitation, frost, and blowing snow events. In general, as winter weather events cause road conditions to deteriorate, traffic has a tendency to slow down. Winter maintenance activities affect road conditions and therefore impact traffic speed, so a measurement system using traffic speed has the potential to be a direct measure of the impact of maintenance activities. A prototype model has been developed to predict the average traffic speed at a given time during a winter storm event using commonly reported and forecast road weather data. The prototype model has shown much promise in the quantitative evaluation of winter maintenance by comparing the simulated traffic speed at any point in time to the actual traffic speeds observed by traffic speed sensors. Winter operations may be considered successful when observed traffic speed is found to be at or above the model prediction, and operations may be considered unsuccessful when speeds are significantly less than the model predicts. The minute-by-minute nature of the model output makes it easier to evaluate the specific series of events contributing to the microscale successes or failures over the course of an event. The prototype model is being analyzed and improved for incorporation into real-time performance analysis systems.

01371195

WM-STW12-161

English

pp 187-197

2012-4

Transportation Research Circular

International Conference on Winter Maintenance and Surface Transportation Weather

Web

Figures; References; Tables

Mathematical models; Mathematical prediction; Performance measurement; Sensors; Traffic speed; Winter maintenance

Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; I62: Winter Maintenance

TRIS, TRB

May 14 2012 4:18PM