Project Number:
09-11
Research Project:
Microscopic Model of Road Capacity and Risk for Highway Systems in Port Based Metropolitan Areas
P.I. Name & Address:
Fei Wang
California State University at Long Beach
Department of Electrical Engineering
Long Beach, CA 90840
Email: fwang3@csulb.edu
Website: http://www.csulb.edu/~fwang3/
Phone: (562) 985-4407
Fax: (562) 985-5899
Co-P.I.
Xiolong Wu
California State University at Long Beach
Department of Computer Engineering and Computer Science
Long Beach, CA 90840
Email: xwu3@csulb.edu
Website: http://www.csulb.edu/~xwu3/
Phone: (562) 985-5522
Fax: (562) 985-5899
Project Objective:
In this project, a unique microscopic simulation model is proposed to assess the highway capacity and risk measure when lane blockage is necessary. The model is devised for highway systems in sea-ports based metropolitans, such as areas surrounding Port of Long Beach/Los Angeles by specifically considering the impact of container trucks. ARENA software will be used in the design. The highway capacity is captured using percent time spent following (PTSF) and we also suggested a measure to capture the risk of collision during merging. The highway capacity and risk measure will be studied as a function of a variety of factors, such as effective length of lane blockage and cargo truck distributions, to name a few.
Existing sea-based ports are typically surrounded by major metropolitan areas, which results in movement of cargo containers through those areas. A case in point is the Port of Long Beach, one of the nation's largest and most important ports. Although several projects have been or to be implemented aiming to release the pressure on local highways (such as Alameda corridor and Maglev train transportation project), the conventional cargo truck transportation is still the primary container carriers. Therefore, specific understanding on cargo trucks' impact on local highways is still in urgent need.
Mostly, the transportation simulations do not address the level of risk associated with the design and usage of various highway resources. The proposed simulation model not only considers the impact of cargo truck on traffic congestions, but also suggests a way to assess the risk measure. The results of this study will:
1) provide suggestions in construction zone (lane closure) design;
2) provide evidence to justify the impact of various proposals aiming to redirect the cargo trucks traffic;
3) be compatible with ARENA optimization module, which could be added in the future to compare the economical efficiency among different container evacuation options to optimize the usage of current highway resources.
Task Descriptions
The following tasks will be accomplished:
1. Literature review on traffic behavior studies; Obtain data and resources on cargo truck traffic distribution, lane merging distance, perception reaction time, speed difference, etc.
2. Develop the lane blockage module for road capacity analysis
3. Develop the risk of collision assessment module.
4. Test the ARENA modules and run simulation for different road scenarios, such as various cargo truck populations, various effective length of lane closure and various distance of taper zone.
5. Summarize research findings for publications and prepare final project report.
Milestones, Dates:
August 15, 2008 – September 14, 2009
Total Budget:
$34,852
Student Involvement:
One graduate student at %25 for 9 months
Relationship to Other Research Projects:
Related to 08-04; part of the mobility focus area
Technology Transfer Activities:
Project report will be posted soon
Potential Benefits of the Project:
This proposed simulation model will work to optimize the usage of current highway resources.
TRB Keywords:
Road capacity, ARENA, Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, PTSF
