The general objective of this project is to evaluate the potential benefits of Advanced Traveler Information Systems and Advanced Traffic Management Systems on the Smart Corridor. This report describes Phase 1 of the project in which the INTEGRATION traffic simulation model is used to help simulate ATIS and ATMS on a freeway/arterial environment.

This study includes a literature review of existing traffic simulation models potentially suited for evaluating advanced traffic control strategies and in-vehicle information systems within an integrated freeway/ arterial corridor. Chapter 1 presents a literature review and identification of candidate models. Chapter 2 contains a preliminary screening of candidate models. Chapter 3 presents an in-depth evaluation of short list of models. And, Chapter 4 gives conclusions of the research and recommendations for future directions.

The general objective of the project is to investigate and quantify the likely benefits of implementing various ATMS and ATlS control strategies on the real-life Santa Monica freeway corridor in Los Angeles.

The different strategies to be tested in Phase 2 include freeway ramp metering, real-time traffic signal optimization, route guidance systems, and combinations of these strategies. Investigations of different strategies are performed for the same network conditions (portion of the Santa Monica freeway corridor previously coded in Phase 1) and under the same demand level (typical morning peak period). Effects of incidents are to be analyzed.

Primary focus at this stage of the study was more on developing and testing the methodologies for modelling various IVHS strategies than on the quantitative simulation results.

The objectives of this study were to select a traffic assignment and simulation model, apply that model to an integrated freeway/arterial network such as the Smart Corridor in Los Angeles, California, and, using the model, make an initial evaluation of in-vehicle information systems and the applicability of the model.

As part of the California PATH program, the Paramics microscopic traffic simulation model was evaluated through a pilot application to the I-680 freeway corridor, one of the most highly congested facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area. The main objective of the project was to test the capability of the model to serve as a tool for evaluating alternative transportation planning and traffic management scenarios. HOV lanes were investigated first on a "simple" network, and later on the existing I-680 corridor. An Application Programming Interface (API) "plugin" designed by Quadstone, which influences driver behavior regarding HOV lane use, was utilized in an attempt to improve HOV lane simulation. From the existing freeway model to the freeway with an HOV lane, it was found that the total vehicle hours traveled decreased 28 percent and the overall average speed increased 40 percent. Several scenarios were also developed within the I-680 Paramics model as part of a sensitivity analysis, to assess the effects on the network of altering certain input parameters. Ramp metering was later tested on the calibrated network with the added HOV lane, using various supporting API modules for Paramics developed at PATH. The local actuated ramp control strategy Alinea was implemented and evaluated. It should be noted that Caltrans does not plan to implement the Alinea strategy as tested in the simulation. The report describes the approach used to fine-tune the control strategy, then presents and discusses the results that were obtained. It was found that the overall system performance did not improve after the implementation of ramp control, because the benefits on the mainline freeway did not outweigh the additional delays experienced on the on-ramps. The report identifies a number of factors that may explain why the benefits of ramp metering could have been underestimated in this particular study. The Paramics model, together with its supporting modules, was found to be an effective and reliable tool for modeling traffic operations on a large-scale and highly congested freeway corridor. It can be used to evaluate the impact of an HOV lane or investigate ramp control metering strategies, and to undertake sensitivity analyses for the various alternative scenarios in a timely and effective way. However, a number of limitations and shortcomings have been identified, contributing to a likely underestimation of the ramp metering benefits in this study. The most important factor is the absence of route diversion. Because no parallel surface street was modeled, the model did not capture the spatial diversion that is likely to occur when ramp metering is implemented. Another key issue is the ramp queue control process embedded in the Alinea control strategy: because of high demand levels on many on-ramps, the storage capacity is often reached during the simulation period, resulting in an override of the Alinea-optimized metering rate. This phenomenon prevents ramp control to reach the full potential of mainline freeway improvements. Finally, no modal response was considered in the scenario comparisons, which may have contributed to improving the overall system performance with a higher usage of HOV bypass and mainline lanes. These limitations will be addressed in future applications of Paramics to other Bay Area freeways.

As part of the California PATH program, the Paramics microscopic traffic simulation model was applied to the I-580 freeway-arterial corridor. The main purposes of the project were two-fold:

- Develop the expertise and transfer the knowledge required in calibrating a large-scale freeway corridor with Paramics;

- Prepare a calibrated model for the I-580 corridor that could be used to address operational questions, evaluate potential improvement alternatives and provide input to the decision-making process.

In agreement with Caltrans District 4 and Headquarters, the study focused on the eastbound direction of I-580 (a 25 mile section) during the afternoon peak period of a typical weekday. The freeway network to be simulated included, in addition to the eastbound direction of 580, the westbound direction as well as a segment of I-680 and the portion of SR 84 connecting 580 and 680. The grid network also included a large number of surface streets and a total of more than 100 signalized intersections.

We report Year 1 results from a two-year project to develop a computer simulation, evaluation and visualization "toolbox", SmartBRT, to describe and evaluate operational aspects of bus rapid transit (BRT) concepts in order to aid decision-making. In conceiving and developing SmartBRT, we have maintained two objectives: 1. To provide FTA, Caltrans and local decision-makers with a rigorous and defensible, yet intuitive BRT operation evaluation method along with a general purpose BRT simulator/communication tool; and 2. To provide example applications of SmartBRT to actual BRT concepts and to document these applications in a "cookbook" manner to allow the widest dissemination of the "toolbox" to the practitioner community. In order to accomplish these objectives, our "toolbox" provides "hooks" for stakeholders - compelling visualizations for local decision-makers, interfaces to conventional traffic modeling tools for the transportation engineering community (and others on the FTA team), interfaces to planning tools for transportation planners, powerful analytical tools for BRT concept developers and researchers, and short-term results for all the potential constituency above.