Assessing and Updating INDOT's Traffic Monitoring System for Highways, Volume 1 - Main Report : Final Report PDF
Preview Assessing and Updating INDOT's Traffic Monitoring System for Highways, Volume 1 - Main Report : Final Report
1 Joint Transportation Research Program JTRP FHWA/IN/JTRP-98/12 Final Report ASSESSING AND UPDATWG INDOT'S TRAFFIC MONITORING SYSTEM FOR HIGHWAYS VOLUME MAINREPORT I: Samuel Labi Jon D. Fricker September 1998 Indiana Department of Transportation Purdue University FINAL REPORT (Volume 1: Main Report) ASSESSING AND UPDATING INDOT'S TRAFFIC MONITORING SYSTEM FOR HIGHWAYS FHWA/IN/JTRP-98/12 by Samuel Labi Research Assistant Jon D. Fricker Professor Purdue University School ofCivil Engineering Joint Transportation Research Program Project No.: C-36-64K File No.: 3-5-1 l,HPR-0438 Prepared in Cooperation with the Indiana Department ofTransportation and The U.S. Department ofTransportation Federal Highway Administration The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Federal Highway Administration and the Indiana Department ofTransportation. This report does not constitute a standard, a specification, or a regulation. Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana47907 September 30, 1998 Digitized by the Internet Arciiive in 2011 with funding from LYRASIS members and Sloan Foundation; Indiana Department of Transportation http://www.archive.org/details/assessingupdatinOOIabi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance provided by Don Houterloot, John Nagle, Henry Rhee, Mohammed Shaikh, all of INDOT Roadway Management Division. Thanks are also extended to other INDOT staff such as Steve Smith, Marcia Gustafson, Geraldine Lampley, Leah Snow and Cordelia Jones-Hill. Persons responsible for the development of the various management systems such as Robert Woods, John Weaver, and Kirk Mangold provided valuable information for this study. The contributions ofthe Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) in the State of Indiana, as well as several states' DOTs, whose personnel responded to our questions and questionnaires, are gratefully acknowledged. Professor Kuczek of the Statistics Department of Purdue University also provided useful help regarding the statistical aspects of the study. The comments and contributions of Larry Heil, Lisa Gion, and Don Johnson of the FHWA were useful through out the course ofthis study. Finally, we are grateful for the financial support and research opportunity provided by the Indiana Department of Transportation and Purdue University through the Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP). 111 TECHNICALREPORTSTANDARDTITLEPAGE 1. ReportNo. 2. GovernmentAccessionNo. 3.Recipient'sCatalogNo. FHWA/IN/JTRP-98/12 4.TitleandSubUtle S. ReportDate September 1998 AssessingandUpdatingINDOT'sTrafficMonitomingSystemforHighways(2 Volumes) 6. PerformingOrganizationCode 7.Author(s) 8. PerformingOrganization ReportNo. S. LabiandJ.Fricker FHWA/IN/JTRP-98/12 9. PerformingOrganizationNameandAddress 10.WorkUnitNo. JointTransportationResearchProgram 1284 CivilEngineeringBuilding PurdueUniversity WestUfayette,Indiana 47907-1284 11. ContractorGrantNo. HPR-0438 12. SponsoringAgencyNameandAddress 13. TypeofReportandPeriodCovered IndianaDepartmentofTransportation StateOfficeBuilding FinalReport 100NorthSenateAvenue Indianapolis,IN46204 14. SponsoringAgencyCode 15. SupplementaryNotes PreparedincooperationwiththeIndianaDepartmentofTransportation andFederalHighwayAdministration. 16. Abstract ThisstudyevaluatestheexistingresourcesandproceduresofINDOT'scurrenttrafficmonitoringprogram,withtheobjectiveoftransforming thisprogramintoacomprehensiveTrafficMonitoringSystem forHighways(TMS/H).Reliabletrafficdataisavaluableinputforstudiesand decision-makingatvariouslevelsandin variousphasesofhighwaymanagementincludingplanninganddesign,financeandtaxation, legislationand safety. ThenatureandscopeofthevariouscomponentscomprisingaTMS/Hforanystatewereidentifiedinavailableliterature suchastheFederal Registerand TrafficMonitoringGuide. Acompleteinventoryoftheexistingresources(personnelandequipment)andproceduresused forfielddatacollectionandoffice-baseddata processingwerecompiledand evaluated foradequacyand/oraccuracyandappropriatenessbymatchingthemwithrequirementsstatedin availableliteraturetoensurecompliancewithISTEArecommendations. Ingeneral,theexistingtrafficmonitoringprogramwasfoundtobeadequateinmeetingtheneedsofmostmanagementsystems,withthe exception ofvehicleclassification monitoringatsectionshaving 'abnormal' trafficconditions. FortheContinuousCountprogram,alarge numberofadditionalclassificationATRstationsarerecommendedwhileveryfewadditionalWIMsitesareneeded.AllHPMS samplesections andNHSsegmentsarecoveredundertheexistingprogram,althoughalackofresourcessometimeslimitsthefrequencyofdatacollection. Also,anewscheduleforcoveragecountsisproposedtoplacegreateremphasisonNHS roadsand high-growthareasofthestate.Anew databasesystem isrecommendedtoeffectivelyaddressdatamanagementissues.Also,documentationoffieldoperationsandofficefactoring procedureswascarriedoutinthisstudy. With therecommendationsfrom thisstudy,INDOTintendstostreamlineitsoveralldatacollectionactivitiesandtoimprovetheaccuracy, adequacy,timeliness,anddeliveryofdatatotheend-users. 17. Keywords 18. DistributionStatement Trafficmonitoring,managementsystems,highwayperformance Norestrictions. Thisdocumentisavailabletothepublicthroughthe monitoringsystem,continuouscounts,coveragecounts,national National TechnicalInfonnation Service, Spnngfield,VA22161 highwaysystem,vehicleoccupancy,databasesystem,adjustment factors. 19. SecurityClassif.(ofthisreport) 20. SecurityClassif.(orthispage) 21.No.ofPages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 542 FormDOTF1700.7(8-69) IV EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) established a new emphasis in transportation system policy in the United States. This legislation mandated, among other requirements, the development and implementation of a Traffic Monitoring System for Highways (TMS) in each state. The Federal Register of December 1993 defines a TMS as a systematic process for the collection, analysis, summary and retention of roadway related person and vehicular data, including public transportation on public highways and streets. This study did not establish an entirely new TMS for the State of Indiana, but rather involved validation of existing procedures and resources, and recommendations for improving INDOT's current traffic monitoring program to a traffic monitoring system. Cost estimates have been provided for all recommendations that have been made. With the recommendations from this study, INDOT intends to streamline its overall data collection activities and to improve the accuracy, adequacy and timeliness of data collection, processing and analysis. The main references used in this study were the HPMS Field Manual, FHWA's Traffic Monitoring Guide, the AASHTO Guidelines for Traffic Data Programs, and Subpart H (Traffic Monitoring System for Highways) of the Federal Register dated 1 December 1993. Based on the components of a TMS required by ISTEA, the following areas were addressed: The Management Systems- Generally, the existing traffic monitoring system is adequate to meet the needs of most management systems. The only significant shortcoming that needs to be addressed is monitoring of vehicle classification at high-speed, low-speed, and congested sections. For this, the use of "non-intrusive" technologies such as video and radar, have been recommended in this report. The ISTEA requirement for the Management Systems was later scaled back by subsequent legislation, but INDOT, like most other states' DOTs, are continuing with the development and implementation of management systems to fulfill state needs. Continuous Counts (ATRs)- The best criterion for grouping ATR sites, and the number of additional ATRs required and their appropriate locations, for each count type, were determined: For traffic volumes, the existing INDOT grouping, which considers the area and functional classes ofthe ATRs, was chosen. The existing 92 traffic volume ATR sites were found to be adequate. The current seasonal factors used to annualize short-term volume data, derived using the existing INDOT group list, are therefore appropriate. A combination of regional and functional classes was found to address state-wide vehicle classification ATR data in the best manner. A large number of additional classification sites are needed. Upgrading of the existing volume-counting ATRs and speed monitoring sites to classification-monitoring capabilities before establishing completely new vehicle classification ATR sites is recommended. For truck weights, the criterion based only on functional classes was selected, and this calls for a small number of additional truck- weighing ATR sites to supplement the current number ofWIM stations . Coverage Counts- The number of short-term coverage counts for the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) and the County Flow Map (CFM) system, over a three-year cycle, were assessed for their adequacy. Also, the accuracy and adequacy of equipment used for this activity were evaluated. The existing volume and classification coverage activities cover all HPMS sample sections although a lack of resources sometimes limits the frequency at which data is collected. The HPMS truck weighing subprogram is currently in an experimental stage, and a life-cycle cost analysis framework has been devised for determining the optimum equipment use for this activity, in the event that weight data becomes a reporting requirement for HPMS. Based on revised frequencies for coverage (CFM) counts on roads on the National Highway System (NHS) as well as roads in high growth counties, a new schedule for coverage (CFM) counts has been proposed, and additional resources needed to implement the new schedule have been determined. Documentation of field operations relating to equipment accuracy and testing has been carried out in this study, and recommendations have also been made to improve certain aspects of these field operations. Vehicle Classification on Segments of the National Highway System (NHS)- Currently, INDOT has no specific program to monitor classification on segments on the NHS. Rather, use is made of other count programs (i.e., ATR and coverage counts) at sites that overlap with the NHS network. An evaluation of such monitoring activities on the NHS network revealed that classification on most NHS segments is carried out by at least one count program, albeit over a 5-year cycle. The current cycle duration for vehicle classification on NHS segments will be reduced to the required maximum of3 years after the recommendations for coverage count frequencies and upgrading of existing volume- counting ATRs, are implemented. The few NHS segments that could not be monitored even over the current five-year cycle have problems relating to traffic flow: The very fast nature of traffic at such segments precludes the performance of reliable classification or volume counts by the usual equipment used for such counts. Such segments should be monitored using improved sensor technologies or "non-intrusive" technology for a minimum duration and frequency required for classification activities on the NHS. Database System- The large volume of data that is expected to be generated after implementing the recommendations of this study means that an appropriate database system that would effectively address all stages of data management is needed. Current methods of managing data are inadequate and need to be upgraded with a database system. Additional hardware has been recommended to improve the existing network architecture, while new software systems for data management, i.e., TRADAS and GIS, have been suggested. Two additional staff are needed to manage these software systems. Appropriate storage media and data retention lengths for data from the various count programs have also been addressed. Office Factoring and Field Procedures- Current INDOT procedures for data summarization, reporting, and calculation of adjustment factors such as the Seasonal Adjustment Factor, the Growth Factor, and the Axle Correction Factor, have been studied and documented in this study. The existing procedures for field measurements and data
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