Volume 13, Number 1, 2004
Anyone who ever has driven to the Delaware beaches in July or August knows the meaning of "gridlock." Despite extensive improvements to the highway system, traffic continues to increase, causing misery for the thousands of tourists who trek to Delaware's southern points each summer weekend.
And, it's not just vacationers who experience the problem. In recent years, daily trips to work and school have become more time-consuming and frustrating for many of the state's commuters.
Now, however, a study being carried out at UD that uses satellite technology to monitor statewide traffic congestion promises not only to ease current conditions but also to contribute helpful information to planning and future development efforts.
Funded by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), the research is led by Ardeshir Faghri, professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Delaware Center for Transportation in the College of Engineering. The traffic-congestion project, which was initiated in 1997, covers all the major routes in the state on a county-by-county basis.
Researchers are collecting data on more than 25 roads, covering more than 1,300 miles, Faghri says. Those roadways include the heavily traveled Interstate 95, U.S. routes 13 and 113 and state routes 1 and 896.
"Credit for the idea goes to Ralph Reeb [director of planning] at DelDOT," Faghri says, adding that considerable research was carried out before the project formally began. The initial studies satisfactorily established that collecting data using a satellite-based Global Positioning System is faster, more reliable, more efficient, more accurate and less expensive than conventional manual methods, which covered only a fraction of the total mileage that can be covered with the new technology, Faghri says.
Using the Global Positioning System instrument, the data is automatically captured into a laptop computer while the route is traversed. Every major road in the study is divided into segments, and the data is collected separately for each segment. Data is collected on both sides of divided highways during peak hours to provide better insight into congestion on the roads.
"This enables a macroscopic, as well as a microscopic, analysis of the data," Faghri says of the detailed collection system.
Researchers collect data during the summer and again in the fall. The summer data clearly show the congestion in southern Delaware due to beach traffic, while the fall data reflect commuting patterns to and from work and school in the northern part of the state.
Faghri explains that this information collected in the field is converted to a format for incorporation into a Geographic Information System, which is software that can be used to create maps from various types of data.
"Parameters such as the mean peak travel time, mean peak travel speed and percentage time in delay, which are calculated from the raw data, can be graphically represented on a map of Delaware," he says. "The information is stored in the form of layers that can be overlaid upon one another for simplification of the analysis."
Every year, a number of graduate and undergraduate engineering students work with Faghri in data collection and analysis. Thus, he says, the project serves as an excellent learning experience, exposing the students to the latest traffic engineering technologies. The Delaware Center for Transportation also houses the software needed to convert the data captured by the global positioning instrument into a user-friendly format with minimal effort. The information depicted in the system can be obtained at the click of a button.
The transportation center provides DelDOT with the analyzed data and the conclusions drawn from it. "The results are helping DelDOT undertake measures to improve road conditions in the state and make the roads safer and more convenient for drivers," Faghri says.
The project exemplifies the primary goal of the center, he says, which is to serve as DelDOT's research and educational arm.
"To that end, we promote, organize, coordinate and support research, development and educational activities to address transportation needs throughout the state and the region," he says. "This monitoring project is a perfect example of how we can provide DelDOT with information that can be directly applied to the solution of a significant traffic problem."
The center also offers dozens of short courses and seminars, manages DelDOT's summer intern program and sponsors such special events as the Transportation Education and Research Forum, held on the UD campus. In addition, it provides technical assistance on topics ranging from pavement materials and pedestrian walkways to paratransit and toll revenues.
"Our goal is simple," Faghri says. "We want to be viewed as a valuable resource for transportation-related issues and challenges within the state, the mid-Atlantic region and beyond."
--Diane K. Kukich, AS '73, '84M