Mid-America Transportation Center
Date of this Version
2013
Document Type
Article
Citation
Report # MATC-MU: 180 Final Report 25-1121-0003-180
Abstract
This project calibrated two software programs used for estimating the traffic impacts of work zones. The WZ Spreadsheet and VISSIM programs were recommended in a previous study by the authors. The two programs were calibrated using field data from two work zones in Missouri. Both work zones involved a single lane closure on a three-lane section of roadway. The I-44 work zone was a long-term work zone, while the I-70 work zone was temporary, lasting only a few hours. The capacity values required for calibration were nearly identical for the two programs: 1,575 veh/hr/ln for the WZ Spreadsheet and 1,514 veh/hr/ln for the VISSIM program. The VISSIM driving behavior parameters CC1, CC2, and SRF were also computed. The study found that a calibration based on delay or travel time exhibited better overall performance than a calibration based on queue length. In the future, additional case studies could be added to further calibrate the two models for different work zone lane configurations, such as a one-lane closure on a two-lane segment or a two-lane closure on a three-lane segment.
Comments
2012 Copyright of Mid-America Transportation Center