MoDOT uses simulators to improve local traffic flow

Sometimes it is hard to understand why traffic can come to a standstill. A number of factors can influence the flow of traffic such as peak traffic hours, roadwork and accidents. That is where traffic simulation and modeling can help. The Missouri Department of Transportation has found traffic simulation and modeling to be an important tool in highway traffic management at intersections and on particular roadways.
There are a number of different strategies that can be adapted to help traffic congestion and reduce delays, however it is not always a simple task to decide which strategy will be the most effective. A simulation of traffic allows MoDOT to visualize traffic before making the actual changes to an intersection or design of a roadway.
MoDOT used traffic modeling this summer to evaluate present traffic patterns on Missouri 47 in Troy and Warrenton, and Route 168 and the outer road systems in Hannibal. Simulation models can be performed in the office rather than in the field and are designed to reflect the behavior of traffic over a period of time and space to predict system performance. How does traffic modeling and simulation work? It is a computer program using mathematical models to conduct experiments with traffic events on a roadway or at an intersection over extended periods of time. A simulation model studies a real-world system, taking into consideration future increase in traffic volumes. The computer software will reflect the present systems performance with increased traffic flow or design changes, and will reflect if the present system is capable of handling traffic.
This information will allow MoDOT traffic specialists to recommend changes in signal timing, installation of signals, safety needs and future interchange improvements.
“Traffic models allow us to see if changes are needed or if changes we have proposed will actually work before they are applied on a roadway or at an intersection,” said MoDOT Traffic Studies Specialist Erin Jones.