Operations
Use Cases

Use Case:

Monitor and Manage Known Events

From a large construction project to an impending hurricane, monitoring and managing a known event can save time, money and even lives.

The following use case demonstrates how agencies used probe data analytics and decision support tools to ensure safe, efficient movement of traffic and minimize disruption to travelers.

PennDOT: I-95 Sector A Reconstruction / Widening Project

What Happened

PennDOT is working on a $2B, long-term, multi-phase initiative to rebuild and improve Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, widening the I-95 mainline for approximately nine miles and reconstructing five major interchanges.

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (a bi-state MPO) has agreed to provide planning assistance to PennDOT during the project.

The Response

DVRPC used various tool from the Probe Data Analytics Suite to help understand how traffic conditions changed with the start of the construction and to, plan, justify, and refine strategies to mitigate congestion as each phase of the project progresses.

Congestion Scan

DVRPC usd Congestion Scan to evaluate the impact of construction early on (late 2012) vs 2013 and 2014, when multiple sections were underway. In this example, typical NB congestion increased more than 4 times during the AM/PM peak periods.
Congestion Scan was also used to evaluate and communicate the impact of incidents in work zone areas. In this example, queues extended for more than 15 miles due an accident involving a fatality.
These scans were used for discussion and evaluation purposes during regularly scheduled meetings of the I-95 Incident Management Task Force, coordinated by DVRPC.

Performance Charts

DVRPC also used Performance Charts to illustrate the significant increases in Travel Time and Planning Time, due to the construction project.

This information helped the local PennDOT District 6 make a case to the Central Office and FHWA of the need for major transit investments, justifying a $41M flex to the area transit agency (SEPTA) for purchase of bi-level rail cars for the parallel Trenton Rail Line.

The Benefits

Using Congestion Scan and Performance Charts, DVRPC and PennDOT were able to:

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