Evaluating Detours for a Major Construction Project in the Era of Real-Time Route Guidance

Research Team

Andrew Sullivan, MSCE, P.E., University of Alabama at Birmingham
Virginia Sisiopiku, Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham
Paul Gilliam, MSE, P.E., University of Alabama at Birmingham
MD Saiful A. Khan, MSCE, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Afrin Anni, MSCE, University of Alabama at Birmingham

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Findings & Recommendations

1. The study offers recommendations for conducting planning studies for large roadway projects.
2. The study found that factors such as transit usage assumptions, employer work policies, and roadway capacity assumptions can have significant impacts on model accuracy.
3. Motorists use a variety of sources for selecting detour routes based on real-time information.
4. An analysis of travel time and traffic counts revealed that detour patters vary over time as transportation system reaches equilibrium.
5. Motorists initially use the designated detour routes but then adjust them during the course the the construction period.