Outcome Assessment Using Connected Vehicle Data to Justify Signal Investments to Decision Makers

Abstract

Elected officials and decision makers are increasingly seeking outcome assessment of capital projects, such as corridor signal modernization and adaptive control projects. This paper describes the use of connected vehicle data to perform corridor travel time outcome assessment along five corridors in the greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. These corridors are comprised of a total of 2,184 signals and are considered five of the most critical corridors in this region, experiencing a high volume of traffic, with AADT greater than 30,000 vehicles. These corridors were evaluated for six weeks before and after the adaptive installation through the use of private-sector segment speed data. Medians and interquartile ranges of travel times were used to assess the impact on arterial progression. Various graphs, charts, and figures produced through web tools and traditional metrics provide a user-interactive component to the dashboards. In addition, user cost reductions and CO2 emission impacts were also determined. Four out of the five corridors had substantial reductions of arterial travel times that amounted to approximately $36.6 million in annualized user benefits.