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For vehicular congestion and delay, the use of a simulation models allows the collection of statistical information for each vehicle modeled. Information on total and stopped delay, number of stops, fuel used, vehicular emissions, and travel speeds are collected during the simulation. The ability to collect detailed statistical results allows analysis for an average vehicle, for a critical corridor, or for a system-wide roadway network. The simulation results for this analysis include average vehicle delay, average travel time for two main routes through the study area and fuel efficiency for the roadway network.
For design year (2026) No Build Alternative conditions, 11 signalized intersections are projected to operate at a failing level of service (LOS). The average delay at these intersections increases substantially from existing conditions with delays of up to 30 minutes at the most congested locations during the evening peak period. Large delays for the design year (2026) No Build Alternative traffic volumes indicate near-gridlock driving conditions for peak periods of the day. The No Build Alternative does not satisfy the project need of reducing vehicular congestion and delay.
In order to achieve acceptable LOS, improvements were made to intersections in the study area for all proposed build alternatives. As a result of these improvements, all intersections under each build alternative are projected to operate at LOS D or better in both morning and evening rush hour times (peak periods) for design year (2026) conditions. Traffic volumes would be lower, and therefore the levels of service should be better, for the remainder of the weekday as well as on weekends, thus reducing overall vehicular congestion and delay in the study area.
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