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Command, Control, and Interoperability Center for Advanced Data Analysis (CCICADA)

Supported Critical Infrastructure Sector: Transportation Systemss

During special events, transportation networks may become strained. Increased traffic volumes, queues on exit ramps and so forth represent challenges that need to be managed to prevent unnecessary subsequent incidents. Combine a special event with a work zone and the challenges are even greater. The New York State Fair is an example of this. During the 2007 and 2008 NY State Fairs, an unavoidable construction project reduced the capacity of Interstate 690, which brought traffic to and from the Fair. This construction added to existing congestion.

The New York State Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration sponsored a $200,000 project at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a partner institution of the CCICADA Center, focused improving traffic management for this yearly planned special event in Syracuse, New York.

The project represented an effort to improve traffic management for the New York State Fair in the present and the future by:

• Providing better information to travelers and system managers. This includes the deployment of six portable E-ZPass tag readers,
• Modeling the roadway network within the vicinity of the Fair using data collected during the 2007 Fair and TransModeler, a microscopic traffic simulator, and,
• Assessing the results of the traffic management strategies at the 2007 Fair and recommending improvements for the 2008 Fair and beyond.

Before its completion, this project has won the prestigious Project of the Year award from the Intelligent Transportation Society of New York in 2007.