Funding – Transportation Optimization

Agency: National Center for Intermodal Transportation and Economic Competitiveness (funded by US Department of Transportation)Researchers: Medal, H.R. (PI) and Li, X.
Amount: $99,954 ($55,036 Medal share) with $102,988 cost share from Mississippi State University
Abstract:

In the project, we investigate the effect of traffic calming measures, such as crosswalks and sidewalks on the overall cost and safety of a multimodal transportation network system design. Our design problem includes auto, transit, and walking as modes of transportation. We propose a new method for multimodal user equilibrium (UE) traffic assignment with network reconstruction, which allows for mode switching. We propose a bi- level mathematical programming model that integrates multimodal user equilibrium traffic assignment in the lower level and the network design in the upper level. The model tries to optimally implement and locate sidewalks and crosswalks considering limited financial resources to provide city planners with a comprehensive tool for planning. Due to the complexity of the problem, it requires a large amount of computational resources and therefore cannot be solved efficiently for large scale problems using state of the art solvers; hence we develop a greedy heuristic and a simulated annealing algorithm to solve large problems. The algorithms use a nonlinear complimentary algorithm to solve the UE traffic assignment. The computational results show that implementing sidewalks and crosswalks both reduces the overall transportation cost and improves pedestrians’ safety.

From the Hearin Foundation (through the Mississippi Economic Council)

Researchers: Li, X., Breen, D., French, E., Medal, H.R. (Co-PI)

Amount: $225,000 ($57,500 Medal share)

Abstract: This project aims to identify strategies and policies that will ensure that an adequate level of resources will be available to address the transportation infrastructure funding gap that undermines economic development and job creation in the state of Mississippi. Research activities conducted with funding for this project include:

Assessment of the current transportation infrastructure performance in the state of Mississippi
Identification of opportunities to improve the current transportation infrastructure
Study and development of new funding mechanisms, to include potential public-private ventures
Synergy between activities funded under this project and ongoing work of Mississippi State University’s National Center for Intermodal Transportation for Economic Competitiveness
Comparison and evaluation of alternative state policies for reducing transportation funding gaps and identification of alternative realistic strategies, policies, and funding mechanisms that are required to meet the future revenue demands to fund transportation infrastructure in the state of Mississippi
Identification of projects that represent opportunities for improvement to the current infrastructure
Examination and prioritization of projects, innovative strategies, policies, and funding mechanisms linked to cluster-related multimodal investments that focus on the targeted industries identified in Blueprint Mississippi and Mississippi employment centers

Optimizing the mobility and safety of walk-and-ride systems

Mississippi transportation infrastructure improvement opportunities