A quick response personal computer (PC) tool has been developed for determining near optimal traffic diversion strategies around major roadway blockages. Known as TEMPO (Transportation Emergency Management of Post-Incident Operations), the tool utilizes heuristic approaches for estimating the origin-destination (O-D) of traffic on the closed links and re-assigning the estimated O-D matrix to the remainder of the network. This paper describes the calibration of this heuristic procedure against the results observed in the field. Fifteen incident scenarios in a highway network of the city of Richardson, Texas, are simulated by TEMPO. The diversion routes identified by TEMPO are compared with the routes identified by the city engineers as having been the main diversion routes. It is shown that in the majority of cases the TEMPO-generated diversion routes are not significantly different from the routes identified by the city as the main post-incident detours. (A)
Abstract