The development of a quick-response method to forecast traffic volumes at project sites located on the rural highway network is discussed. By using travel data from New York State's continuous count stations in rural locations and various state-, county-, and town-level demographic data, a set of elasticity-based models is derived. These models can forecast future year annual average daily traffic (AADT) as a function of base year AADT modified by various demographic factors. These models are estimated based on the type of service the roadway carries: interurban, urban to rural, and rural to rural. Nomographs and a user's manual that describes a simple seven-step process to use the model were developed and distributed to regional offices throughout New York State. (A)
Samenvatting