Travel Reliability Inventory for Chicago

The overarching goal of this research project is to enable state DOTs to document and monitor the reliability performance of their highway networks. To this end, a computer tool, TRIC, was developed to produce travel reliability inventories from various traffic data sources. In due course, travel reliability inventories will provide necessary inputs to next-generation transportation decision-making tools that are sensitive to travel reliability. TRIC incorporates reliable routing algorithms to construct and rank travel reliability indexes on routes between any given origin-destination pair in the network. It also implements a basic graphical user interface for creating and visualizing travel reliability indexes and archiving them in ESRI shape format, which can be read by most GIS (geographic information system) software. Case studies using data from the Chicago area were conducted demonstration purposes. The contents of this report reflect the view of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Illinois Center for Transportation, the Illinois Department of Transportation, or the Federal Highway Administration. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. Trademark or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the object of this document and do not constitute an endorsement of product by the Federal Highway Administration, the Illinois Department of Transportation, or the Illinois Center for Transportation. Trademark or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the object of this document and do not constitute an endorsement of product by the Federal Highway Administration, the Illinois Department of Transportation, or the Illinois Center for Transportation. ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Travel reliability is a critical performance dimension of transportation systems and services. It enables people and firms to make better use of available resources, including time, through effective scheduling of personal and business activities. Shippers and freight carriers need predictable travel times to fulfill on-time deliveries and other commitments to remain competitive. The ability to arrive on time, with high reliability, is imperative to emergency responders. However, urban transportation systems are affected by uncertainties of various sorts, which can be broadly classified as those affecting the supply of transportation (e.g., weather, accidents, natural and manmade disasters) and those associated with the demand for transportation (e.g., travel and activity behavior, special events). Taken individually or in combination, these …