This paper describes a partitioning algorithm for real-world transportation networks incorporating previously unaccounted parameters like signalized traffic intersection, road segment length, traffic density, number of lanes and inter-partition communication overhead due to the migration of vehicles from one partition to another. We also describe our hypothetical framework for distributed simulation of the partitioned road network on SUMO, where a master controller is currently under development using TraCI APIs and MPI library to coordinate the parallel simulation and synchronization between the sub-networks generated by our proposed algorithm.

Traffic shockwaves are a regularly occurring phe-nomenon in traffic that are a source of irritation and delaysfor the road users. One type of shockwave is the stop-and-gowave which forces entering drivers to stop and advance slowlyuntil the wave is passed. This project aims to design a controlalgorithm through the use of models and simulations to increasethe rate at which a stop-and-go wave dissipates. To design themodel and algorithm the Simulation of Urban MObility (SUMO)simulator and the Traffic Control Interface (TraCI) were usedin conjunction with Python. The setup used for simulation wasthat of a one way, two lane highway with an artificially inducedstop-and-go wave.The designed algorithm manages to dissipate a stop-and-go wavecompletely without introducing new ones. / Trafikvågorär ett vanligt förekommandefenomen i trafiken vilketär en orsak till frustration ochförseningar. En typ av vågär startochstop vågen som tvingarförare att stanna och långsamt fortsätta genom vågen tills denpasserat. Målet med detta projektär att utveckla en kontrol-lalgoritm med hjälp av modeller och simuleringar för attökaavtagandet av en sådan våg. För att utveckla modellen ochalgoritmen används simulatorn Simulation of Urban MObility(SUMO) och Traffic Control Interface (TraCI) i kombinationmed programmeringsspråket Python. Simulering gjordes på ettnätverk bestående av en enkelriktad, tvåfilig motorväg med enkonstgjord startochstop våg.En algoritm utvecklades som kan skingra en startochstop vågutan att skapa nya. / Kandidatexjobb i elektroteknik 2020, KTH, Stockholm

The aim of this master's thesis is to develop a simulation system using the Siemens sX traffic controllers configurations. The system is composed of two separate applications. The first one uses the existing platform SUMO as a source of simulation data and is also used as a server. The second is a web-based application for creating and editing simulation situations and also for visualisation of simulation data from the server. The introduction to the topic of traffic engineering and the dynamic traffic control is discussed first. The description of the design and implementation of the simulation application directly follows. In the next part the design and implementation of the web-based application  is discussed. The last part of the thesis describes the testing of the whole system.

In-service pavements require maintenance and rehabilitation (MandR) interventions to keep them in compliance with structural and functional standards. With the increased focus on the sustainability of our roadway systems, it has become important to document the cost and environmental impacts of different MandR strategies over the life cycle of the pavement to facilitate project selection decisions in the future. Asphalt pavement recycling, while cost-effective and environmentally friendly compared to other traditional MandR treatments, still faces some widespread implementation push-back, leading to policy enactments by the FHWA aimed at encouraging the use of recycling in road projects. Many agencies and contractors have cited the lack of project selection criteria, and uncertainty about long-term performance of these recycling alternatives as reasons impeding rapid implementation of these treatments in road projects. One of the gray areas of the FHWA's 2015 Recycled Material Policy in project selection was, until recently, the lack of guidelines or tools for the assessment of the environmental suitability of candidate MandR treatments. Today, it is almost impossible to evaluate the environmental suitability of various recycling-based end-of-service-life treatments because available databases do not have relevant information on the details of unit processes, construction equipment and activities, and use-stage roughness data. Development of future MandR plans throughout the service life of pavements rehabilitated with recycling-based treatments is somewhat limited as deterioration is not fully understood. Also, available modeling tools no not address all LCA phases, or in cases where they do, key life cycle phases including the MandR, and use phases are not well covered due to the lack of quantification highlighted earlier. To address the highlighted concerns, this dissertation developed a user-friendly comprehensive LCA tool that was further validated with a case study to quantify the service life (when the pavement has reached a critical threshold performance value) and potential environmental benefits of pavement recycling projects executed by the Virginia Department of Transportation over the past decade. The tool, pySuPave, includes an excel spreadsheet user-inputs interface, and database of economic flows for unit processes used in the production of pavement materials and subsequent construction of the pavement system, considering transportation of materials and construction machinery to plants and construction site. A python-based program was used to perform matrix-based computations to generate the environmental burdens from the available public LCA Ecoinvent database. A substantive part of the dissertation was dedicated to evaluating the performance of in-service pavements rehabilitated with cold recycling and full-depth reclamation treatments, focusing on developing pavement performance prediction models (PPPM) that goes on to improve modelling of the MandR and use stages in the pavement LCA and ultimately bridges the knowledge gap on how these treatments perform in the long term. This part of the dissertation was presented in two chapters; trends in pavement recycling and performance data collection, and development of PPPMs for recycled asphalt pavements. The first provides an update and examines the current state of pavement recycling techniques, highlighting trends in the various recycling methods, examining what is and is not working from the agency perspective, and assessing the progress made in the last decade through a web-based survey. The survey results did not indicate significant changes in the adoption of the asphalt pavement recycling concept in the last decade. However, recycling techniques, such as hot in-place recycling, are being used less and more agencies seem to be adopting lower temperature techniques such as cold in-place recycling, cold central plant recycling and full depth reclamation. Improvements in mix design methods were noticeable, as more agencies have adopted contemporary methods, such as the Superpave design. Among states, very few agencies collected performance data for completed asphalt pavement recycling projects. The second chapter on performance focused on developing individual and family-type PPPMs from the data collected from the states of Virginia and Colorado, respectively. While regression modeling forms the backbone of the approach used, the chapter also presents an approach to developing family-type models using functional data analysis to find groups of projects with similar deterioration trends. In the case of Colorado, cold in-place recycling (CIR) projects completed with an initial IRI between 71 and 91 in/mi are most likely to deteriorate at an average group rate of 1.37 in/mi/year. Similarly, full depth reclamation (FDR) projects will most likely deteriorate following an average group rate of 1.40 in/mi/yr, with an initial IRI between 52 and 70 in/mi. These projects will stay in service well over 30 years if a threshold IRI of 140 in/mi were used a failure criterion. For the individual roughness models developed for VDOT, the initial IRI values and the rate of change for the treatments analyzed were found to range between 48 and 85 in/mi and between 0.70 and 5.20 in/mi/year, respectively, depending on the recycling method and type of stabilization treatment. Finally, a context-based life cycle assessment case study was conducted to benchmark and compare the environmental impacts associated with rehabilitating a low-volume road with various recycled-based and equivalent conventional methods. Several impact indicators were assessed but only the global warming (GW) score and the single score index that combines all the environmental impact indicators into a single number using normalization and weighting factors were reported in this study for the sake of brevity. Four restorative maintenance projects including two CIR (4-in. HMA over a 5-in. CIR with foamed asphalt and emulsion stabilization), one cold central plant recycling (CCPR): 4-in. HMA over a 5-in. foamed asphalt CCPR (CCPR FA), and one non-recycling structural overlay (8-in. HMA over an existing pavement) were evaluated. In addition, the following reconstruction projects were assessed; two FDR (4-in. HMA over a 12-in. FDR with foamed asphalt with 1% cement additive, and a 4-in. HMA over 10.5-in. cement stabilized FDR), and a non-recycling reconstruction project (a new reconstruction project with 8-in. HMA over a 16-in. aggregate base and subbase). The functional unit was a two lane-mile length, 12 feet wide project with a traffic volume of 1000 vehicles (3% trucks) and the analysis was conducted for 50 years. The GW score and a few other impact indicators showed an increase in the observed results where cement is used as a main stabilizer or as an additive. Between the asphalt stabilized projects, the difference in impact scores is only seen when cement is used as an additive as highlighted in the case of foamed asphalt applications. Even for the low-volume road under study, the use stage contributes the largest share to global warming and is—among several factors—attributed to the initial surface roughness of completed projects. Thus, for state DOTs looking to reduce the environmental footprints for road infrastructure projects and achieve federal legislative goals, building smoother roads and taking steps to keep the annual deterioration rate low would be an important measure, in addition to pavement recycling. Comparing the projects based on the overall single score derived from weighting factors from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) ranks the projects as follows (listed in order decreasing impacts per rehabilitation category); restorative maintenance projects: T. OVERLAY (non-recycling structural overlay—8 in. HMA over an existing pavement) - 1.06 pts, CCPR FA (4 in. HMA over a 5 in. cold central plant recycling with foamed asphalt) - 1.02 pts, CIR FA (4 in. HMA over a 5 in. cold in-place recycling with foamed asphalt) - 1.00 pts, CIR AE (4 in. HMA over a 5 in. cold in-place recycling with emulsion)- 0.86 pts; reconstruction projects: RECONS (a new reconstruction project—8 in. HMA over a 16 in. aggregate base and subbase) -1.42 pts, FDR FA+C (4 in. HMA over a 12 in. FDR with foamed asphalt with 1% cement additive) - 1.15 pts, FDR C (4 in. HMA over 10.5 in. cement stabilized FDR) - 1.02 pts. / Doctor of Philosophy / Due to harsh environmental conditions and continual damage from moving traffic, highway pavements or roadways deteriorate and grow weak over time. Throughout their life in service, different maintenance and rehabilitation (MandR) activities are performed with the intention of slowing down the deterioration to always keep the highway at a certain level of service to road users. For a long time, these MandR activities have included the use of virgin materials in techniques ranging from minor treatment applications such as fog seals, chip seals, thin overlays through more heavy treatments such as mill and fills, thicker overlays all the way to total reconstruction. Other MandR alternatives include pavement recycling which reuses materials from the existing distressed roadways either in-place or at a nearby mobile plant have gained popularity among several state highway agencies over the last decade. The advantages of using the recycling alternatives compared to non-recycling options are many and have been known to include cost savings, less construction time, and low environmental footprint. Many highway agencies, however, have expressed the lack of information on project selection criteria and the uncertainty about long-term performance of these recycling alternatives as reasons impeding rapid and widespread implementation in road projects. Agencies need selection criteria to help them identify the right treatments to apply to the right road at the right time. In a bid to encourage the use of pavement recycling treatments, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) enacted the Recycled Materials Policy in 2006 (revised 2015) but the policy did not fully address certain aspects of project selection. Directives on assessing the environmental suitability of recycling projects, for instance, was not given. There are no tools with modern databases incorporating the various unit processes for pavement recycling to aid agencies carry out this environmental assessment. To address the highlighted concerns, we developed a user-friendly comprehensive environmental assessment tool called pySuPave as part of this dissertation. We later validated the tool with a case study to quantify the potential environmental benefits of pavement recycling projects executed by the Virginia Department of Transportation over the past decade. Next, we conducted a survey of the departments of transportation (DOT) around the United States and Canada to collect performance data from agencies with active in-place recycling programs. Approximately 18% of the DOTs surveyed were able to provide performance data. Data received from Colorado and Virginia were subsequently used to developed models to predict deterioration in recycled pavements. In the case of Colorado, CIR projects completed with an initial roughness (IRI) between 71 and 91 in/mi are most likely to deteriorate at a rate of 1.37 in/mi/year. Similarly, FDR projects will most likely deteriorate following an average group rate of 1.40 in/mi/yr, with an initial IRI between 52 and 70 in/mi. These projects will stay in service well over 30 years if a threshold IRI of 140 in/mi were used a failure criterion. For the individual roughness models developed for VDOT, the initial IRI values and the rate of change for the treatments analyzed were found to range between 48 and 85 in/mi and between 0.70 and 5.20 in/mi/year, respectively, depending on the recycling method and type of stabilization treatment Finally, we conducted an environmental assessment case study to benchmark and compare the environmental burdens i.e., global warming (GW) and other impacts associated with rehabilitating a low-volume road with various recycled-based and equivalent non-recycling methods. Four restorative maintenance projects including two CIR (4-in. HMA over a 5-in. CIR with foamed asphalt and emulsion stabilization), one CCPR (4-in. HMA over a 5-in. foamed asphalt CCPR [CCPR FA]), and one non-recycling structural overlay (8-in. HMA over an existing pavement) were evaluate. In addition, the following reconstruction projects were assessed; two FDR (4-in. HMA over a 12-in. FDR with foamed asphalt with 1% cement additive, and a 4-in. HMA over 10.5-in. cement stabilized FDR), and a non-recycling reconstruction project (a new reconstruction project with 8-in. HMA over a 16-in. aggregate base and subbase). The functional unit was a two lane-mile length, 12 feet wide project with a traffic volume of 1000 vehicles (3% trucks) and the analysis was conducted for 50 years. The study results showed that the recycling-based projects had lower overall environmental burdens compared to their equivalent non-recycling alternatives. The GW score and a few other environmental impact indicators were higher when cement is used as a main stabilizer or as an additive in the recycling projects. Between the asphalt stabilized recycling projects, the difference in impact scores is only seen when cement is used as an additive as emphasized in the case of foamed asphalt applications. Even for the low-volume roads under study, the use stage (when the project is open to road-users) in the pavement life cycle contributes the largest share to global warming and is—among several factors—attributed to the initial surface roughness of completed projects. Thus, for state DOTs looking to reduce the environmental footprints for road infrastructure projects and achieve federal legislative goals, building smoother roads and taking steps to keep the annual deterioration rate low would be an important measure, in addition to pavement recycling. The results from this research support the hypothesis that pavement recycling can reduce global warming and other environmental burdens compared to non-recycling methods. Therefore, agencies should encourage more pavement recycling programs.

[ES] En la actualidad, uno de los principales desafíos a los que se enfrentan las grandes áreas metropolitanas es la congestión provocada por el tráfico, la cual se ha convertido en un problema importante al que se enfrentan las autoridades de cada ciudad. Para abordar este problema es necesario implementar una solución eficiente para controlar el tráfico que genere beneficios para los ciudadanos, como reducir los tiempos de viaje de los vehículos y, en consecuencia, el consumo de combustible, el ruido, y la contaminación ambiental. De hecho, al analizar adecuadamente la demanda de tráfico, es posible predecir las condiciones futuras del tráfico, y utilizar esa información para la optimización de las rutas tomadas por los vehículos. Este enfoque puede ser especialmente efectivo si se aplica en el contexto de los vehículos autónomos, que tienen un comportamiento más predecible, lo cual permite a los administradores de la ciudad mitigar los efectos de la congestión, como es la contaminación, al mejorar el flujo de tráfico de manera totalmente centralizada. La validación de este enfoque generalmente requiere el uso de simulaciones que deberían ser lo más realistas posible. Sin embargo, lograr altos grados de realismo puede ser complejo cuando los patrones de tráfico reales, definidos a través de una matriz de Origen/Destino (O-D) para los vehículos en una ciudad, son desconocidos, como ocurre la mayoría de las veces. Por lo tanto, la primera contribución de esta tesis es desarrollar una heurística iterativa para mejorar el modelado de la congestión de tráfico; a partir de las mediciones de bucle de inducción reales hechas por el Ayuntamiento de Valencia (España), pudimos generar una matriz O-D para la simulación de tráfico que se asemeja a la distribución de tráfico real. Si fuera posible caracterizar el estado del tráfico prediciendo las condiciones futuras del tráfico para optimizar la ruta de los vehículos automatizados, y si se pudieran tomar estas medidas para mitigar de manera preventiva los efectos de la congestión con sus problemas relacionados, se podría mejorar el flujo de tráfico en general. Por lo tanto, la segunda contribución de esta tesis es desarrollar una Ecuación de Predicción de Tráfico para caracterizar el comportamiento en las diferentes calles de la ciudad en términos de tiempo de viaje con respecto al volumen de tráfico, y aplicar una regresión logística a esos datos para predecir las condiciones futuras del tráfico. La tercera y última contribución de esta tesis apunta directamente al nuevo paradigma de gestión de tráfico previsto, tratándose de un servidor de rutas capaz de manejar todo el tráfico en una ciudad, y equilibrar los flujos de tráfico teniendo en cuenta las condiciones de congestión del tráfico presentes y futuras. Por lo tanto, realizamos un estudio de simulación con datos reales de congestión de tráfico en la ciudad de Valencia (España), para demostrar cómo se puede mejorar el flujo de tráfico en un día típico mediante la solución propuesta. Los resultados experimentales muestran que nuestra solución, combinada con una actualización frecuente de las condiciones del tráfico en el servidor de rutas, es capaz de lograr mejoras sustanciales en términos de velocidad promedio y tiempo de trayecto, ambos indicadores de un menor grado de congestión y de una mejor fluidez del tráfico. / [CA] En l'actualitat, un dels principals desafiaments als quals s'enfronten les grans àrees metropolitanes és la congestió provocada pel trànsit, que s'ha convertit en un problema important al qual s'enfronten les autoritats de cada ciutat. Per a abordar aquest problema és necessari implementar una solució eficient per a controlar el trànsit que genere beneficis per als ciutadans, com reduir els temps de viatge dels vehicles i, en conseqüència, el consum de combustible, el soroll, i la contaminació ambiental. De fet, en analitzar adequadament la demanda de trànsit, és possible predir les condicions futures del trànsit, i utilitzar aqueixa informació per a l'optimització de les rutes preses pels vehicles. Aquest enfocament pot ser especialment efectiu si s'aplica en el context dels vehicles autònoms, que tenen un comportament més predictible, i això permet als administradors de la ciutat mitigar els efectes de la congestió, com és la contaminació, en millorar el flux de trànsit de manera totalment centralitzada. La validació d'aquest enfocament generalment requereix l'ús de simulacions que haurien de ser el més realistes possible. No obstant això, aconseguir alts graus de realisme pot ser complex quan els patrons de trànsit reals, definits a través d'una matriu d'Origen/Destinació (O-D) per als vehicles en una ciutat, són desconeguts, com ocorre la majoria de les vegades. Per tant, la primera contribució d'aquesta tesi és desenvolupar una heurística iterativa per a millorar el modelatge de la congestió de trànsit; a partir dels mesuraments de bucle d'inducció reals fetes per l'Ajuntament de València (Espanya), vam poder generar una matriu O-D per a la simulació de trànsit que s'assembla a la distribució de trànsit real. Si fóra possible caracteritzar l'estat del trànsit predient les condicions futures del trànsit per a optimitzar la ruta dels vehicles automatitzats, i si es pogueren prendre aquestes mesures per a mitigar de manera preventiva els efectes de la congestió amb els seus problemes relacionats, es podria millorar el flux de trànsit en general. Per tant, la segona contribució d'aquesta tesi és desenvolupar una Equació de Predicció de Trànsit per a caracteritzar el comportament en els diferents carrers de la ciutat en termes de temps de viatge respecte al volum de trànsit, i aplicar una regressió logística a aqueixes dades per a predir les condicions futures del trànsit. La tercera i última contribució d'aquesta tesi apunta directament al nou paradigma de gestió de trànsit previst. Es tracta d'un servidor de rutes capaç de manejar tot el trànsit en una ciutat, i equilibrar els fluxos de trànsit tenint en compte les condicions de congestió del trànsit presents i futures. Per tant, realitzem un estudi de simulació amb dades reals de congestió de trànsit a la ciutat de València (Espanya), per a demostrar com es pot millorar el flux de trànsit en un dia típic mitjançant la solució proposada. Els resultats experimentals mostren que la nostra solució, combinada amb una actualització freqüent de les condicions del trànsit en el servidor de rutes, és capaç d'aconseguir millores substancials en termes de velocitat faig una mitjana i de temps de trajecte, tots dos indicadors d'un grau menor de congestió i d'una fluïdesa millor del trànsit. / [EN] Currently, one of the main challenges that large metropolitan areas have to face is traffic congestion, which has become an important problem faced by city authorities. To address this problem, it becomes necessary to implement an efficient solution to control traffic that generates benefits for citizens, such as reducing vehicle journey times and, consequently, use of fuel, noise and environmental pollution. In fact, by properly analyzing traffic demand, it becomes possible to predict future traffic conditions, and to use that information for the optimization of the routes taken by vehicles. Such an approach becomes especially effective if applied in the context of autonomous vehicles, which have a more predictable behavior, thus enabling city management entities to mitigate the effects of traffic congestion and pollution by improving the traffic flow in a city in a fully centralized manner. Validating this approach typically requires the use of simulations, which should be as realistic as possible. However, achieving high degrees of realism can be complex when the actual traffic patterns, defined through an Origin/Destination (O-D) matrix for the vehicles in a city, are unknown, as occurs most of the times. Thus, the first contribution of this thesis is to develop an iterative heuristic for improving traffic congestion modeling; starting from real induction loop measurements made available by the City Hall of Valencia, Spain, we were able to generate an O-D matrix for traffic simulation that resembles the real traffic distribution. If it were possible to characterize the state of traffic by predicting future traffic conditions for optimizing the route of automated vehicles, and if these measures could be taken to preventively mitigate the effects of congestion with its related problems, the overall traffic flow could be improved. Thereby, the second contribution of this thesis was to develop a Traffic Prediction Equation to characterize the different streets of a city in terms of travel time with respect to the vehicle load, and applying logistic regression to those data to predict future traffic conditions. The third and last contribution of this thesis towards our envisioned traffic management paradigm was a route server capable of handling all the traffic in a city, and balancing traffic flows by accounting for present and future traffic congestion conditions. Thus, we perform a simulation study using real data of traffic congestion in the city of Valencia, Spain, to demonstrate how the traffic flow in a typical day can be improved using our proposed solution. Experimental results show that our proposed solution, combined with frequent updating of traffic conditions on the route server, is able to achieve substantial improvements in terms of average travel speeds and travel times, both indicators of lower degrees of congestion and improved traffic fluidity. / Finally, I want to thank the Ecuatorian Republic through the "Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación" (SENESCYT), for granting me the scholarship to finance my studies. / Zambrano Martínez, JL. (2019). Efficient Traffic Management in Urban Environments [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/129865