There’s good reason why our Midwest firm is providing modeling services across the country. We’ve earned a reputation for our innovative approaches and industry-advancing tools. At BLA common sense meets cutting edge and that’s a reputation that travels far and fast. Services include:
- Statewide Travel Demand Modeling
- Metropolitan and Regional Travel Demand Modeling
- Analysis and Model Post Processing
- Toll and High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) Modeling
- Project-Specific Travel Demand Modeling
- Traffic Forecasting
- Origin-Destination Surveys – Video Traffic Surveys
- Traffic Simulations
- Mobile Emissions Air Quality
- AQ_Plus
- Traffic Management and Transportation Management Systems
- Traffic Operations
- Traffic Impact Studies and Driveway Permits
- Signal Warrant Studies, Traffic Signal System Design
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- Statewide Travel Demand Modeling
- Statewide Travel Demand Model Development & Updates, Indiana
Client: Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT)
 During the mid-1990s, BLA worked in tandem with another firm to develop the first Indiana Statewide Travel Demand Model (ISTDM) in TransCAD. Through three separate contracts, the team has continued to improve, update and expand the model, both geographically and in its level of sophistication and refinement. The ISTDM began as part of the Major Corridor Investment Benefit Analysis System to analyze several competing highway projects throughout the state. Consisting of 500 traffic analysis zones (TAZs) and the state highway system, the model was designed as an incremental forecasting tool that overlaid a base-year model derived primarily from origin-destination matrix estimation. Later, the ISTDM was expanded to include a rough zonal system and Interstate network in the four abutting states. At this juncture, the model contained about 900 TAZs. A third phase involved updating the base year to 2000 with the benefit of new census and other data; re-specifying the modeling of trips over 50 miles; changing assignment of trucks from a pre-load to TransCAD’s simultaneous multi-modal/multi-class assignment; and disaggregating the zonal system (more than 4,700 zones) and network (over 32,000 miles) to allow for the inclusion of collectors and some critical local roads throughout the state.
- Advanced Corridor Analyses, Michigan
Client: Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)
As part of the Borders & Corridors component of the MDOT Statewide Long Range Plan Update, BLA used the Michigan statewide travel demand model to develop several advanced corridor analyses and classification applications. The decision to conduct a corridor‐based analysis was grounded in the belief that specific corridors serve and support specific economic sectors. By improving specific corridors the people, businesses and industries dependent on these corridors will be strengthened as will ultimately Michigan’s economic competitiveness. The modeling analysis examined how to efficiently support the movement of people, goods, and services, seamlessly along geographic corridors on multiple modes between locations or activity centers both within and outside Michigan. Selection and agreement on the MDOT Corridors of Highest Significance involved a data rich, analytical process that included considerable review and discussion by MDOT leadership and important stakeholders.
Metropolitan & Regional Travel Demand Modeling- On-Call Travel Demand Modeling for Metropolitan Areas, Ohio
Client: Ohio Department of Transportation
When the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) wanted urban travel demand models developed throughout the state, BLA’s first task was to review their standard process. Following BLA’s review, several innovations were incorporated into ODOT’s new MPO modeling standard. BLA then developed new standard MPO-model coding and implemented it using Toledo as the test case. Another element of this contract involved analyzing all statewide household travel survey samples. Using the samples from nine MPOs, BLA conducted exhaustive analysis of variance and several other statistical tests. BLA then developed newly calibrated models using household and real-world survey data.
- Metro Travel Demand Model Updates, Knoxville, Tennessee
Client: Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (KRTPO)
 KRTPO retained BLA to develop a new TransCAD travel demand model and associated analytical tools for the Knoxville urban area based on the 2000 Knoxville Household Travel Survey. This modeling suite was specifically designed to meet the Knoxville region’s upcoming planning needs and to address contemporary transportation, land use, and air quality issues. The new model development activities included: converting the old MINUTP network to a new TransCAD network; making use of GIS-based data for geometrics and traffic operations; calibrating entirely new trip generation distribution, auto occupancy, and trip assignment model components.
Project-Specific Travel Demand Modeling- Phase I & II System Analysis Study of Routes 101, 156, & 152, and 25 San Benito & Santa Clara Counties, California
Client: California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
 Highways 101, 156, 152, and 25 provide vital economic access from the South San Francisco Bay area and Monterey Bay region to the central valley I-5 corridor and beyond. Each of the routes within the study area served as an important truck corridor for the region’s agricultural and technology-based industries. BLA served as part of the team responsible for examining traffic flow performance and future capacity needs based on a variety of corridor improvement alternatives. In Phase I, BLA assisted Caltrans with travel demand modeling, model refinement, model calibration, and reasonableness checking. In Phase II, BLA’s role was to build a network benefit cost analysis tool (NET_BC) that interfaced with Association of Monterrey Bay Area Government’s TransCAD travel demand model. NET_BC is a software package written in Visual Basic. Additional software was also developed by BLA to bridge between the model and NET_BC to pre-process the travel demand model outputs, build networks, and runs skims.
- I-69 Tier 2 Corridor Travel Demand Model, Evansville to Indianapolis, Indiana
Client: Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT)
 As part of the second phase of this 142-mile new corridor, BLA developed a highly disaggregated subarea model to serve as a basis for long-range traffic forecasts and to input to microsimulation models. This 180-mile subarea TransCAD model was fully integrated with Indiana Statewide Travel Demand Model to provide performance measures for alternative interchange access locations/designs, collector-distributors, etc. at various places along the planned corridor. This subarea model – which in turn is further disaggregated to a Paramics microsimulation platform – contains over 4,300 zones and virtually the entire roadway system near the corridor. The subarea model outputs highly accurate peak-hour loadings for autos, freight and non-freight trucks.
Traffic Forecasting- Indiana Statewide Open-Ended Traffic Forecasting
Client: Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT)
BLA was selected and subsequently re-selected four times to provide on-call traffic forecasting services to INDOT Roadway Management Division. Over the years, BLA has conducted approximately 50 sets of forecasts for INDOT projects of all sizes. The scope of work included the following activities:
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Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) for Years Requested |
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Design Hourly Volumes (DHV) Expressed as a Percentage of the AADT for the Future Year, with Morning & Evening DHV for Urban Areas |
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Commercial Vehicles Expressed as a Percentage of AADT & DHV for the Future Year |
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Directional Distribution of Traffic |
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Turning Movement Volumes for Intersections |
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Traffic Counts, Turning Movements, & Vehicle Classification Data Collection |
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Computer Modeling with TRANPLAN & MINUTP |
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Video Camera License Plate Matching Surveys for O-D Studies & Freeway Weaving Movement Studies |
- Coastal Water Project Regional Modeling, Monterey County, California
Client: RBF Associates
BLA has played a key role in several regional impacts modeling projects in California involving the development of a more detailed subarea model, model validation, updating the model forecast data to reflect surrounding development not considered in the regional land use forecasts, and alternatives analysis for both land use and network alternatives. In this case involving a new desalination plant and water pipeline near Monterey Bay, BLA used the AMBAG TransCAD model to determine regional impacts of construction traffic at various sites throughout the region.
Origin-Destination Surveys - Video Traffic Surveys- Video License Plate Survey, Lafayette, Louisiana
Client: Lafayette Metropolitan Transportation
The collection of origin and destination information for through-travel patterns has become increasingly difficult to accomplish through roadway side interviews in some states due to “right to travel” issues, congestion concerns, safety issues, and survey costs. The use of license plate matching software, in conjunction with video cameras to collect license plates, has proven to be a cost-effective option for this data collection puzzle. BLA conducted video license plate surveys to simultaneously record inbound and outbound license plates during the 12 hours of daylight at three external stations (I-10 east, I-10 west and I-49 north) on the study area boundary using conventional VHS video cameras. Twelve cameras (one for each lane) were used to record vehicles entering and exiting the study area. License plates for trucks and automobiles were extracted for time of day by external station and direction. These plate numbers were then processed using sophisticated computer-matching software to determine how many vehicles pass from one external station to another by auto versus truck for four time periods (morning peak, mid-day off peak, mid-day peak and evening peak). This matching data was then expanded to a 24-hour period using hourly traffic counts and external-external trip tables for all vehicles, autos, and trucks for six time periods were generated.
- Northwest Bridge Video Survey, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Client: Minnesota Department of Transportation
BLA conducted video camera license plate surveys of vehicles using several bridges crossing the Mississippi River. Using sophisticated computer-matching software, BLA processed the license plates in order to determine external origins and destinations as well as summarize complex weaving movements. The results were processed using sophisticated computer-matching software in order to determine how many vehicles pass two or more of the locations where the license plates were being observed. The software “reads” the video to determine the characters on the license plate and is “smart enough” to make probabilistic matches when one or more characters are unreadable. The final data was sent in ASCII format to the Minnesota Department of Motor Vehicles who then sent out follow-up travel surveys to the vehicle owners.
Traffic Simulations- I-69 Tier 2 Microsimulation, Evansville to Indianapolis, Indiana
Client: Indiana Department of Transportation
Microsimulation analysis is being carried out on the segments of I-69 that will serve heavily urbanized areas, specifically in Bloomington, Martinsville, and Indianapolis. In these three areas, questions concerning access, frontage roads, roadway and interchange design, and traffic operations are addressed. These “build” microsimulation models feature detailed network, 3D environment and terrain, vehicle-actuated signalized intersections, mix vehicle fleet composition, etc. All models are calibrated for the base year with extensive mainline counts and turning movement volumes. Video footage from main intersections is compared visually with the animations resulting from the simulation. Peak-period microsimulation is then used for the heavily developed portions of the corridor to assess the operational advantages and disadvantages of alternative concepts. Both freeway sections and major signalized intersections at the crossroads are simulated with animation. Performance measures include levels of service, average system speed, total vehicle-hours of delay, variability of delay, traffic flow density on mainlines and cross roads, queue lengths and associated delays, incremental delays, number of weaving movements related to each interchange design, etc.
- I-57/I-70 Improvement Project, Traffic Operations Analysis, Effingham, Illinois
Client: Illinois Department of Transportation, District 7
 The overall project was to provide Phase I & II engineering services to rehabilitate I-57/I-70. This approximately 6-mile section of freeway carries significant cross-country truck traffic and includes two major freeway system interchanges. The project will significantly reduce the traffic congestion due to high traffic volumes and improve safety.
An important aspect of the project involved intersection capacity and micro-simulation freeway weaving capacity analyses using a corridor Paramics model, which was built and calibrated by BLA. Because of the complexity of the freeway and interchange system in this area, dynamic modeling of the overall system was necessary. Paramics is a leading traffic microsimulation software comprised of a suite of microscopic traffic simulation tools being used in over 40 countries worldwide.
BLA also provided services for data collection; accident analysis; traffic management analysis, geometric studies; drainage studies; associated environmental technical report preparation; pavement design analysis; cost estimates; preparation of preliminary and final roadway construction plans; and cost estimates.
Air Quality Conformity Analysis- Metro Region Donut Area PM 2.5 & Ozone Conformity, Evansville, Indiana
Client: Indiana Department of Transportation
As part of the I-69 Tier 2 Studies, BLA conducted various air quality conformity and emissions analyses throughout the length of the corridor utilizing the tools developed for traffic and forecasting analysis and air quality conformity. BLA reviewed the air quality hot spot analysis completed by each of the six I-69 Section Consultants for adherence to NEPA guidelines within each Tier 2 Environmental Impact Statement. A spreadsheet tool was also developed to post-process model outputs using Mobile 6.2 for identification of emission rates in order to determine air quality conformity for PM 2.5 and ozone in several non-attainment counties and townships in the vicinity of the Evansville metropolitan area.
Using INDOT’s statewide travel demand model, BLA developed a spreadsheet tool to post-process travel model outputs, and used MOBILE 6.2 model for development of emission rates in order to determine air quality conformity for ozone in Greene County. BLA coordinated the interagency consultation and documentation for INDOT and conducted the modeling efforts.
- Transportation Improvement Program Conformity, Monterey, California
Client: Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments
This project used the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) TransCAD regional travel demand model to perform air quality conformity analysis for their 2004 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). AMBAG is the metropolitan planning organization for the Monterey Bay region, which covers the counties of Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey. To facilitate the analysis, BLA wrote a customized GISDK program to post-process model speed and VMT outputs, and then used the California EMFAC model to develop emission rates used to compute regional emissions for several forecast years.
- AQ_PLuS
 AQ_PLuS seamlessly combines travel demand models and MOBILE 6 in an automated process. It computes emissions on a link level: to eliminate statistical aggregation bias resulting from the non-linearity in speed-based emission rates; and to allow for the consideration of air quality impacts in project-level planning. The results of AQ_PLuS have been approved by the EPA and are used as the computational engine by BLA for conformity analysis in Knoxville, Tennessee; Lexington, Kentucky; and Evansville, Indiana.
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