HighLight Heading
March 2008
CTS Scholar receives federal research funding
Henry Liu
Assistant Professor Henry Liu of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Civil Engineering will receive $111,000 as part of a research project funded by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP).
The project—NCHRP Project 03-90, “Operation of Traffic Signal Systems in Oversaturated Conditions”—will be led by Douglas Gettman, Ph.D., of Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., the lead consultant on the proposal. Liu is a co-investigator along with Monty Abbas of Virginia Tech and Alex Skabardonis of the University of California, Berkeley.
Typical traffic control strategies do not work as efficiently as necessary under congested—or oversaturated—conditions. The majority of agencies operating and maintaining traffic signal systems are already stretched thin and are challenged to provide adequate service to drivers in their jurisdictions. Oversaturated conditions present an additional burden for practitioners who do not have adequate tools for addressing such situations.
This research will provide performance data and guidance on effective strategies for handling oversaturated conditions. “If this research helps agencies reduce citizen complaints regarding oversaturated conditions by at least 20 percent, the project would be a major success,” the researchers wrote in their proposal. Their work is scheduled for completion in 2010.
The project builds on research funded by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board and the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Institute at CTS, adds Linda Preisen, CTS research director. In that research, Liu and his students developed software and hardware to collect signal data and calculate real-time performance measures. The technology was installed on 11 signals in Edina and Bloomington, Minn., in a partnership with Hennepin County. The goal of the project, scheduled for completion early next year, is for the system to automatically adjust signal timing based on traffic conditions.