Engineering Commons^™

A Framework And Analytical Approach To Evaluate Alternative Vehicle Miles Traveled (Vmt) Fee Systems, Elizabeth V. Ebacher

Doctoral Dissertations

Since the fuel tax is a dwindling source of revenue, states need to find alternative funding sources. A vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee has received serious consideration from a number of states and the federal government. What is missing from the VMT fee consideration is a framework for developing VMT fee systems and an analytical approach with which to study how well a proposed system conforms to the policies promulgated in the framework. This research strives to fill that void. The framework developed presents five areas of importance in VMT fee systems: 1. Revenue sufficiency; 2. Revenue stability; 3. Environmental …

Vehicle Miles Traveled (Vmt) Fee Financing Alternatives: Lessons Learned And Future Opportunities, Ashley L. Costa

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) today are seeking financing alternatives so that transportation infrastructure investments can become less dependent on the amount of fuel U.S. drivers consume. Because the fuel tax is no longer viewed as a sustainable and stable option, other financing alternatives are being considered. One such alternative includes the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee. Examples of such VMT fee alternatives include: 1) collection using an onboard diagnostic system (OBD), 2) collection at the fuel pump using an OBD in conjunction with GPS technology, and 3) collection at a vehicle inspection station using the OBD.

This proposed research …

User Equilibrium In A Disrupted Network With Real-Time Information And Heterogeneous Risk Attitude, Ryan J. Pothering

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The traffic network is subject to random disruptions, such as incidents, bad weather, or other drivers’ random behavior. A traveler’s route choice behavior in such a network is thus affected by the probabilities of such disruptions, his/her attitude towards risk, and real-time information on revealed traffic conditions that could potentially reduce the level of uncertainty due to the disruptions. As the road network’s performance is de-termined collectively by all travelers’ choices, it is also affected by these factors. This thesis features the development of a multi-class user equilibrium model based on hetero-geneous risk attitude distributions and a user equilibrium model …

Spatial And Temporal Correlations Of Freeway Link Speeds: An Empirical Study, Piotr J. Rachtan

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Congestion on roadways and high level of uncertainty of traffic conditions are major considerations for trip planning. The purpose of this research is to investigate the characteristics and patterns of spatial and temporal correlations and also to detect other variables that affect correlation in a freeway setting. 5-minute speed aggregates from the Performance Measurement System (PeMS) database are obtained for two directions of an urban freeway – I-10 between Santa Monica and Los Angeles, California. Observations are for all non-holiday weekdays between January 1st and June 30th, 2010. Other variables include traffic flow, ramp locations, number of lanes and the …

Developing An Evaluation Approach To Assess Large Scale Its Infrastructure Improvements: I-91 Project, Melissa Paciulli

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) can include multiple technologies and applications combined to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the transportation system or network. These applications are deployed with the anticipation that the desired project goals and objectives established by multiple stakeholders will be achieved. Once a system is deployed, the project goals and objectives should be evaluated. The evaluation can provide both quantitative and qualitative feedback to assess the impacts associated with the investment in building, designing and implementing these systems.

This research includes a methodology to evaluate large scale ITS infrastructure projects using the Interstate 91 (I-91) ITS …