SMALL AREA TRAFFIC FORECASTING

In the transportation planning process, traffic forecasting plays a vital role in advance of geometric, capacity and pavement design and analyses. Most highway projects require twenty year traffic forecasts prior to and for use in feasibility studies, engineering designs and impact evaluations. Long range transportation planning requires estimates of the magnitude of travel demand which must be satisfied by the transportation network. This is done using statistical models based on disaggregate observations of travel behavior. This article explains the process the Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS) uses to develop traffic forecasts for small area transportation improvements in northeastern Illinois.