Developing Statewide Weekend Travel Demand Forecast and Mode Choice Models for New Jersey

Realizing the benefits of statewide travel demand models, more and more states have already been or are in the process of developing various statewide procedures, structures, or uniform models for travel demand forecast and mode choices. The core contents of these statewide models range from land use, intercity city travel, toll facility, to freight movements and more. However, a quick scan of the existing literature reveals that little attention or activity can be found in the area of developing statewide weekend travel demand forecast and mode choice models despite the widely recognized increasing travel on weekend. This manuscript intends to fill the gap by introducing an on-going effort undertaken by New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) to develop statewide weekend travel demand forecast and mode choice models in New Jersey. Applying a holistic approach that balances state of art research and practical modeling applications for multiple agencies, the research team has examined the unique characteristics of weekend travel, evaluated travel survey data, developed specifications for a statewide weekend travel demand forecast model that can be incorporated into the existing long range transportation planning (LRTP) process at both metropolitan and state levels.