Facilitating Special Event Congestion Management in Small Communities - UTC

The overall objective of this project is to develop and field test strategies and models that small urban and rural communities can use to reduce traffic congestion during special events.

Traffic congestion challenges are not limited to large urban or metropolitan areas; in fact, due to the absence of alternate routes, congestion in rural and small urban areas can be severe. One source of non-recurring congestion in rural areas occurs during special events (festivals, sporting events, etc.) when a large number of motorists attempt to arrive or depart simultaneously and overload roadways with limited capacity. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has published a user guide for managing special event traffic to facilitate effective event planning and operations. In addition, the FHWA has implemented a number of strategies aimed at reducing highway and special event congestion; these strategies focus on expanding traveler information and improving coordination. This project will apply relevant strategies and guidelines in a small urban application, as a case study. The specific case study that will be conducted in the proposed project is managing the traffic congestion associated with a sporting event in a small town, namely Montana State University football games in Bozeman, Montana. The project will consist of several components, including the development of a coordinated, multi-agency approach to traffic management; and the deployment of advanced technologies to enhance traffic signal timing and expand access to real-time traveler information.