Advisory Committee Chair
Virginia P Sisiopiku
Advisory Committee Members
Robert W Peters
Wilbur Hitchcock
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2008
Degree Name by School
Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE) School of Engineering
Abstract
In recent years, higher-than-ever gas prices and soaring living expenses are driv-ing people back to city centers in search of reduced travel costs and greater proximity to services. This calls for an immediate need to revive downtown areas to make them attrac-tive and increase their efficiency at accommodating a variety of transportation modes, motorized and non-motorized. To help support this revival, researchers are conducting studies countrywide to understand the effects and relevance of conversion of one-way streets to two-way opera-tions. This paper reports the findings of a study that investigated the feasibility and poten-tial impacts of street conversion options on traffic operations in the downtown Birming-ham, Alabama, area. Of particular interest were issues related to conversion of grid sys-tems from one-way to two-way operations. First, an extensive review and synthesis of the technical literature were conducted to identify issues and challenges associated with implementation of street conversions, as well as to determine best practices. Then a traffic impact analysis was performed to as- ii sess the implications of two-way street conversion at and around the test sites. In doing so, computer simulation models to represent current and future operations were devel-oped by using SYNCHRO and CORSIM software packages. Detailed realistic two-way operations scenarios were developed by considering geometric and right-of-way restric-tions, the location of land uses that generate and/or attract vehicular and pedestrian traf-fic, connectivity with the street grid, and accessibility to nearby freeway facilities, as well as considering practical concerns. The simulation models were run for: • A baseline scenario (one-way operations using existing traffic volume, roadway geometry, and control) and • Alternative scenarios (two-way altered geometry, lane designation, control, etc). The evaluation was based on review and comparison of relevant Measures of Ef-fectiveness (MOEs) produced by the simulation models, including carrying capacity, tra-vel speed, vehicle and pedestrian delays, queues, environmental impacts, etc. This thesis summarizes the main findings and provides recommendations on the most promising de-sign and control configurations for implementation.
Recommended Citation
Chemmannur, Jugnu, "Conversion Of One-Way Street Pairs To Two-Way Operations In Downtown Birmingham" (2008). All ETDs from UAB. 3566.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/3566