Abstract:

Despite decades of research, signalized intersections remain a major urban bottleneck and traffic signal timing in practice is suboptimal. Signal timing algorithms must address two challenges: performance under uncertainty in future demand and turning proportions, and real-time computation. One possible approach is max-pressure signal timing. By modeling the traffic network as a Markov decision process, max-pressure control is mathematically proven to maximize throughput under uncertainty using Lyapunov drift. Nevertheless, the control itself is easy to compute with the technical difficulty relegated to the mathematical analysis of throughput properties. Recent work on max-pressure signal timing has integrated some practicalities of traffic signal timing into the mathematical control and analyses, such as cyclical phase selection, pedestrian phases, signal coordination, transit signal priority, and limited deployment. Moreover, simulation results comparing max-pressure control against current signal timings in Hennepin County corridors suggest significant improvements from using max-pressure control. This seminar will introduce max-pressure control and then present recent work on bridging the mathematical theory with the practice of signal timing towards implementation on public roads.

Bio:

Michael W. Levin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He received a B.S. degree in Computer Science and a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin in 2013 and 2017, respectively. Dr. Levin is a member of the Network Modeling Committee (AEP40) of the Transportation Research Board and is on the editorial board of Transportation Research Part B: Methodological. His work has been published in top journals including Transportation Science, Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, and IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems and has received several awards, including the 2019 Ryuichi Kitamura Award and the 2016 Milton Pikarsky Award from the Council of University Transportation Centers. His research focuses on traffic flow and network modeling of connected autonomous vehicles and intelligent transportation systems.

Abstract and Bio TBD

Abstract:

In the US, transportation activities contributed to 29% of total carbon emissions and energy consumption in 2021, with freight transportation comprising 42% of that share (USEPA, 2023). Though significant measures to decarbonize passenger transportation are currently underway, the reduction of the freight transportation sector's climate footprint still poses major challenges. Most notably, the movement of heavy goods (at high speeds over long distances) is highly energy intensive and will require large investments in alternative onboard energy storage systems and refueling facilities to replace legacy fossil fuel propulsion systems.

Importantly, alternative fuel propulsion technology vehicles (e.g., battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles) will require the location of new refueling infrastructure as (a) alternative energy refueling facilities are not compatible with current fossil fuel dispensing stations and (b) variations in energy densities and powertrain efficiencies across fuel technologies means different fuel technology vehicles have different ranges. With this in mind, I will present joint work focusing on the development of network and facility optimization models to support the decarbonization of US freight transportation operations. More specifically, in this talk I will present (i) facility location models that optimize the deployment of refueling infrastructure on transportation networks over varying time horizons and (ii) the custom solution methods developed to optimally solve large problem instances.

Bio:

Adrian Hernandez is a current Ph.D. Candidate in Northwestern University’s Transportation Program in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. At Northwestern, he is advised by Prof. Pablo Durango-Cohen, and has been conducting research on network and facility optimization with applications focused on the decarbonization of freight transportation in the U.S. Adrian received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cornell University, where he researched algorithms for vehicle routing problems under Prof. Samitha Samaranayake and Dr. Juan Carlos Martinez Mori. Adrian has been the recipient of the LSAMP and GEM Fellowships and is a current Northwestern University Transportation Center Dissertation Year Fellow.

Abstract and Bio TBD

The aim of the ITEA Annual School is to provide young researchers with a high-quality introduction to academic research on transportation economics, including many recent advances in the field. The School’s program consists of a series of lectures and tutorials conducted by some of the most prominent researchers in transportation economics. In addition, the students are given the possibility to present their own work at the Conference.

Related Info

The aim of the ITEA Annual School is to provide young researchers with a high-quality introduction to academic research on transportation economics, including many recent advances in the field. The School’s program consists of a series of lectures and tutorials conducted by some of the most prominent researchers in transportation economics. In addition, the students are given the possibility to present their own work at the Conference.

Related Info

The aim of the ITEA Annual School is to provide young researchers with a high-quality introduction to academic research on transportation economics, including many recent advances in the field. The School’s program consists of a series of lectures and tutorials conducted by some of the most prominent researchers in transportation economics. In addition, the students are given the possibility to present their own work at the Conference.

Related Info

The aim of the ITEA Annual Conference is to promote scientific excellence in the field of transportation economics and to provide a forum for scientific exchange. Research presented at the conference covers both theory and empirical work, including all transport modes and a wide range of research methodologies.

Related Info

The aim of the ITEA Annual Conference is to promote scientific excellence in the field of transportation economics and to provide a forum for scientific exchange. Research presented at the conference covers both theory and empirical work, including all transport modes and a wide range of research methodologies.

Related Info

The aim of the ITEA Annual Conference is to promote scientific excellence in the field of transportation economics and to provide a forum for scientific exchange. Research presented at the conference covers both theory and empirical work, including all transport modes and a wide range of research methodologies.

Related Info