Workforce Challenges in Implementing Transportation System Management and Operations within Caltrans

Status

Complete

Project Timeline

Principal Investigator

Project Team

Joe Butler

Areas of Expertise

Campus(es)

UC Berkeley

Project Summary

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has been an infrastructure-building agency since its inception, but the agency is now transitioning to managing transportation systems and building partnerships to improve transportation performance. This includes focusing on a system at the corridor level which requires improved state, regional, local, and interagency planning and support, as well as connecting and managing all modes of transport (e.g., freeway, arterials, transit, parking, bicycle/pedestrian networks, and traveler information). As part of the Connected Corridors I-210 Pilot in the San Gabriel Valley (northeast of Los Angeles), the Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology (PATH) program at UC Berkeley has been assisting with the institutional changes, including people and policies, needed to ensure that Caltrans has success with the transition. Key research questions that will be explored, include: How does Caltrans use existing and new staff to manage corridors? What new job titles and roles/responsibilities are needed? How can the changes being made in Caltrans District 7 translate to other Caltrans districts, and other agencies, that are planning corridor management projects? What are the benchmarks for success? How can corridor management integrate with Transportation System Management and Operations (TSM&O) principles, which include key activities in safety, performance, reliability, and environmental sustainability? What institutional changes need to be implemented so that the transportation assets are more integrated; the systems can be monitored in real time and even be proactive; and coordinated with planning, operations, and maintenance?

Employment Benefits from California Climate Investments and Co-investments

Status

Complete

Project Timeline

Principal Investigator

J.R. DeShazo

Areas of Expertise

Campus(es)

UCLA

Development of New Privacy-preserving Method for Traffic Data Collection and Analysis

Status

Complete

Project Timeline

August 1, 2021 - September 30, 2023

Principal Investigator

Areas of Expertise

Campus(es)

UC Irvine

Project Summary

Traditional methods for data collection, such as the National Household Travel Survey, focus on trips by a small sample of either travelers, locations, or times. With the prevalence of GPS devices and smartphones, big transportation data from more travelers and locations over longer timespans are more readily available and can substantially help to improve the management, planning, and design of transportation systems. However, travelers, private companies, and public agencies are reluctant to share such data due to privacy concerns. This project will develop a new privacy-preserving method for collecting and analyzing traffic data. This method is based on a new framework for transportation system analysis, in which a network is considered a single entity, and trips are tracked in a relative space with respect to the remaining distance to individual travelers’ destinations. Such data are sufficient for characterizing traffic dynamics but without revealing Personally Identifiable Location Information. This method works for either a city road network or freeway corridors, as well as for multimodal trips. The project will systematically calibrate and validate the new method and will discuss the policy implications for data collection and analysis for California’s traffic systems.

Our Experts

Jacqueline Huynh

Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UC Irvine

Contact

Recent Projects

SEE MORE

Research Team:

Jacqueline Huynh (lead)

UC Campus(es):

UC Irvine

Our Experts

Alexander Skabardonis

Professor In-Residence, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley

Recent Projects

SEE MORE

Research Team:

Alexander Skabardonis (lead), Nick Fournier

UC Campus(es):

UC Berkeley

Research Team:

Alexander Skabardonis (lead), Benjamin McKeever, Michael Mauch

UC Campus(es):

UC Berkeley

Our Experts

Jason Karpman

Project Director, UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, UCLA

Areas of Expertise

Recent Projects

SEE MORE

Research Team:

Megan Mullin (lead), Jason Karpman, Mara Burstein

UC Campus(es):

UCLA

Research Team:

Adam Millard-Ball (lead), Jason Karpman, Elena Hernandez, Melody Ng

UC Campus(es):

UCLA

Research Team:

J.R. DeShazo (lead), James Di Fillippo, Jason Karpman

UC Campus(es):

UCLA

Our Experts

Recent Projects

SEE MORE

Research Team:

Wenlong Jin (lead), Jooneui Hong

UC Campus(es):

UC Irvine

Our Experts

Susan Handy

Distinguished Professor, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, UC Davis

Recent Projects

SEE MORE

Research Team:

Adam Millard-Ball (lead), Jamey Volker, Elisa Barbour, Susan Handy

UC Campus(es):

UC Davis, UCLA

Research Team:

Adam Millard-Ball (lead), Susan Handy, Michael Rosen

UC Campus(es):

UC Davis, UCLA

Our Experts

Recent Projects

SEE MORE

Research Team:

Evelyn Blumenberg (lead), Sang-O Kim, Madeline Brozen

UC Campus(es):

UCLA

Research Team:

Madeline Brozen (lead), Sang-O Kim, Amy Lee

UC Campus(es):

UCLA

Research Team:

Madeline Brozen (lead), Evelyn Blumenberg, Brian Harold, Caroline Rodier, Sang-O Kim

UC Campus(es):

UCLA