Analysis of Capacity and Traffic Operations Impacts of the World Trade Bridge in Laredo.

摘要

Project 0-1800 pioneered the use of modern micro-simulation software to analyze the complex procedures involved in international border crossings. The animated models simulate the entire southbound commercial traffic flow, starting with U.S. Customs export inspections on the U.S. side, all the way to the Mexican exit gates. The results were impressive, including identification of bottlenecks, test of possible solutions, and estimate of future impacts of traffic on crossing times and on adjacent roadways. This report presents the analysis of the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, TX, which was under construction while the model was being developed. The model indicates that the World Trade Bridge will work under capacity and with few or no queues for the first five years. After that, congestion builds up, and in 2010 the facility will no longer support its average daily traffic. The model indicates that, in addition to expanding infrastructure, the solution for future congestion in Laredo will require demand management strategies to modify the hourly distribution, decrease the number of empty trucks, and increase the attractiveness of Laredo's Columbia Bridge.