Effect of Weather Events on Travel Time Reliability and Crash Occurrence

The magnitude of the effect of adverse weather conditions on road operational performance varies with the type of weather condition and the road characteristics of the road links and adjacent links. Therefore, the relationship between weather and traffic is always a concern to traffic engineers and planners, and they have extensively explored ways to integrate weather information into transportation systems. Understanding the influence of weather on operational performance and safety helps traffic engineers and planners to proactively plan and manage transportation systems. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the effect of adverse weather conditions on travel time reliability and crash occurrence, by severity, using weather data, road data, travel time data, and crash data for North Carolina. The methodology and results from this research are useful for transportation system managers and planners to manage the traffic and improve safety under different weather conditions. They also help improve the functionality of weather-responsive management strategies like variable signs to indicate the change in reliability and safety under rainfall and low visibility conditions.