Traffic Engineering Course

Lesson 1 • Core Traffic Engineering Concepts

Introduces volume, speed, density, and flow relationships as foundational metrics. These concepts underpin every analytical method covered later.

Lesson 2 • Data Collection Methods and Tools

Covers manual counts, automated sensors, and emerging detection technologies. Students gain skills to select appropriate data collection methods for given conditions.

Lesson 3 • Traffic System Components and Actors

Identifies the physical, human, and institutional elements of a traffic system. Connects component interactions to system-level performance outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Level of Service and Capacity Analysis

Defines capacity concepts and level-of-service criteria for uninterrupted flow facilities. Students can evaluate roadway performance using standardized analytical procedures.

Lesson 2 • Microscopic and Mesoscopic Models

Covers car-following, lane-changing, and cellular automaton models. Bridges individual vehicle behavior to aggregate flow characteristics.

Lesson 3 • Queuing Theory in Traffic

Applies deterministic and stochastic queuing models to bottleneck analysis. Enables calculation of delay, queue length, and service rates at constrained points.

Lesson 1 • Access Management Principles

Examines driveway spacing, median openings, and access control strategies to preserve arterial capacity. Students apply access management criteria to corridor design problems.

Lesson 2 • Horizontal and Vertical Alignment

Covers design speed, stopping sight distance, horizontal curves, and vertical curve geometry. Alignment decisions directly affect speed, safety, and capacity.

Lesson 3 • Interchange Design and Operations

Covers interchange types, ramp design, and weaving section analysis for freeway-to-arterial connections. Students evaluate interchange configurations for operational adequacy.

Lesson 1 • Signalized Intersection Capacity Analysis

Applies the Highway Capacity Manual signalized intersection methodology to compute delay and level of service. Builds directly on flow theory and geometry from prior sections.

Lesson 2 • Unsignalized Intersection Analysis

Applies gap acceptance theory to two-way and all-way stop-controlled intersections. Students compute capacity and delay for minor-street movements.

Lesson 3 • Intersection Geometry and Layout

Covers lane configuration, turning radii, sight distance, and channelization principles. Proper geometry is the prerequisite for all subsequent control analysis.

Lesson 1 • Signal Phasing and Phase Sequencing

Defines phase, interval, and movement concepts and explores common phasing schemes. Correct phasing is the structural foundation for all timing calculations.

Lesson 2 • Signal Coordination and Progression

Covers time-space diagrams, bandwidth optimization, and offset selection for arterial progression. Students design coordinated plans that maximize green bandwidth.

Lesson 3 • Signal Timing Plan Development

Integrates phasing, cycle, split, and offset decisions into a complete timing plan document. Students produce plans suitable for field implementation and agency review.

Lesson 4 • Cycle Length and Split Optimization

Applies Webster's formula and iterative methods to determine optimal cycle lengths and green splits. Students balance delay minimization against capacity constraints.

Lesson 1 • Parking Demand and Supply Analysis

Addresses parking generation rates, shared parking models, and supply adequacy evaluation. Students connect parking decisions to traffic circulation and access management.

Lesson 2 • Four-Step Travel Demand Model

Explains trip generation, distribution, mode choice, and assignment as sequential modeling steps. Students interpret model outputs to inform capacity and signal design decisions.

Lesson 3 • Travel Demand Management Strategies

Examines employer programs, pricing, and land use strategies that reduce peak-hour vehicle demand. Students evaluate TDM effectiveness using before-and-after metrics.

Lesson 1 • Road Safety Audit Process

Covers the formal road safety audit methodology from team formation through report delivery. Students practice identifying latent hazards in design plans and existing roads.

Lesson 2 • Countermeasure Selection and Evaluation

Applies crash modification factors to evaluate geometric, operational, and behavioral countermeasures. Students prioritize treatments using benefit-cost analysis.

Lesson 3 • Safe System and Vision Zero Frameworks

Examines the Safe System philosophy and its application to network-level safety strategy. Students align project-level decisions with system-wide fatality reduction goals.

Lesson 4 • Crash Data Collection and Analysis

Covers crash report interpretation, database management, and statistical summarization. Accurate data analysis is the prerequisite for all safety diagnosis and countermeasure selection.

Lesson 1 • Connected and Automated Vehicle Integration

Addresses V2X communication, automation levels, and their implications for traffic flow and signal control. Students assess near-term operational impacts of mixed-fleet environments.

Lesson 2 • Freeway Management Systems

Examines ramp metering, variable speed limits, and dynamic message signs as freeway control tools. Students evaluate each strategy's impact on throughput and safety.

Lesson 3 • Performance Measurement and MOE

Defines measures of effectiveness for traffic operations and links them to agency performance targets. Students select and compute MOEs appropriate to specific operational contexts.

Lesson 4 • ITS Architecture and Components

Introduces the national ITS architecture framework, subsystems, and communication standards. Provides the structural context for all subsequent ITS technology discussions.