The use of simulation to support major transportation planning decisions

When major transportation infrastructures such as freight corridors or port systems are being planned, there are typically multiple phases of preliminary engineering required. During these phases, there are design decisions made that have impacts on investment required, level of service provided, and the environment. The basic question that is typically asked during these phases is "What level of infrastructure is really needed to support the expected demands upon the system?" Simulation provides a framework to quantify the level of service provided when an infrastructure design is imposed with projected demands. There are numerous challenges associated with constructing a simulation model of the magnitude needed to support planning initiatives. This paper describes a simulation modeling approach that integrates needed planning flexibility with sufficient fidelity to understand infrastructure performance.