The larger assignment involved:

• The preliminary design of the traffic staging for the eastbound and westbound express lane structures at Hogg’s Hollow and Yonge Street
• The preliminary design for the widening of the eastbound collector lanes through the Yonge Street corridor
• The detail design for the rehabilitation of the pavement and structures in the eastbound collector lanes from Avenue Road to Highway 404
• The model was also used to examine potential widening options in the vicinity of the Leslie Street interchange

Key tasks undertaken by Morrison Hershfield in the development and application of the model included:

• Extension/refinement of an existing INTEGRATION model for the corridor (development of node, link, and signal files)
• Development of an origin-destination demand matrix based on traffic count data using the software QueensOD
• Extensive model testing and verification
• Analysis of traffic operations under various scenarios to assess the adequacy of staging alternatives and confirm the requirement for future infrastructure enhancements along the corridor
• Full documentation of model assumptions and operating parameters

To facilitate the analysis of model outputs, Morrison Hershfield developed a number of innovative tools for summarizing results in both a tabular and graphical format. In particular, Morrison Hershfield developed a tool for producing congestion maps of the corridor which illustrate the formation of traffic queues over time. These maps eliminated the need to watch lengthy model simulations (typically run overnight) and provided a focal point for discussion during the calibration process.

Traffic micro-simulation models such as INTEGRATION provide a valuable framework for assessing the potential traffic impacts of major road reconstruction projects