PREDICTING FREIGHT TRAFFIC

How many trucks will take one route through the state versus another?    How much freight will they be carrying? How much traffic will just pass    through and how much will stop for deliveries or pickups? And why do    these questions matter?        Forecasts for freight traffic matter because efficient movement of    goods supports economic growth. Knowing where the heaviest traffic will    be matters to transportation departments that must make decisions about    where to build new roads or when to schedule highway maintenance—    projects that require long-term planning.        Researchers at the University of Alabama in Huntsville have developed a    new freight and truck traffic forecasting tool to aid metropolitan    planning teams. Their model examines changes in the sizes of    populations and key industries, thus showing where local traffic flows    may change. It also accounts for pass-through volume—i.e., traffic    moving through the region over which the planners have no control. The    result is a more accurate picture of freight traffic's future impacts.        SOURCE: University of Alabama in Huntsville    http://www.uah.edu/insight/insightread.php?newsID=1333