CE 501 Transportation Systems Engineering

3 Credit Hours

The course focuses on transportation systems analysis and transportation demand modeling theory and application using TransCAD. Econometric theory and models for trip generation and transportation mode choice. Optimization theory and models for traffic assignment. Completion of term paper for CE501 credit.

Prerequisite

CE 305 Traffic Engineering or introductory transportation course or consent of instructor.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Model demand for travel, and specifically to:
- Use linear regression analysis to predict trip productions
- Estimate an origin-destination matrix of trip flows for a region
- Use random utility theory and econometric models to predict the percentages of trips that will use each mode of transportation
Use traffic assignment models to simulate the interaction between demand for travel and supply on a transportation network
Use TransCAD to perform all the above analyses.

Course Requirements

HOMEWORK: Every 1-2 weeks.

EXAMINATIONS: Midterm exam and final exam.

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS: Access to a computer with MS Word and Excel. Individual licenses for TransCAD will be provided by the instructor. TransCAD requires a Windows operating system and does not work if remote desktop is used. The ability to use and conduct homework assignments in TransCAD is a course requirement. Please check if your computer meets the software requirements explained here before registering for the course: https://www.caliper.com/transcad/requirements.htm.

PROJECTS: Option for individual and team projects which have been successfully accomplished by online teams.

Textbook

No textbook is required for this course. Readings will be assigned on our Moodle site.