Overview
Project L38 tested the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) reliability analytical products at four pilot sites. This report provides findings from the Southern California site, which used a reliability guide from L02, analysis tools for forecasting reliability and estimating impacts from L07, L08, and C11 as well as a guide on reliability performance measures from the L05 product. The Southern California site focused on two freeway facilities: I-210 in Los Angeles County and I-5 in Orange County. Both facilities already have had extensive performance assessments and micro-simulation modeling performed on them, and both had limited reliability analyses conducted. The pilot testing demonstrates that the reliability analysis tools have the potential for modeling reliability impacts but require some modifications before they are ready for use by agencies. The most complicated tool from the L08 product, FREEVAL-RL, requires a calibration process roughly comparable to the level of effort used with a micro-simulation model. Agencies are likely to find a simpler tool such as the C11 tool more practical to use. The C11 product did not fully reproduce the mobility benefits from micro-simulation analyses conducted on the same facilities, but the results could be adjusted to estimate reliability impacts. Adding reliability to benefit-cost analysis equally benefitted capacity and operational projects, but did not change the rank order of projects.