Comparison of Traffic Conditions in Corridors before and through the COVID Pandemic—Case Study for I-80 in California

Abstract

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 caused drastic changes in the traffic patterns in highways throughout the country. Changes in the working conditions besides periods of enforced lockdowns generated different traffic demands, which also led to change of travel behavior. Larger demands at non-peak hours became prevalent, while lower than average demands were observed during the peak hours. One of the corridors impacted by the pandemic is I-80 in Northern California. Certain sections of this highway have a large traffic demand, specifically the section between the cities of Sacramento and Roseville. By the analysis of performance measurement system (PeMS) data source, the aim of this research is the comparison of traffic conditions and behaviors, including speed profiles and demand during peak hours in specific segments of this corridor for the two consecutive years of 2019 and 2020. The results display the impacts of the pandemic on traffic patterns and behavior during the year 2020 in the investigated highway segment. One of the main differences between the two years is lower demand and higher average speed in 2020 compared to 2019. © ASCE. All rights reserved.