Cross City Tunnel
The Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales engaged Halcrow MWT to develop a model that could simulate the impact of the opening of the Sydney Cross City Tunnel on the Sydney CBD in real time under SCATS co-ordinated traffic signal control. The model included the entire Sydney CBD, as well as the western and eastern ends of the Cross City Tunnel.
The model was used to test the impacts of road closures and toll scenarios associated with the opening of the first electronic toll collection only motorway in New South Wales. The implications of no-toll and ramp up scenarios on strategic routes in the Sydney CBD were tested, as well as response measures that could be taken to manage these implications.
In order to more accurately model the adaptive traffic management system used in the Sydney CBD, the model was required to interface with the RTA's SCATS adaptive traffic system. Halcrow MWT developed custom plugins that would enable signals in the model to be operated and co-ordinated externally, using real world data and settings. This model was the first of its type and has since provided valuable feedback with respect to standardising SCATS-Paramics models and later application to other microsimulation platforms.
