Improving urban road infrastructure analysis and design using an integrated BIM-GIS and traffic microsimulation framework

Modern cities are experiencing increased traffic issues, such as congestion, pollution, and accidents, necessitating a sustainable approach to traffic management and infrastructure improvement. Integrating building information modelling with geographic information systems and traffic analysis techniques has emerged as a promising approach to address these challenges. Despite advancements in BIM and GIS, there is a need for holistic improvement in the analysis and design of new as well as existing transportation infrastructure. In particular, the analysis and design of urban road intersections, where multiple conflicts arise due to the evolving dynamics of traffic demand and built-up areas, requires a multifaceted approach based on modern tools, technologies and methodologies. Therefore, to bridge the gap, this study proposes a comprehensive framework to effectively integrate different tools including BIM, GIS and traffic microsimulation for analysis, modelling, design and visualization of urban road infrastructure. A detailed case study was conducted for an urban signalized interesection in Islamabad, Pakistan to validate the proposed framework. Microsimulation traffic analysis was employed to formulate four different alternatives for the improvement of the study area according to current and future traffic conditions. The proposed framework was demonstrated to assist in identifying the best-performing alternative based on various traffic parameters such as travel time, distance travelled, carbon-oxides emission, queue length, fuel consumption, density, speed, etc. In addition to traffic parameters, a precise BIM model integrated with GIS was developed to visualize and evaluate the proposed alternatives in terms of design and site suitability factors. Simulations revealed that the best alternative i.e. underpass resulted in 86%, 37%, 87%, 83%, 81%, and 10% reduction in travel time, distance travelled, COx emission, queue length, fuel consumption, and density, respectively as compared to the existing traffic scenario. In addition to the traffic parameters, BIM-GIS models assisted in visualizing and identifying the best alternative in terms of construction quantities, ease of construction, site suitability factors etc. Based on the comprehensive analysis, underpass was eventually selected as the optimal choice. The outcomes of the study emphasize that the proposed framework can provide a comprehensive and articulated environment for better coordination among stakeholders, eventually assisting in well-informed infrastructural decision-making.