Alexander Skabardonis

UC BERKELEY PROFESSOR AND CALIFORNIA PATH PROGRAM MANAGER

109 McLaughlin Hall, MC 1720
BerkeleyCA 94720
United States
Phone: 
510-642-9166
Email Address: 

Biography

Dr. Skabardonis is an internationally recognized expert in traffic flow theory and models, traffic management and control systems, design, operation and analysis of transportation facilities, intelligent transportation systems (ITS), environmental impacts of transportation, and automated and connected vehicles. He has worked extensively in the development and application of advanced models and techniques for traffic control, performance analysis of highway facilities and applications of advanced technologies to transportation.

Currently his research focuses on complete streets, roadway facilities that are planned, designed, operated, and maintained to provides safe mobility for all users, including bicyclists, pedestrians, transit vehicles, truckers, and motorists. The is developing improved methodology to evaluate the traffic performance of alternative designs for complete streets and signal control strategies to improve the travel experience at signalized intersections for all users.

Dr. Skabardonis developed and taught several workshops on traffic management, control systems, and traffic modeling and analysis that were attended by nearly 500 transportation professionals. He served as the Principal Researcher for 75 extramurally funded contracts and grants totaling over $20 million and has published over 350 papers and technical reports. He is also the co-developer of the California Freeway Performance Measurement System (PeMS) and the Berkeley Highway Laboratory.

Although he is technically retired, Dr. Skabardonis still works as a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley on teaching and research recall, and as a leader in the Traffic Management Program of California PATH.  He serves on the editorial board of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Journal as well as is a reviewer for several archival journals in transportation and member of several Transportation Research Board (TRB) committees.  Additionally, he collaborates with the transportation consulting firm Kittelson & Associates and received a Fulbright award to work with academics in Greece.

Education

  • National Technical Univ of Athens, Greece, Dept of Civil Engineering, Diploma in Civil Engineering, 1977.
  • University of Southampton, England, Dept of Civil Engineering, M.S. in Transportation Engineering, 1979.
  • University of Southampton, England, Dept of Civil Engineering, PhD. in Transportation Engineering, 1982. 

Professional Interests

Traffic flow theory and models, traffic management and control systems, design, opera­tion and analysis of transportation facilities, intelligent transportation systems.

Professional Experience

Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley, 2007- 

Research Engineer, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley, 2001-

Director, California PATH (Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways), UCB, 2005-2010      

Principal Investigator on Contracts and Grants (Partial List)

University of California Transportation Center UC-CONNECT (2014-2016) “Control Strategies for Corridor Management”

California Department of Transportation (2012-2016) “Research Support for the FSP Program Phase II”

Federal Highway Administration (2013-2015), “Freeway Bottleneck Identification and Analysis,” under subcontract to LEIDOS Corporation

California PATH (2014-2015) “Coordination of Traffic Signals and Ramp Meters Phase II”

California Department of Transportation and FHWA (2008-15) “ICM Phase III in San Diego”

California PATH (2010--14) “Quick Clearance of Major Traffic Incidents”

California PATH (2012--14) “Weaving Analysis Methods Evaluation and Refinement”

Federal Highway Administration (2010-2013), EAR Program “Advanced Traffic Signal Control Algorithms”

NCHRP 3-83 (2006-2012) “Low-Cost Improvements for Freeway Bottlenecks”

Federal Highway Administration (2011) “Research Needs for ATDM: Workshop”

California PATH (2010-2012) “Adaptive Traffic Control for Arterial Management”

California Department of Transportation (1998-12) “Freeway Performance Measurement (PeMS)”

USDOT/RITA (2008-2012) Principal Investigator “Safe Trip 21: The Connected Traveler”

Key Research Staff

FHWA, “Active Transportation and Demand Management (ATDM) Strategies”

SHRP2 L08 “Incorporating Reliability Analyses in the Highway Capacity Manual,”

SHRP2 L03 “Analytic Procedures for Estimating the Impacts of Reliability Mitigation Strategies,”

NCHRP 3-96 “Traffic Control Systems in Oversaturated Conditions”

NCHRP 3-97 “Traffic Control for Varying Traffic Demands and Capacities”

NCHRP 25-21, “Predicting Short-and Long-Term Air Quality Effects of Traffic-Flow Improvements”

NCHRP 3-55(2), “Planning Techniques for Estimating Speed and Level of Service”

Selected Publications

Tudela A., J.E. Argote, and A. Skabardonis, “Queue Spillback Detection and Control Strategies based on Connected Vehicle Technology in a Congested Network,” paper 14-5565, 93rd TRB Annual Meeting, Washington DC, January 2014.

Christofa E., I. Papamichail, and A. Skabardonis, “Person-based Traffic Responsive Signal Control Optimization,” IEEE Transactions on ITS, Vol. 14(3),  pp. 1278-1289, September 2013.

Seeherman, J. and A. Skabardonis, “Rethinking the Driver Population Factor:  An Examination of Interstate 80 in California” Transportation Research Record #2395, Journal of the Transportation Research Board, pp. 103-110, 2013.

Campbell, R and A. Skabardonis, “An Analysis Framework for Evaluation of Traffic Compliance Measures,” Transportation Research Record #2364, Journal of the Transportation Research Board, pp.71-79, 2013.

Christofa E., J.E. Argote, and A. Skabardonis, “Arterial Queue Spillback Detection and Control based on Connected Vehicle Technology,” Transportation Research Record #2356, Journal of the Transportation Research Board, pp.61-70, 2013.

Skabardonis A., N. Geroliminis and E. Christofa, “Prediction of Vehicle Activity for Emissions Estimation Under Oversaturated Conditions Along Signalized Arterials,” Special Issue of Journal of ITS ( Online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15472450.2012.704338  )

Vogiatzis, K., P. Kopelias, and A. Skabardonis, “The Impact of Congestion Management on Air Pollutant Emissions in Urban Freeways,’ International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, Vol. 8 (3), pp. 400-412, 2013.

Yeo H., K. Jang, A. Skabardonis, and S. Kang, “Impact of Traffic States on Freeway Crash Involvement Rates,” Accident Analysis & Prevention, June 2012 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2012.06.023 )

Geroliminis, N., and A. Skabardonis “Identification and Analysis of Queue Spillovers in eet Networks with Signalized Intersections,” IEEE Transactions on ITS, Vol. 12(4), pp.1107-1115, December 2011.

Christofa, E., and A. Skabardonis, “Traffic Signal Optimization with Transit Priority: Application to an Isolated Intersection,” Transportation Research Record #2259, pp. 192-201, 2011.

Ban, J., YW. Li, A. Skabardonis, and J.D. Margulici, “Performance Evaluation of Travel Time Estimation Methods for Real Time Traffic Applications,” Journal of ITS, Vol. 14(2), pp. 1–14, May 2010.

Yeo H., S.E. Shladover, and A. Skabardonis, “Microscopic Traffic Simulation of Vehicle-to-Vehicle Hazard Alerts on a Freeway,” Transportation Research Record #2189, pp. 68-77, 2010.

Memberships to Professional Societies

       Transportation Research Board/National Research Council: Traffic Flow Theory Committee: Member, Freeway Operations Committee: Member, Highway Capacity and Quality of Service Committee: Member. Traffic Signal Systems Committee: Member, Simulation SubCommittee: Member.

        Editorial Board Member, Intelligent Transportation Systems Journal

        Reviewer for Transportation Research A/B/C/D, Transportation Planning and Technology, ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering, Transportation Research Board, Journal of the Operations Research Society, IEEE, ITS America, 12th International Symposium of Traffic Flow and Transportation

        Conference Co-Organizer, 19th International Symposium on Transportation and Traffic Theory (ISTTT19), Berkeley, July 2011.