Using crowdsourced data to estimate passenger vehicle travel delays from nuisance flooding

摘要: Recurrent nuisance flooding (NF) during high tide periods is a growing concern for coastal communities. While NF occurrences are often linked to travel disruption based on traffic data simulations, quantifying the actual impact is rare due to the lack of observational data. This study utilized crowdsourced traffic data from the navigation app, Waze, to quantify travel delays arising from NF in Norfolk, VA. The study found higher high tides > 1.0 m NAVD increased one-way commutes by 6.73–15.62 min compared to dry scenarios for over 10 % of passenger vehicle commuters using flooded routes within or to and from Norfolk. Concurrent NF occurrences during peak traffic hours worsened the congestion, with 90th-percentile one-way commutes extended an additional 6 to 15 min. In 2019, the year with the most NF events analyzed on weekdays, cumulative annual delays rose by 27–73 min for 10 % of passenger vehicle …