Increase of road tunnels safety using Tunnel Traffic \ Operation Simulator

Tunnels, constructions used to shorten transport routes and to improve road safety, are specific engineering structures where the safe operation is very important. Tunnel Traffic & Operation Simulator (Simulator) was created as a solution of research task focused on increasing safety in road tunnels within the framework of the project “Centre of Transport Research (CVD)” funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The Simulator is located on Faculty of Civil Engineering of the University of Žilina (Slovakia) and is adapted to control the tunnel in two operator’s mode which are functionally convertible. They can during the operation of the simulator control the tunnel's technology and operation in normal conditions and in exceptional situations. Thanks to this, they could work under the pressure with non-performance threat to the tunnel technology and safety of their users. The coordinator checks and assesses the correctness of their conduct. 1 Centre of Transport Research The objective of this project, Centre of Transport Research (CVD), is to increase economic efficiency at the macrolevel in transport through direct cooperation of VÚD Žilina (Transport Research Institute, Žilina) and University of Žilina. Responsible workplace is a Department of Construction Management of Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Žilina [1]. Transport Research Institute is an organization of science and research with a long tradition and the main area of activity is the organization of research in transport. The history of the University of Žilina (UNIZA) began on 1 September 1953 when the University of Railway Transport was founded by separating from the Czech Technical University in Prague. It gradually became an important pillar of education in the fields of transport, which resulted in the change in the name to the University of Transport. It was moved to Žilina in 1960 where it underwent many transformations, and in 1980 it was renamed again to the University of Transport and Communications. Later in 1996, it was renamed the University of Žilina. Currently, University consists of 7 faculties, scientific and educational institutes and centres and has approximately 1,500 employees. Faculty of * Corresponding author: eva.jancarikova@fstav.uniza.sk DOI: 10.1051/ , 0 (2016) MATEC Web of Conferences matecconf/2016 86 8604058


Centre of Transport Research
The objective of this project, Centre of Transport Research (CVD), is to increase economic efficiency at the macrolevel in transport through direct cooperation of VÚD Žilina (Transport Research Institute, Žilina) and University of Žilina. Responsible workplace is a Department of Construction Management of Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Žilina [1].
Transport Research Institute is an organization of science and research with a long tradition and the main area of activity is the organization of research in transport. The history of the University of Žilina (UNIZA) began on 1 September 1953 when the University of Railway Transport was founded by separating from the Czech Technical University in Prague. It gradually became an important pillar of education in the fields of transport, which resulted in the change in the name to the University of Transport. It was moved to Žilina in 1960 where it underwent many transformations, and in 1980 it was renamed again to the University of Transport and Communications. Later in 1996, it was renamed the University of Žilina. Currently, University consists of 7 faculties, scientific and educational institutes and centres and has approximately 1,500 employees. Faculty of Civil Engineering has 12 departments and each department is focused on scientific research activities [2]. Specific objectives and activities of the project: -Applied research of new technologies to improve operational safety of road tunnels.
-Expansion planned research of advanced technologies in the field of law enforcement in road transport.
-Completion of the research activities on innovative approaches to measuring physical and chemical properties of road signs.
-Increasing the rate of research activities in the field of land fragmentation by transport infrastructure on progressive technologies.
The first specific objective includes instrumental and technological workplace building and its commissioning, applied research and integration in the field of road tunnels operations management, system´s calibration and then extraction and processing of data for the increase of road tunnels safety and prediction models as a tool for safety improving in road tunnels operation.

Tunnel traffic & operation simulator
This research site for road tunnels operation is realized as a real operator´s workplace. It shows virtual 1 km long highway two-tube tunnel  The role of this operators and tunnel maintenance specialists department is to inform operators and reporters of data collection with any new technical and technological tunnel equipment following changes in tunnel operation legislation [3].

Software for prediction of phenomena -EMUT
EMUT is a special program for evidence and evaluation of incidents in the tunnel. It is registered every change compared to the tunnel´s operating conditions under normal operating conditions, when an intervention of technology´s operator and traffic´s operator is not required. It is possible to create a graphic representation of incidents in tunnels at a different frequency assessment of a monitored parameter.

Risk analysis
The risk analysis of road tunnels in Slovakia is performed according to specifications TP 041 (02/2011) Risk Analysis for Slovak road tunnels. This regulation was created primarily to the definition of the exact methodology for risk analysis of the safety of road users in tunnels. For the calculation of risks in road tunnels is in TP precisely defined and explained the risk model, which was developed based on the Austrian model for risk analysis of tunnel TuRisMo [4].

Conclusion
One of the primary objectives of each tunnel is to advance the high level of traffic and users safety. Therefore, it is crucial to do the necessary engineering adjustment and install special technological equipment designed to improve a safety. Compared to the accidents on the roads outside the tunnel, even a minor incident in the tunnel can escalate to catastrophic proportions. So it is important to optimize and simplify the security system of the tunnel to limit the possible human or technical error. The objective of the system is to communicate early and reliably all the necessary information about the current status of traffic conditions in the tunnel and to allow a safe evacuation of users from the tunnel in the case of an accident. The Tunnel Traffic & Operation Simulator in our University of Žilina is used for simulating critical events in road tunnels. We can simulate the various incidents and they can serve for prediction of these events in real tunnels.