Index: trunk/src/tmcsim/cadsimulator/managers/TrafficModelManager.java
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/tmcsim/cadsimulator/managers/TrafficModelManager.java	(revision 220)
+++ trunk/src/tmcsim/cadsimulator/managers/TrafficModelManager.java	(revision 228)
@@ -85,5 +85,5 @@
      * Highways in traffic network
      */
-    final private Highways highways;
+    private Highways highways;
 
     /**
@@ -100,6 +100,5 @@
      */
     private String currentClock = "";
-    
-   
+      
     /**
      * Constructor. Loads the Properties file and initializes the
@@ -113,12 +112,20 @@
             throws SimulationException 
     {
-        props = loadProperties(propertiesFile);
-        // Initialize the highway model
-        incidents = new HashMap<String, List<TrafficEvent>>();
-        highways = new Highways(
-                props.getProperty(PROPERTIES.HIGHWAYS_MAP_FILE.name),
-                props.getProperty(PROPERTIES.FEPSIM_IP_ADDR.name),
-                8080); 
-        this.theCoordinator = theCoordinator;
+        try 
+        {
+            props = loadProperties(propertiesFile);
+            // Initialize the highway model
+            incidents = new HashMap<String, List<TrafficEvent>>();
+            highways = new Highways(
+                    props.getProperty(PROPERTIES.HIGHWAYS_MAP_FILE.name),
+                    props.getProperty(PROPERTIES.FEPSIM_IP_ADDR.name),
+                    8080); 
+            this.theCoordinator = theCoordinator;
+        }
+        catch (Exception e) 
+        {
+            logger.logp(Level.SEVERE, "Traffic Manager", "Constructor",
+                    "Exception in parsing properties file.", e);
+        }
     }
     /**
@@ -129,5 +136,5 @@
     {
         loadEvents();
-        
+
         // Create a timer that fetches the simulation time every second.
         Timer timer = new Timer(ONE_SECOND, new ActionListener()
@@ -201,5 +208,4 @@
             wtConsole.start();
         }
-        
     }
     /** Accessor to event queue
@@ -421,5 +427,6 @@
             System.out.println("WriteToFEP Thread starting.");
             // Run indefinitely
-            while (true)
+            boolean running = true;
+            while (running)
             {
                 try
@@ -431,10 +438,11 @@
                 {
                     // Ask user if they want to proceed without FEP Sim connection
-                    int reply = JOptionPane.showConfirmDialog(null, "Failed to connect to FEP Sim, proceed anyway?", "Network Failure", JOptionPane.YES_NO_OPTION);
-                    if (reply == JOptionPane.NO_OPTION)
-                    {
-                        System.exit(0);
-                    }
+//                    int reply = JOptionPane.showConfirmDialog(null, "Failed to connect to FEP Sim, proceed anyway?", "Network Failure", JOptionPane.YES_NO_OPTION);
+//                    if (reply == JOptionPane.NO_OPTION)
+//                    {
+//                        System.exit(0);
+//                    }
                     System.out.println("Skipping writeToFEP...");
+                    running = false;
                 }