Simulation-Based Study on a Lane-Based Signal System for Merge Control at Freeway Work Zones
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 1
Abstract
This paper presents a new lane-based signal merge (LBSM) control system for freeway work zone operations. The proposed system applies the signal control concept to regulate the vehicles passing the work zone area at a lane-by-lane basis and offers an effective way to maximize the operational efficiency as well as safety. Introduction of the preliminary configuration and principal components associated with the proposed LBSM control contribute the core of this study. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system, this study has also conducted extensive simulation experiments, based on a freeway simulator calibrated with real-world work zone data. The experimental results show that under heavily congested traffic conditions the LBSM can outperform all existing control strategies with respect to the work zone throughput, the average vehicle delay, the average stop delay, and the average number of stops. This study has also investigated critical traffic flow related factors that may impact on the performance of such a system.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Beacher, A. G., Fontaine, M. D., and Garber, N. J. (2004). “Evaluation of the late merge work zone traffic control strategy.” Research Project No. VTRC 05-R6, Virginia Transportation Research Council, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C.
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). (2003). Manual on uniform traffic control devices, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C.
Kang, K. P., and Chang, G. L. (2006). “Development of an advanced dynamic late merge control model and algorithm.” Proc., Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting (CD-ROM), Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C.
Kang, K. P., Chang, G. L., and Paracha, J. (2006). “Dynamic late merge control at highway work zones: evaluations, observations, and suggestions.” Transportation Research Record. 1948, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 86–95.
Lin, P. W., Kang, K. P., and Chang, G. L. (2004). “Exploring the effectiveness of variable speed limit controls on highway work-zone operations.” J. Intell. Transp. Syst., 8(3), 155–168.
McCoy, P. T., and Pesti, G. (2001). “Dynamic late merge concept for work zones on rural interstate highways.” Transportation Research Record. 1745, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 20–26.
McCoy, P. T., Pesti, G., and Byrd, P. S. (1999). “Alternative driver information to alleviate work zone-related delays: Final report.” NDOR Research Project Rep. No. SPR-PL-1(35)P513, Nebraska Department of Roads, Lincoln, Neb.
Pesti, G., Jessen, D. R., Byrd, P. S., and McCoy, P. T. (1999). “Traffic flow characteristics of the late merge work zone control strategy.” Transportation Research Record. 1657, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 1–9.
Planung Transport Verkehr (PTV) AG. (2006). “Models and algorithms.” VISSIM FAQ, ⟨http://www.english.ptv.de/cgi-bin/traffic/traf_vissimfaq.pl#1%20Installation⟩ (Oct. 9, 2006).
Tarko, A., and Venugopal, S. (2001). “Safety and capacity evaluation of the Indiana lane merge system.” Research Project No. FHWA/IN/JTRP-2000/19, Joint Transportation Research Program, Purdue Univ., sponsored by Indiana Department of Transportation, Indianapolis.
VISSIM 3.70 user’s manual. (2003). PTV Planung Transport Verkehr AG, Karlsruhe, Germany.
Walters, C. H., and Cooner, S. A. (2001). “Understanding road rage: Evaluation of promising mitigation measures.” Research Rep. No. 4945–2, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, Tex.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 1 • January 2009
Pages: 9 - 17
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 9, 2007
Accepted: Jun 27, 2008
Published online: Jan 1, 2009
Published in print: Jan 2009
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.