The objective of this research was to develop analytical models and procedures for estimating the capacity of a freeway work zone by considering various geometric-, traffic-, and work zone–related parameters. The study was conducted in two stages: simulation-based modeling and field data collection. In the first stage, CORSIM (Version 5.1) was used to develop a comprehensive database for various work zone scenarios. Analytical models were developed to predict work zone capacity on the basis of these simulated data and previous literature findings considering three work zone configurations: two-to-one, three-to-two, and three-to-one lane closures. In the second stage, field data were collected at a freeway work zone to evaluate and refine the analytical models developed. Data were collected at the freeway work zone site during 15 evening peak periods, which included left- and right-lane closures as well as rainy weather conditions. The observed capacities were compared with those predicted by the new analytical models as well as to those estimated by the Highway Capacity Manual 2000. It was concluded that the analytical models developed predicted within 1% the capacity of the study work zone.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 16 (2011) 4-14. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.424Received by publisher: 0000-01-01Harvest Date: 2016-01-04 12:23:45DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.424Page Range: 4-1

Lane-changing algorithms have attracted increased attention during recent years in traffic modeling. However, little has been done to address the competition and cooperation of vehicles when changing lanes on urban streets. The main goal of this study is to quantify the vehicle interactions during a lanechanging maneuver. Video data collected at a busy arterial street in Gainesville, Florida, were used to distinguish between free, forced, and competitive/cooperative lane changes. Models particularly for competitive/cooperative lane changes were developed, depending on whether the following vehicle cooperates with the subject vehicle or not. By referring to the "TCP/IP" protocol in computer network communications, a sequence of "hand-shaking" negotiations were designed to handle the competition and cooperation among vehicles. The developed model was implemented and validated in the CORSIM microsimulator package, with the simulation capabilities compared against the original lane-changing model in CORSIM. The results indicate that the new model better replicates the observed traffic under different levels of congestion.

No abstract

No abstract