Safety Implications of Freeway Work Zone Lane Closures

2004 ◽  
Vol 1877 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Zhu ◽  
Frank F. Saccomanno
Keyword(s):  
Work Zone ◽  
Lane Closures

Machine Learning Approach to Forecast Work Zone Mobility using Probe Vehicle Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 2674 (9) ◽  
pp. 157-167
Author(s):  
Mohsen Kamyab ◽  
Stephen Remias ◽  
Erfan Najmi ◽  
Sanaz Rabinia ◽  
Jonathan M. Waddell
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Learning Algorithms ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
Probe Vehicle ◽  
Vehicle Data ◽  
Lane Closures

The aim of deploying intelligent transportation systems (ITS) is often to help engineers and operators identify traffic congestion. The future of ITS-based traffic management is the prediction of traffic conditions using ubiquitous data sources. There are currently well-developed prediction models for recurrent traffic congestion such as during peak hour. However, there is a need to predict traffic congestion resulting from non-recurring events such as highway lane closures. As agencies begin to understand the value of collecting work zone data, rich data sets will emerge consisting of historical work zone information. In the era of big data, rich mobility data sources are becoming available that enable the application of machine learning to predict mobility for work zones. The purpose of this study is to utilize historical lane closure information with supervised machine learning algorithms to forecast spatio-temporal mobility for future lane closures. Various traffic data sources were collected from 1,160 work zones on Michigan interstates between 2014 and 2017. This study uses probe vehicle data to retrieve a mobility profile for these historical observations, and uses these profiles to apply random forest, XGBoost, and artificial neural network (ANN) classification algorithms. The mobility prediction results showed that the ANN model outperformed the other models by reaching up to 85% accuracy. The objective of this research was to show that machine learning algorithms can be used to capture patterns for non-recurrent traffic congestion even when hourly traffic volume is not available.

Field Evaluation of Late Merge Traffic Control in Work Zones

2005 ◽  
Vol 1911 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew G. Beacher ◽  
Michael D. Fontaine ◽  
Nicholas J. Garber
Keyword(s):  
Field Test ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Positive Response ◽  
Field Evaluation ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Field ◽  
Lane Closures

The traffic control strategy of the late merge in work zones was devised to improve flow and safety at work zone lane closures. Although some states have put the strategy into practice, only a handful of short-term field studies have formally evaluated its effectiveness. Additional field studies were necessary to assess the efficacy of the strategy and its proper deployment. This paper documents the results of a field test of the late merge traffic control conducted over several months. The late merge strategy was evaluated by comparing its effectiveness with that of traditional plans for work zone lane closures. The field test was conducted on a primary route in Tappahannock, Virginia, at a two-to-one lane closure. Results showed that throughput increased, but the increase was not statistically significant. Likewise, time in queue decreased, but the decrease was not statistically significant. These results were much less dramatic than those of other studies. Possible reasons for this disparity include different driver populations, road types, vehicle mixes, and site-specific characteristics. Despite limited improvements in throughput and time in queue, more drivers were in the closed lane, a positive response to the late merge signs.

Evaluation of Interstate Highway Capacity for Short-Term Work Zone Lane Closures

2004 ◽  
Vol 1877 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne A. Sarasua ◽  
William J. Davis ◽  
David B. Clarke ◽  
Jayaram Kottapally ◽  
Pawan Mulukutla
Keyword(s):  
Work Zone ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Highway Capacity ◽  
Interstate Highway ◽  
Lane Closures

scholarly journals Sequential Warning-Light System for Work-Zone Lane Closures

2001 ◽  
Vol 1745 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melisa D. Finley ◽  
Gerald L. Ullman ◽  
Conrad L. Dudek
Keyword(s):  
Work Zone ◽  
Warning Light ◽  
Light System ◽  
Lane Closures

Queuing and Natural Diversion at Short-Term Freeway Work Zone Lane Closures

1996 ◽  
Vol 1529 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald L. Ullman
Keyword(s):  
High Volume ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Temporary Work ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Traffic Conditions ◽  
Traffic Stream ◽  
Traffic Volumes ◽  
Lane Closures

Research conducted to explore the effects of natural diversion on traffic conditions and travel patterns upstream of temporary work zone lane closures on high-volume urban freeways in Texas is described. Specific objectives were to explore how natural diversion affects traffic volumes at the exit and entrance ramps upstream of the lane closures and the interrelationships between the freeway and frontage road operating conditions that develop at a closure and the amount of natural diversion that occurs. The field studies showed that the rate of queue growth upstream of the short-term lane closures diminished significantly after the first hour at each site. Eventually, the queues approached a balanced state in which the upstream end of the queue became almost stationary. This stabilization was due to significant reductions in entrance ramp volumes both upstream of the freeway queue and within the limits of queuing, as well as to changes in exit ramp volumes within the queue. As a result of these ramp volume changes the constrained flow rate within the queue increased as a function of the distance upstream of the actual lane closure. Using the theory of shock waves in a traffic stream it was shown that the changes in ramp volumes and resulting impact on constrained freeway flow rates within the queue were consistent with the queue stabilization process observed at each site.

Calibration of Vissim Models for Rural Freeway Lane Closures: Novel Approach to the Modification of Key Parameters

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (5) ◽  
pp. 574-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas L. Jehn ◽  
Rod E. Turochy
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Flow ◽  
Discharge Rate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Time Headway ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Microsimulation Models ◽  
Lane Closures

The definition of freeway work zone capacity has been a topic of debate for several decades, leaving agencies with limited guidance on predicting the behavior of traffic flow at given volumes for various work zone configurations. The methodology presented in the recently published 6th edition of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) is a substantial improvement over historical guidance and provides estimates of the mean queue discharge rate under a variety of prevailing site conditions. However, it is limited by the fact that its outputs are deterministic, while traffic flow and breakdown are stochastic phenomena. Recently, well-calibrated microsimulation models have shown promise as a freeway work zone traffic analysis tool, but most guidance is focused on site-specific modeling. This research aimed to address these shortcomings by presenting a novel approach to developing and calibrating generalizable microsimulation models for rural freeway lane closures in Vissim, a traffic simulation software package developed by the PTV Group. Specifically, it was determined that such models may best replicate field conditions at rural freeway work zones when time headway is described by a field-measured distribution and truck characteristics are representative of the United States (U.S.) fleet. The results suggested that the default desired acceleration for heavy trucks should be set between 2 and 3 ft/s2 and that separate time headway distributions should be constructed for passenger cars and trucks. The methodology presented herein may be extended to obtain stochastic estimates of capacity for sites exhibiting a variety of geometric, traffic, and environmental characteristics.

Work Zone Safety Performance: Comparison of Alternative Traffic Control Strategies

2017 ◽  
Vol 2617 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emira Rista ◽  
Timothy Barrette ◽  
Raha Hamzeie ◽  
Peter Savolainen ◽  
Timothy J. Gates
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Segment Length ◽  
Crash Rates ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Lane Closures

Work zone temporary traffic control strategies generally affect both traffic safety and operations. However, there is a substantial gap in the knowledge base with respect to the safety impacts of various work zone characteristics. The Highway Safety Manual provides crash modification functions that account for the effects of project length and duration on crash frequency as compared with normal road operations. However, these methods do not allow for explicit comparisons of expected safety performance among different work or closure types. This research examined the safety impacts of various temporary traffic control strategies on freeways, including shoulder closures, lane closures, and lane shifts. Data were collected for the periods during which these treatments were in effect and during similar nonconstruction periods from the preceding year. Safety performance functions were estimated that account for segment length, duration, traffic volume, and closure type. Random parameter count data models were estimated to accommodate segment-specific temporal correlation and unobserved heterogeneity. Crash rates were shown to vary roughly in proportion to traffic volumes. In contrast, segment length and project duration showed inelastic effects; this finding implies that crash rates increase more rapidly in work zones that are shorter in length or duration. Single-lane closures, multilane closures, and lane shifts were associated with an increase in crashes, whereas shoulder closures did not show a significant difference compared with similar, non-work-zone conditions. Ultimately, the study results provide important information that can be used to assess the crash risk for various temporary traffic control strategies.

Estimating Interstate Highway Capacity for Short-Term Work Zone Lane Closures

2006 ◽  
Vol 1948 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne A. Sarasua ◽  
William J. Davis ◽  
Mashrur A. Chowdhury ◽  
Jennifer H. Ogle
Keyword(s):  
Work Zone ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Highway Capacity ◽  
Interstate Highway ◽  
Lane Closures
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