Advanced Development and Calibration of the Network Robustness Index to Identify Critical Road Network Links

Previously researchers tended to use complete link removal to measure network robustness (100% capacity reduction). The use of a capacity reduction value less than 100% allows networks with isolating links to be evaluated using the Network Robustness Index (NRI) methodology. This research shows that capacity-disruption levels lower than about 50% are not likely to result in stable, accurate NRI values and should not be considered for analyses of this type. A more realistic lower limit of about 70% is recommended. This analysis indicates that, due to the presence of Braess’ Paradox, which states that adding a small capacity link to a transportation network may actually decrease the performance of the network instead of improving it, a realistic upper limit of 99% on the disruption levels should be used. However, it should be acknowledged that, as the level of connectivity of the network increases, the upper limit on the range of desirable disruption levels decreases, and may fall as low as 95%. Therefore, a practical capacity-disruption range for robustness analysis is between 70% and 99%, but a more realistic range of between 70% and 95% is recommended.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/research/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-10-019.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This research was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Vermont, Burlington

  Transportation Research Center
  210 Colchester Avenue
  Burlington, VT  United States  05405-1757

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Novak, David C
  • Sullivan, James
  • Aultman-Hall, Lisa
• Publication Date: 2010-5-31

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 17p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Connectivity; Highway capacity; Network links; Traffic signal control systems
• Identifier Terms: Braess' Paradox; Network Robustness Index
• Uncontrolled Terms: Robustness analysis; Traffic disruption
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I71: Traffic Theory;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01343590
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: UVM TRC Report # 10-019
• Files: UTC, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 7 2011 3:37PM