COMPUTER MODEL FOR OPTIMAL FREEWAY ON-RAMP CONTROL

REGULATING INPUT VOLUME TO A FREEWAY SYSTEM THROUGH RAMP METERING, OR RAMP CLOSURE, MAINTAINS TRAFFIC FLOW AT AN EFFICIENT LEVEL AND IMPROVES OVERALL SYSTEM PERFORMANCE. THIS PAPER DESCRIBES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTER PROGRAM, LINCON, THAT CAN DETERMINE THE DESIRED FIXED-TIME METERING RATES FOR A GROUP OF ON-RAMPS TO BE CONTROLLED. THE LINEAR PROGRAMMING TECHNIQUE IS USED TO FORMULATE A DECISION MODEL THAT IS THEN INTEGRATED WITH A PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED DETERMINISTIC FREEWAY SIMULATION MODEL, FREEQ, TO BECOME A RAMP-CONTROL MODEL, RAMPCON. TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE EFFECT OF TRAFFIC DIVERSION UNDER CONTROL, THE DECISION MODEL WAS FORMULATED IN SUCH A WAY THAT, AT EACH ON-RAMP, THE TRIPS WITH SHORTER FREEWAY TRAVEL DISTANCES COULD DIVERT PROPORTIONALLY MORE THAN THE TRIPS WITH LONGER FREEWAY TRAVEL DISTANCES. TWO OBJECTIVE FUNCTIONS, MAXIMIZING TOTAL VEHICULAR INPUT AND MAXIMIZING TOTAL FREEWAY VEHICLE-MILES OF TRAVEL, ARE CONSIDERED. THE PROGRAM USER HAS THE OPTION OF CHOOSING EITHER OBJECTIVE.

  • Record URL:
  • Availability:
  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Freeway Operations. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
  • Authors:
    • Wang, Jin J
    • May, Adolf D
  • Conference:
  • Publication Date: 1973

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: pp 16-25
  • Monograph Title: Freeway operational improvements
  • Serial:

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00226856
  • Record Type: Publication
  • ISBN: 030902255X
  • Files: TRIS, TRB
  • Created Date: Apr 20 1974 12:00AM