Real-time merging traffic control for throughput maximization at motorway work zones

Work zones on motorways necessitate the drop of one or more lanes which may lead to significant reduction of traffic flow capacity and efficiency, traffic flow disruptions, congestion creation, and increased accident risk. Real-time traffic control by use of green–red traffic signals at the motorway mainstream is proposed in order to achieve safer merging of vehicles entering the work zone and, at the same time, maximize throughput and reduce travel delays. A significant issue that had been neglected in previous research is the investigation of the impact of distance between the merge area and the traffic lights so as to achieve, in combination with the employed real-time traffic control strategy, the most efficient merging of vehicles. The control strategy applied for real-time signal operation is based on an ALINEA-like proportional–integral (PI-type) feedback regulator. In order to achieve maximum performance of the control strategy, some calibration of the regulator’s parameters may be necessary. The calibration is first conducted manually, via a typical trial-and-error procedure. In an additional investigation, the recently proposed learning/adaptive fine-tuning (AFT) algorithm is employed in order to automatically fine-tune the regulator parameters. Experiments conducted with a microscopic simulator for a hypothetical work zone infrastructure, demonstrate the potential high benefits of the control scheme.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2014.04.006
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0968090X1400103X
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/0968090X
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Tympakianaki, A
  • Spiliopoulou, A
  • Kouvelas, A
  • Papamichail, I
  • Papageorgiou, M
  • Wang, Y
• Publication Date: 2014-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 242-252
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies
  • Volume: 44
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0968-090X
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0968090X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Feedback control; Freeway operations; Merging control; Real time control; Traffic flow; Traffic signals; Work zone traffic control
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01535015
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 25 2014 7:43AM