GUIDELINES FOR DESIGN AND OPERATION OF RAMP CONTROL SYSTEMS

In an effort to analyze existing ramp control techniques and develop design procedures for freeway ramp control systems, types of ramp control which require a minimum of manual operation and which keep freeways operating at or near peak capacity during peak periods were considered, and user- oriented guidelines were prepared that are useful to highway planners, administrators, and other individuals charged with ramp metering system design and implementation. The results of a survey of the 50 states conducted to determine the factors involved is summarised. The survey attempted to identify high-priority needs in planning and designing a ramp metering installation, and addressed policy and planning considerations as well. The final report provides guidance in determining whether a proposed metering system is potentially effective, and gives guidelines for the design, implementation, and operation of systems having three types of metering: pretimed, locally-actuated, and centralized/interconnected. Multiple-system metering is also treated briefly. The final report details the preliminary engineering, field hardware and typical configurations, selection of control policies, strategies and tactics, functional system design and implementation. Operational requirements, and representative system benefit and costs are also considered.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rrd_86.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • 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.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Publication Date: 1976-3

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: 5 p.
• Serial:
  • NCHRP Research Results Digest
  • Issue Number: 86
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Design; Freeway operations; Guidelines; Implementation; Interchange ramps; Operations; Peak hour traffic; Shape; Specifications; Surveys; Traffic control; Transportation planning; Transportation policy
• Uncontrolled Terms: Configuration; Hardware; Requirement
• Old TRIS Terms: Freeway ramps
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Design; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Policy; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00132913
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jun 5 1976 12:00AM