QUEUING AND NATURAL DIVERSION AT SHORT-TERM FREEWAY WORK ZONE 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.
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- Summary URL:
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Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309059011
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Supplemental Notes:
- This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1529, Work Zone Safety and Pavement Markings and Materials.
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Corporate Authors:
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20001 -
Authors:
- Ullman, G L
- Publication Date: 1996
Language
- English
Media Info
- Features: Figures; References; Tables;
- Pagination: p. 19-26
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Serial:
- Transportation Research Record
- Issue Number: 1529
- Publisher: Transportation Research Board
- ISSN: 0361-1981
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Field studies; Freeways; Frontage roads; Interchange ramps; Lane closure; Queuing; Shock waves; Traffic; Traffic volume; Urban areas; Work zone traffic control
- Uncontrolled Terms: Shock waves (Traffic); Upstream
- Geographic Terms: Texas
- Old TRIS Terms: Freeway entrances and exits; Lane closing; Natural diversion; Urban freeways
- Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management; I60: Maintenance; I73: Traffic Control;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00727283
- Record Type: Publication
- ISBN: 0309059011
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Oct 15 1996 12:00AM