OPTIMAL DESIGN OF FREEWAY INCIDENT RESPONSE SYSTEMS

Several states have introduced service patrol programs to curb the growing adverse impacts of freeway incidents. An efficient patrol program configuration design is needed to ensure appropriate resource allocation. This research seeks to devise a scheme for determining optimally such system characteristics as hours of operation, fleet and crew sizes, dispatching policies, areas of operation, and routing patterns, so that the efficacy of the program is maximized. The interaction of randomly occurring incidents with time-varying traffic adds to the complexity of the problem. The problem is solved using dynamic simulation approaches combined with optimization techniques to incorporate the nonlinear impact of incidents on traffic. Simulation approaches are utilized to replicate the operation of response services, whereas optimization techniques are incorporated to select cost-effective system parameters. A generalized framework is developed that can be used to design new freeway patrol programs and improve existing ones. As an example application of the proposed tool, the case of the Hoosier Helper Program in northwest Indiana is studied in detail.

• Record URL:
  http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1631&context=jtrp
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Purdue University/Indiana Department of Transportation JHRP

  Purdue University, School of Civil Engineering
  West Lafayette, IN  United States  47907-1284

  Indiana Department of Transportation

  100 N Senate Avenue
  Indianapolis, IN  United States  46204

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Pal, R
  • Sinha, K C
• Publication Date: 2000-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 221 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Freeway service patrols; Freeways; Incident management; Optimization; Resource allocation; Simulation; Traffic incidents
• Identifier Terms: Hoosier Helper Program
• Geographic Terms: Indiana
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00796962
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/IN/JTRP-99/10,, Final Report
• Contract Numbers: SPR-2126
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 18 2000 12:00AM