OPERATIONAL SOFTWARE MODIFICATIONS TO THE MOVING MERGE CONTROL SYSTEM IN TAMPA FLORIDA

In December 1973 a research program on the use of a freeway green band moving-merge ramp control system was initiated between the Florida Department of Transportation, City of Tampa, Florida, and the Federal Highway Administration. Freeway ramp control systems are used to control the flow of vehicles onto the freeway and, thereby, maintain the freeway operations at an acceptable level of service. A green band moving-merge system displays, along the on-ramp, information to the ramp drivers to help them identify gaps and merge easily into the freeway flow. The first test and evalaution of the green band concept was undertaken in Woburn, Massachusetts in 1970. This report describes various traffic operation improvements made to the Woburn green band computer control system. System software changes have been made to minimize the loss of green bands, to stabilize the ends of the moving green bands, and to segment long green bands into shorter, more useable bands. Improvements are also described (1) for preventing the unnecessary surge of ramp vehicles to the merge area when the green band system changes modes, and (2) for making during the stopped mode the system more responsive to ramp amd merge area obstructions. /Author/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This report was sponsored by the DOT, Federal Highway Adminsitration.
• Corporate Authors:

  Florida Department of Transportation

  Haydon Burns Building, 605 Suwanee Street
  Tallahassee, FL  United States  32301
• Publication Date: 1977-5

Media Info

• Features: Appendices;
• Pagination: 311 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Improvements; Information processing; Merging control; Motion; Moving industry; Obstructions (Navigation); Ramps (Interchanges); Software; Traffic control; Traffic flow
• Old TRIS Terms: Freeway ramps; Merging control system; Obstruction; Traffic control systems
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00172181
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-RD-77-106 Final Rpt., FCP 31C3-553
• Contract Numbers: DOT-FH-11-8285
• Files: TRIS, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Apr 12 1978 12:00AM