Estimation of the Capacity in Freeway Weaving Areas for Traffic Management and Operations

Project summary:

The accurate determination of the capacity in the freeway weaving areas is of critical importance in real-time traffic management/operations. For example, inaccurate capacity estimation substantially affects the effectiveness of real-time ramp metering, which seeks maximum utilization of existing capacity along the freeway. Determination of accurate capacity in the weaving sections is an essential element for optimal management of freeways. The main objective of the proposed research is to develop a methodology that can estimate the capacity of the different types of the weaving areas in freeways under continuously changing traffic environment. The resulting methodology will be applicable in determining the operational capacity of weaving areas, which is of critical importance in real time traffic management/ operations.