01152637

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/2169-01

http://scholar.google.com...aine&publication_year=2010

Variable speed limits (VSLs) have been shown to improve safety and operations on European freeways, but work zone applications of VSLs have been limited. In July 2008, a VSL system was installed on a congested portion of the Washington, D.C., Beltway (I-95–I-495) in a major work zone. A limited field evaluation of that system revealed some deficiencies related to the system’s configuration, resulting in inconclusive operational effects. Those results raised questions about the relative importance of different VSL system parameters on the ultimate effectiveness of work zone VSLs. This paper describes an evaluation that used a calibrated simulation model to evaluate the influence of several parameters. The results showed that VSLs can delay the onset of congestion and help produce more rapid recovery from congestion, provided that demand volumes are not too far above the work zone capacity. When demand volumes are extremely high, VSLs offer no appreciable benefit over static speed limits. The simulation also showed that VSL sign location is extremely important, and signs must be positioned so that drivers will accelerate back to a reasonable speed once they pass through a bottleneck. Algorithm design also proved to play an important role in system effectiveness.

01322333

10-0975

English

pp 1-10

2010

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

9780309160384

Print

Figures (4) ; Photos (2) ; References (15) ; Tables (2)

Algorithms; Beltways; Bottlenecks; Field studies; Highway operations; Simulation; Speed limits; Traffic congestion; Variable speed limits; Work zone safety; Work zone traffic control

Capital Beltway

Sign location

Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management; I60: Maintenance; I73: Traffic Control

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 25 2010 10:26AM

• Analysis of Impact of Adverse Weather on Freeway Free-Flow Speed in Spain
• Closed-Course Test and Analysis of Vibration and Sound Generated by Temporary Rumble Strips for Short-Term Work Zones
• Costs and Benefits of Tools to Maintain Winter Roads: A Renewed Perspective Based on Recent Research
• Devices to Implement Short-Term Speed Limits in Texas Work Zones
• Diagnosing Road Weather Conditions with Vehicle Probe Data: Results from Detroit IntelliDrive Field Study
• Estimating Operational Impacts of Freeway Work Zones on Extended Facilities
• Implementation of Structural Control Measures to Mitigate Avalanche Hazard Along Transportation Corridors
• Improving Road Weather Hazard Products with Vehicle Probe Data: Vehicle Data Translator Quality-Checking Procedures
• Improving the Safety of Mobile Lane Closures
• Integrating the Impact of Rain into Traffic Management: Online Traffic State Estimation Using Sequential Monte Carlo Techniques
• Joint Merge and Its Impact on Merging Speeds in Lane Reduction Areas of Construction Zone
• Motorist Understanding of Alternative Displays for Speed Limits in Work Zones
• Quantitative Versus Qualitative Assessment of Pavement Marking Visibility
• Real-Time Measurement of Travel Time Delay in Work Zones and Evaluation Metrics Using Bluetooth Probe Tracking
• Repeatability of Mobile Retroreflectometer Unit for Measurement of Pavement Markings
• Simulation Models for Assessment of the Impacts of Strategies for Highway Work Zones: Eight Case Studies Along Interstate Highways and State Routes in New England
• Small Unmanned Aircraft Evaluated for Avalanche Control
• Variation of Impact of Cold Temperature and Snowfall and Their Interaction on Traffic Volume