01099270

Component

This study proposes a theory for explaining the growth of oscillations as they propagate through congested merges and diverges. The idea is that merging or diverging flows change in response to freeway oscillations, and these changes in flow have an effect of dampening (merging) or amplifying (diverging) oscillations. In this theory, a reduction or an increase in amplitude is quantified based on a single parameter (a fraction of entering flow for the merging effect and a fraction of exiting flow for the diverging effect). The effect of merging has been verified at multiple freeway merges where both the freeway and the on-ramps were saturated by abiding queues for extended time. The findings show that oscillations diminished in amplitude by the amount close to what the proposed theory predicts.

01084478

08-1606

English

15p

2008

Transportation Research Board 87th Annual Meeting

DVD

Figures (5) ; References

Diverging traffic; Merging traffic; Operations; Oscillation; Peak hour traffic; Traffic congestion; Traffic flow; Types of traffic; Velocity

Administration and Management; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2008 Paper #08-1606

TRIS, TRB

Jan 29 2008 3:56PM