A study of natural diversion at temporary work zone lane closures on urban freeways with frontage roads /
The research described in this dissertation was performed to
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1995.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=742164371&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | The research described in this dissertation was performed to develop a better understanding of the natural diversion process that occurs at temporary work zone lane closures on urban freeways where significant queuing develops upstream of the lane closure bottleneck. A series of four field studies were performed at actual work zone lane closures on urban freeways with frontage roads. The data from these studies were analyzed to determine the effects of the temporary lane closure upon traffic operations on the freeway and frontage road, and upon the normal traffic patterns at each site. With the insights gained through the field studies at the four work zone lane closures, a model was developed to represent the symbiotic relationship between the natural diversion that occurred and the traffic queue that developed upstream of the lane closure over time. The magnitude of the stimulus causing natural diversion was modelled through the combined application of the energy analogy and theory of shock waves within the freeway traffic flow. These analogies were combined with a third model component to account for the influence of various freeway corridor attributes that both limit the amount of natural diversion that can physically occur over time and affect the propensity of the driving population to divert under a given set of conditions on the freeway. An analogy of compressible fluid flow through a section of permeable pipe was considered to be most appropriate. The potential applicability of the model for describing the natural diversion-freeway queuing process was explored using the data collected during the earlier field studies. Generally speaking, the model was able to estimate queue lengths hour-by-hour reasonably well once determining the proper calibration coefficient for each site. The model also estimated average speeds within the freeway queue and travel time delays fairly well. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Civil Engineering". |
| Physical Description: | xiii, 251 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |