Development of a Simulation Program for Two-Lane Highway Analysis. Final Report to the Center for Multimodal Solutions for Congestion Mitigation (CMS)

摘要

While considerable emphasis is being placed on congestion mitigation for arterial and freeway facilities, there is still a need to address congestion for other facilities as well. While urban areas and the corresponding traffic demand continue to grow, rural areas are experiencing significant growth as well. This growth is now resulting in congestion on facilities that previously did not have any. One area that is becoming a concern, particularly in Florida, is rural areas transitioning into more developed areas. Access to these areas is usually by two-lane highways, but within these areas, there may be an occasional traffic signal and possibly segments of multilane highway as well. In order to manage the growth and resulting traffic demands in these areas, it is essential that transportation planners and engineers have tools by which they can analyze these situations. Currently, however, no analysis tool exists for analyzing two-lane highway facilities with occasional intersections. The signal spacing and other general characteristics of these roadways do not fit with the analysis criteria for signalized arterials in the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM), and the two-lane highway analysis procedure does not account for interruptions to the flow, such as from signals.