Development of analytical procedure for selection of control measures to reduce congestions at various freeway bottlenecks

Variable speed limit (VSL) and ramp metering (RM) affect freeway traffic operations in different ways and, accordingly, result in different effects on system travel time. The primary objective of this study is to propose an analytical procedure to help determine which control measure should be selected given different freeway bottlenecks and traffic conditions. The bottlenecks considered included an isolated merge bottleneck, a merge bottleneck with a closely spaced upstream off-ramp, and a diverge bottleneck with a closely spaced upstream on-ramp. Two RM and a VSL control strategies were considered, including the ALINEA, ALINEA/Q and feedback based VSL. The maximum achievable improvements in system efficiency by various control measures were calculated and the results were tested using modified cell transmission models. A coordinated control strategy that combined ALINEA/Q and VSL control was also proposed. The effects of VSL and RM control on system travel time at different freeway bottleneck areas were compared to identify the applicable conditions of different control measures. The analytical procedure was proposed for the selection of control measures at different bottlenecks and the ex-ante estimation of control effects were also discussed.