On-line traffic assignment for optimal freeway corridor control

Traffic management and control strategies in a network could be improved by employing a method that can simulate and evaluate the expected impacts of alternative strategies on network performance prior to implementation. Existing methods are based on assumptions not readily applicable in freeway corridors. Responding to the need for an approach able to handle composite networks such as freeway corridors and responsive to on-line control changes, a new method is presented in this paper. The new method, which integrates simulation with conventional assignment, overcomes major disadvantages of existing techniques, thus becoming more suitable for on-line optimal freeway-corridor control. The simulation/assignment method was tested with data from a typical freeway corridor in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. The test results indicate the ability of the proposed method to more accurately estimate traffic parameters under various traffic management and control strategies implemented in a freeway corridor.