MARC Record from Library of Congress

LEADER: 04130cam a22004697a 4500
001 2005410196
003 DLC
005 20090909073626.0
008 050706s2004 vaua bt s000 0 eng d
010 $a 2005410196
027 $aFHWA/VTRC 05-R6
035 $a(OCoLC)ocm56473359
040 $aTDG$cTDG$dOCLCQ$dOCL$dDLC
042 $alccopycat
043 $an-us-va
050 00 $aTE228$b.B43 2004
082 00 $a388.3/12$222
100 1 $aBeacher, Andrew G.
245 10 $aEvaluation of the late merge work zone traffic control strategy /$cAndrew G. Beacher, Michael D. Fontaine, Nicholas J. Garber.
260 $aCharlottesville, Va. :$bVirginia Transportation Research Council ;$a[Springfield, Va. :$bAvailable to the public through NTIS],$c2004.
300 $aiii, 65 p. :$bill. ;$c28 cm.
490 1 $aVTRC ;$v05-R6
513 $aFinal report.
536 $aPerformed by Virginia Transportation Research Council for Virginia Department of Transportation and U.S. Federal Highway Administration under contract no. 64204
500 $a"August 2004."
530 $aAlso available online (Adobe Acrobat Reader required) via the Virginia Transportation Research Council website http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/index%5Fmain.htm.
520 3 $aSeveral alternative lane merge strategies have been proposed in recent years to process vehicles through work zone lane closures more safely and efficiently. Among these is the late merge. With the late merge, drivers are instructed to use all lanes to the merge point and then take turns proceeding through the work zone. Its efficiency has been tested on only a limited basis. The purpose of this project was to determine when, if at all, deployment of the late merge was beneficial. The late merge concept was evaluated by comparing it to the traditional merge using computer simulations and field evaluations. Computer simulations included analysis of 2-to-1, 3-to-1, and 3-to-2 lane closure configurations to determine its impact on throughput and the impact of factors such as free flow speed, demand volume, and percentage of heavy vehicles. Field tests were limited to 2-to-1 lane closures, as recommended by state transportation officials, and examined the impact of treatment type on vehicle throughput, percentage of vehicles in the closed lane, and time in queue. Results of the computer simulations showed the late merge produced a statistically significant increase in throughput volume for only the 3-to-1-lane closure configuration and was beneficial across all factors for this type of closure. For the 2-to-1 and 3-to-2 lane closure configurations, the late merge increased throughput when the percentage of heavy vehicles was large. Field tests showed similar trends with regard to throughput. Although throughput increased, the increase was not statistically significant because of the limited number of heavy vehicles at the site. More drivers were in the closed lane, indicating a response to the late merge signs. Time in queue was also reduced, although the reductions were not statistically significant. The authors conclude that the late merge should be considered for 3-to-1 lane closure configurations but not until a sound methodology for deployment has been developed and tested in the field. For the 2-to-1 and 3-to-2 configurations, the late merge should be implemented only when the percentage of heavy vehicles is at least 20 percent.
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. 56-57).
650 0 $aRoads$xMaintenance and repair$xSafety measures.
650 0 $aTraffic flow.
650 0 $aRoad work zones.
650 7 $aWork zone traffic control.$2trt
650 7 $aWork zone safety.$2trt
650 7 $aLane closure.$2trt
650 7 $aMerging control.$2trt
700 1 $aFontaine, Michael D.
700 1 $aGarber, Nicholas J.
710 2 $aVirginia Transportation Research Council.
710 1 $aVirginia.$bDept. of Transportation.
710 1 $aUnited States.$bFederal Highway Administration.
830 0 $aVTRC (Series) ;$v05-R6.
856 41 $uhttp://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online%5Freports/pdf/05-r6.pdf