Access Points and Weave Lengths for Automated Truck Lanes at Two Closely Spaced Interchanges
Abstract
The increase of traffic on major U.S. roadways has motivated the implementation of new technologies and better management of the transportation infrastructure, including managed lanes on freeways. Dedicated truck lanes, a type of managed lane, are increasingly attracting attention since truck freight is continuously increasing and trucks have greater impact on traffic flow relatively to cars. Truck-only managed lanes allow trucks to travel at their own speeds in an exclusive lane with no passenger vehicles on the way; likewise, vehicles on the main lanes of the freeway will have fewer trucks to travel with. As truck-only managed lanes are being designed, Automated Trucks (ATs) are being considered as the only vehicles to potentially use this type of lane. ATs are vehicles equipped with devices capable to communicate with infrastructure and other vehicles and travel without human intervention. These trucks have been tested to travel long distances on highways, either by themselves or through the formation of platoons. This research presents, through VISSIM microscopic traffic simulation, a series of scenarios to test possible design options for access point locations and weave length for Automated Truck Lanes (ATLs). The simulation testbed is located in El Paso, Texas along I-10 between two closely spaced interchanges, at Transmountain Drive and Artcraft Road. The freeway corridor consisted of the addition of an ATL and a third General Purpose Lane (GPL) to the existing design of I-10. Traffic volume data was projected to the year 2045. The design values are defined as x, to the distance between the freeway on-ramp or off-ramp to the ATL’s access point, and y the length of access points for ATs to move in and out of the ATL. After simulation runs and analysis of results, the recommended values for x and y were 10,560 ft and 2,400 ft, respectively.
Subject Area
Transportation
Recommended Citation
Jauregui de la Garza, Ximena, "Access Points and Weave Lengths for Automated Truck Lanes at Two Closely Spaced Interchanges" (2019). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI22618342.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI22618342