Advisory Committee Chair
Virginia P Sisiopiku
Advisory Committee Members
Wilbur Hitchcock
Talat Salama
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2008
Degree Name by School
Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE) School of Engineering
Abstract
The continuous increase in automobile use is directly related to the increase in congestion and decline in air quality in urban settings. In the past 20 years, the total number of vehicle miles traveled in the United States has increased over 70%, whereas highway capacity grew by only 0.3%. Increased construction costs, right-of-way constraints, and environmental and social issues shifted the interest of transportation agencies from building new roadways to strategies that maximize the operational efficiency of existing facilities. Transportation agencies across the nation employed a number of strategies aiming at reducing traffic demand or spreading it over time and space. This can be done by using lane management strategies that regulate demand, separating traffic streams to reduce turbulence, and utilizing available and unused capacity. In the recent years, application of such operational policies is evolving into the notion of "managed lanes." This study examines the potential role of managed lanes strategies in addressing traffic congestion issues in the Birmingham, Alabama, metropolitan area. High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes and truck-only lanes are among the strategies being considered. More specifically, the study first reviews the state of practice and summarizes best practices and lessons learned from earlier deployment efforts. An investigation of the potential operational impacts of managed lanes implementation along selected Birmingham facilities follows. This is done through traffic modeling and analysis using sophisticated simulation modeling tools. The research iii findings from this study are expected to benefit both the scientific community and those agencies and authorities responsible for planning, designing, implementing, managing, and operating transportation facilities.
Recommended Citation
Cavusoglu, Ozge, "Assessment Of Managed Lanes Options" (2008). All ETDs from UAB. 3564.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/3564