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PMSS Project Details

 

Project ID:FHWA-PROJ-09-0066
Project Name: Advanced Freeway Merge Assistance: Harnessing the Potential of Connected Vehicles
Status: Completed
Contact:Last Name:   Ferlis
First Name:   Robert A (Bob)
Telephone:  202-493-3268
E-mail:         robert.ferlis@dot.gov
Organization:Federal Highway Administration - Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC)
Office: Office of Operations Research and Development
Team: N/A
Roadmap/Focus area(s): Not Applicable
Project Description: This project will investigate advanced freeway merge assistance strategies that can potentially be enabled by harnessing the potential of Connected Vehicle communication technologies. Strategies will be developed and assessed using simulation models of traffic and communication systems that provide measures of mobility and safety impacts.
Laboratories: Not Applicable
Start Date: October 28, 2009
End Date: June 30, 2012
Funding Amount:$500,000.00
FHWA Program Name: Exploratory Advanced Research
Goals:
The strategies to be developed and evaluated will include:
 
  1. Dynamic Lane Control: Connected Vehicle technology will be used to identify available capacity in lanes to the left of the mainline merge lane and then encourage vehicles in the merge lane to shift, creating additional merge capacity. The ability of Connected Vehicles to provide rich monitoring data and to pinpoint vehicle advisories and lane specific speed/pricing will be used.
  2. Gaps, Responsive Metering: Using high-resolution individual vehicle trajectory data from Connected Vehicles, the system will be able to institute aggressive dynamic metering rates to take advantage of gaps for merging traffic.
  3. Merge Control: Finally, as vehicles attempt to merge into traffic, vehicle-vehicle communications will be utilized to provide cooperative merging. In essence, this will provide a high-tech, late merge approach that has proven successful in work zones. The capabilities of Connected Vehicles will allow for merging in smaller gaps, increasing capacity. The automation provided by Connected Vehicles will be used to mitigate potential driver error to significantly reduce crashes.
Project Type: Offsite
Background Information: Data not yet available
Test Methodology: Traffic simulation, of vehicles and of communication systems, were used to evaluate potential freeway merge strategies.
Other Information: Federal Highway Administration provided $500,000 of the $650,000 funding for this project.
Partners: Data not yet available
More Information URL(s):
Fieldtest: Data not yet available
Expected Benefits: Increased throughput and safety.
Deliverables: Name: Final Report and Data Sets.
Product Type(s): Research report, Data
Description: Technical report summarizing research findings, data, and recommendations.
Audiences: Researchers
Secondary Audiences:
Related URL(s):
Project Findings: Data not yet available
FHWA Topics: Research/Technologies--Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC)
TRT Terms: Traffic Control
Operations
Research
Communication Systems
Safety
Traffic Simulation
Merging
Ramps
FHWA Disciplines: Operations
Subject Areas: Operations and Traffic Management