Queuing and Statistical Analysis of Freeway Bottleneck Formation

• Published in: Journal of transportation engineering Vol. 130; no. 6; pp. 787 - 795
• Main Authors: Das, Shantanu, Levinson, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reston, VA American Society of Civil Engineers 01.11.2004
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Data processing; Exact sciences and technology; Flow characteristics; Ground, air and sea transportation, marine construction; Highways; Metropolitan areas; Road transportation and traffic; Shock waves; Statistical analysis; TECHNICAL PAPERS; Traffic congestion; Traffic control; Traffic flow; Transportation planning, management and economics; Bottleneck; Speed; Statistical analysis; Error analysis; Theoretical study; Data processing; Density; Result; Traffic flow; Queueing system; Traffic management; Freeway; Road traffic; Traffic congestion
• ISSN: 0733-947X; 1943-5436; 1943-5436
• DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-947X(2004)130:6(787)

A modified approach to treat traffic flow parameters (flow, density, and speed) has been introduced in this paper. A queuing analysis has been conducted on traffic flow data on Interstate 94 in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. A methodology has been developed to calibrate loop detector count data. Corrected flow data has been subjected to analysis using queuing analysis to compute densities and speeds on freeway sections. Statistical analysis identifies "active bottleneck" locations on freeways and sections where bottlenecks occur because of disturbances caused by downstream bottlenecks propagating backwards in the form of shockwaves. A sample of 6 days on Interstate 94 was considered for the analysis. Our analysis reveals that the same section cannot always be characterized as a "bottleneck" location; at some times it is active and at others it is subject to downstream bottlenecks. Traffic flow characteristics change and that leads to changing situations on each freeway section.