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An advanced traffic management system for Hampton Roads, Virginia
Technical Paper
1994-16-0117
Sector:
Language:
English
Abstract
In September of 1986, the Virginia Dept. of Transportation
(VDOT) embarked on an ambitious project to develop an Advanced
Traffic Management System for the Hampton Roads area of Virginia
involving I-64 and Route 44, the Virginia Beach Toll Road. I-64 and
Route 44 are two of the major freeway routes serving motorists
travelling through Norfolk and Virginia Beach and were prone to
significant congestion. With directional peak hour demand volumes
ranging from 5,800 to 6,600 vph in the 3 lane sections and 4,200
vph in the 2 lane section, there was an urgent need for capacity
improvements. Due to the presence of the Norfolk Naval Base, the
world's largest naval base, there was a highly directional flow
of traffic along I-64 ranging as high as 72 percent.
VDOT's solution was to construct a two-lane reversible
roadway within the median of I-64. The reversible roadway was to be
restricted to buses and other high-occupancy vehicles during the
morning and afternoon peak periods and would serve as a means to
increase the total person-capacity of the facility. VDOT contracted
with the team of URS Consultants, Frederic R. Harris and Langley
and McDonald to design the traffic management system. The intent of
this system was not only to provide surveillance and automated
control of the reversible roadway, but to serve as a regional
traffic management system for the entire Hampton Roads area.
The Hampton Roads roadway network is highly dependent on a
limited number of water crossings. An incident of any significance
can have a tremendous impact on traffic throughout the area. The
traffic management system for I- 64/Route 44 was designed to
monitor and control the reversible roadway section along I-64, the
concurrent flow HOV lanes on I-64, I-564, and Route 44, and to
provide a central point of operations and control for the Hampton
Roads area. The initial limits of the project are shown in the
paper.
Data communication links to existing and planned urban traffic
signal control centers within the region, and tunnel surveillance
and control systems at the Downtown, Midtown, I-64 and I-664
tunnels were included in the system design. A regional point
diversion signing system using variable message signs was designed
to provide motorist information on traffic throughout the region
and in particular on I-64, Route 44 and the tunnel facilities. The
traffic management system includes loop detectors for traffic flow
monitoring, incident detection and vehicle classification, closed
circuit television surveillance, automatic gates and variable
message signs for controlling access to the reversible roadway,
variable message signs to control HOV and shoulder lane usage,
variable message signs for motorist advisory and point diversion
information, the provision to accommodate future ramp metering, and
a traffic control center.
Due to funding and scheduling constraints, the completion of the
traffic management system was delayed until three years after the
reversible roadway was completed. An interim traffic management
system was designed and is now in operation which utilizes cellular
telephone communications to variable message signs and gate
controllers to control the opening and closing of the reversible
roadway. Bids for the final traffic management system have been
received and the contractor is under way with the implementation of
the system which is scheduled for completion in 1995