Highway Capacity

Posted: August 26th, 2021

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Highway Capacity

Abstract

Highway capacity is the ability of a road to accommodate traffic volume. In other words, it is the maximum hourly rate at which vehicles can reasonably cross a given section on a roadway during a given period under the prevailing traffic roadway and control conditions. Around the world, various countries have developed their highway capacity manuals, which incorporate the influence of local conditions on the traffic flow behavior (Lu, Zhaoyang, and Meng 21). To this end, the United States has taken an enormous step. This paper presents the status of Highway Capacity research in the US on the inter-urban highways. As an overview, America’s Highway Capacity Manual enumerates three different types of highway capacities. These are Basic Capacity, Possible Capacity, and Practical Capacity (Kondyli et al. 55). Basic Capacity refers to the maximum number of cars that can pass through a specific point on a lane or a roadway within an hour under the ideal traffic conditions that can be attained. Possible capacity refers to the maximum number of cars that can pass through a given point on a lane or roadway within an hour under the prevailing traffic conditions (Akçelik 17). Lastly, practical capacity refers to the maximum number of vehicles that can pass through a given point in a lane or roadway within an hour when the traffic density is not so heavy as to result in unreasonable delays or restriction to the driver’s freedom to maneuver under the prevailing traffic conditions. The concept of highway capacity is vital for many reasons. Firstly, it helps road designers to appropriately determine the class of highway, lane width, and the number of intersections (Zheng et al. 153). Secondly, it enables the improvement of geometric elements of roads and traffic control gadgets. The paper also discusses the challenges faced by researchers while developing Highway Capacity Manual under the unique American conditions.

            Keywords: Highway Capacity, freeways, Inter-Urban Highways, single lane, multilane, expressways

Works Cited

Akçelik, Rahmi. “An assessment of the HIGHWAY CAPACITY MANUAL EDITION 6 roundabout capacity model.” Transportation Research Board: Green Bay, WI, USA (2017).

Kondyli, Alexandra, et al. “Defining, measuring, and modeling capacity for the highway capacity manual.” Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems 143.3 (2017): 04016014.

Lu, Zhaoyang, and Qiang Meng. “Analysis of optimal BOT highway capacity and economic toll adjustment provisions under traffic demand uncertainty.” Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review 100 (2017): 17-37.

Zheng, Yinan, et al. “Proposed Framework for Evaluating Spillback in the Highway Capacity Manual.” Transportation Research Record 2615.1 (2017): 148-158.