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An Economic Analysis of Construction Bottlenecks

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  • O'Dea, William P.

Abstract

Highway repaving and repairs often require that two (or more) lanes of traffic be condensed into one lane around construction sites. As a rule, the merging process is unmanaged which in peak periods results in a traffic queue at the bottleneck. Traffic moves through the queue in a stop-and-go manner which increases travel time. This paper computes the amount of time spent in the traffic queues which result when the behavior of drivers at bottlenecks is unmanaged. It then explores a strategy for imposing order on driver behavior and determines the reduction in queuing time that would result. An example shows that the value of the reduction could be dramatic.

Suggested Citation

  • O'Dea, William P., 2006. "An Economic Analysis of Construction Bottlenecks," 47th Annual Transportation Research Forum, New York, New York, March 23-25, 2006 208045, Transportation Research Forum.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:ndtr06:208045
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.208045
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    References listed on IDEAS

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