IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i18p4991-d266684.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Bottlenecks, Shockwave, and Off-Ramp Blockage on Freeways

Author

Listed:
  • Jingqiu Guo

    (Key Laboratory of Road and Traffic Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
    The first three authors contributed to this work equally.)

  • Xinyao Chen

    (Zhejiang University Urban-Rural Planning & Design Institute, Hangzhou 310000, China
    The first three authors contributed to this work equally.)

  • Yuqi Pang

    (Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Communications Planning, Design & Research, Hangzhou 310006, China
    The first three authors contributed to this work equally.)

  • Yibing Wang

    (Institute of Intelligent Transportation Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Pengjun Zheng

    (Faculty of Maritime and Transportation, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China)

Abstract

Freeway congestion may spill back for several kilometers, blocking a number of on/off-ramps upstream. As a consequence, flows at the off-ramps may be substantially reduced, and vehicles bound for the off-ramps are trapped in the mainstream congestion, causing intensified spillback of congestion that blocks even more off-ramps further upstream. Such off-ramp blockage is readily understood and its impact is empirically recognized, but there is a lack of analysis to provide more insights. In this paper, some flow conditions for the activation of bottlenecks and congestion propagation are first established, and the mechanism of the off-ramp blockage is theoretically explored. Macroscopic and microscopic simulations are conducted to demonstrate the analytical results, and some general relations between the total demand, total inflow, total off-ramp outflow, and the number of vehicles within a freeway system are examined.

Suggested Citation

  • Jingqiu Guo & Xinyao Chen & Yuqi Pang & Yibing Wang & Pengjun Zheng, 2019. "Bottlenecks, Shockwave, and Off-Ramp Blockage on Freeways," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-23, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:18:p:4991-:d:266684
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/18/4991/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/18/4991/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daganzo, Carlos F., 2005. "Improving City Mobility through Gridlock Control: an Approach and Some Ideas," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt7w6232wq, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    2. Arnott, Richard, 2013. "A bathtub model of downtown traffic congestion," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 110-121.
    3. Wang, Yibing & Papageorgiou, Markos, 2005. "Real-time freeway traffic state estimation based on extended Kalman filter: a general approach," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 141-167, February.
    4. Newell, G. F., 1999. "Delays caused by a queue at a freeway exit ramp," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 337-350, June.
    5. Newell, G. F., 1993. "A simplified theory of kinematic waves in highway traffic, part III: Multi-destination flows," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 305-313, August.
    6. Cassidy, Michael J. & Bertini, Robert L., 1999. "Some traffic features at freeway bottlenecks," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 25-42, February.
    7. Newell, G. F., 1993. "A simplified theory of kinematic waves in highway traffic, part II: Queueing at freeway bottlenecks," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 289-303, August.
    8. Arnott, Richard, 2015. "A Bathtub Model of Downtown Traffic Congestion," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt24h06883, University of California Transportation Center.
    9. Newell, G. F., 1993. "A simplified theory of kinematic waves in highway traffic, part I: General theory," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 281-287, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yu, Xiaojuan & van den Berg, Vincent A.C. & Verhoef, Erik T., 2025. "Preference heterogeneity in a dynamic flow congestion model," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    2. Mariotte, Guilhem & Leclercq, Ludovic, 2019. "Flow exchanges in multi-reservoir systems with spillbacks," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 327-349.
    3. Ma, Tao & Zhou, Zhou & Antoniou, Constantinos, 2018. "Dynamic factor model for network traffic state forecast," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 281-317.
    4. Yan, Qinglong & Sun, Zhe & Gan, Qijian & Jin, Wen-Long, 2018. "Automatic identification of near-stationary traffic states based on the PELT changepoint detection," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 39-54.
    5. van Erp, Paul B.C. & Knoop, Victor L. & Hoogendoorn, Serge P., 2018. "Macroscopic traffic state estimation using relative flows from stationary and moving observers," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 281-299.
    6. Shang, Pan & Li, Ruimin & Guo, Jifu & Xian, Kai & Zhou, Xuesong, 2019. "Integrating Lagrangian and Eulerian observations for passenger flow state estimation in an urban rail transit network: A space-time-state hyper network-based assignment approach," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 135-167.
    7. Ludovic Leclercq & Mahendra Paipuri, 2019. "Macroscopic Traffic Dynamics Under Fast-Varying Demand," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(6), pages 1526-1545, November.
    8. Michael Z. F. Li, 2008. "A Generic Characterization of Equilibrium Speed-Flow Curves," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(2), pages 220-235, May.
    9. Zhou, Fang & Li, Xiaopeng & Ma, Jiaqi, 2017. "Parsimonious shooting heuristic for trajectory design of connected automated traffic part I: Theoretical analysis with generalized time geography," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 394-420.
    10. Lehe, Lewis J. & Pandey, Ayush, 2025. "Equilibrium horizontal queues and a paradox of tolling," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    11. Jin, Wen-Long, 2020. "Generalized bathtub model of network trip flows," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 138-157.
    12. Zheng, Zuduo & Su, Dongcai, 2016. "Traffic state estimation through compressed sensing and Markov random field," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 525-554.
    13. Mariotte, Guilhem & Leclercq, Ludovic & Laval, Jorge A., 2017. "Macroscopic urban dynamics: Analytical and numerical comparisons of existing models," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 245-267.
    14. Ma, Tao & Zhou, Zhou & Abdulhai, Baher, 2015. "Nonlinear multivariate time–space threshold vector error correction model for short term traffic state prediction," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 27-47.
    15. Sun, Zhe & Jin, Wen-Long & Ritchie, Stephen G., 2017. "Simultaneous estimation of states and parameters in Newell’s simplified kinematic wave model with Eulerian and Lagrangian traffic data," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 106-122.
    16. Duret, Aurélien & Yuan, Yufei, 2017. "Traffic state estimation based on Eulerian and Lagrangian observations in a mesoscopic modeling framework," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 51-71.
    17. Mauch, Michael & Cassidy, Michael J., 2004. "Freeway Traffic Oscillations: Observations and Predictions," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt89c3h1vv, University of California Transportation Center.
    18. Punzo, Vincenzo & Montanino, Marcello, 2016. "Speed or spacing? Cumulative variables, and convolution of model errors and time in traffic flow models validation and calibration," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 21-33.
    19. Seo, Toru & Kawasaki, Yutaka & Kusakabe, Takahiko & Asakura, Yasuo, 2019. "Fundamental diagram estimation by using trajectories of probe vehicles," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 40-56.
    20. Huanping Li & Jian Wang & Guopeng Bai & Xiaowei Hu, 2021. "Exploring the Distribution of Traffic Flow for Shared Human and Autonomous Vehicle Roads," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-21, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:18:p:4991-:d:266684. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.