Evaluating effects of toll strategies on route diversion and travel times for origin-destination pairs in a regional transportation network

    Authors

    H. Al-Deek; S. R. Chandra; E. B. Emam;J. Klodzinski

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Transp. Res. Record

    Keywords

    Engineering, Civil; Transportation; Transportation Science & Technology

    Abstract

    Congestion on freeway facilities is a growing menace. Interstate 4 (I-4) in the Central Florida region has been experiencing delays during peak hour; this has warranted research on traffic management strategies. The public, through the media, had proposed removing tolls on state toll roads to divert traffic from I-4. A microsimulation model, Paramics, was used to examine the potential impact of this proposal. SR-417 is a relatively uncongested toll road alternative to I-4. SR-528 is the east-west toll road connecting SR-417 and I-4. Commuters on SR-417 have to travel 15 mi longer and pay $5 compared with no monetary cost on I-4 for the same trip. The public and politicians are reluctant to toll I-4 to relieve congestion. The results from the simulation indicated that under recurring congestion conditions on I-4, removing tolls on SR-417 and SR-528 would not divert enough traffic from I-4 because of the 15-mi advantage. Under incident and lane closure scenarios on I-4 with toll reduction on SR-417 and SR-528, the travel time would increase on I-4. This result would prompt some diversion, with volumes and travel times increasing on SR-417. It was concluded that the amount of traffic that would be diverted from I-4 to the toll roads would not significantly relieve congestion on I-4. When specific origin-destination pairs were analyzed, average travel time savings on I-4 were only around 5 min. It was concluded that contrary to the media and public perception, toll reduction would only have a minimum impact on reducing I-4 congestion.

    Journal Title

    Transportation Research Record

    Issue/Number

    2035

    Publication Date

    1-1-2007

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    205

    Last Page

    215

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000253787400023

    ISSN

    0361-1981

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