Development and Evaluation of an Advanced Dynamic Lane Merge Traffic Control System For 3 To 2 Lane Transition Areas in Work Zones

The majority of safety hazards and resulting traffic crashes that occur in lane closure areas in work zone are often due to the aggressive behavior of some drivers. The late lane merge phenomenon occurs when some drivers try to avoid slow moving traffic by traveling in the lane that is about to end, and then attempt to force a merge in the through lane at the last moment. In an attempt to alleviate such aggressive driver behavior at work zones an innovative traffic control system was developed in Michigan for two (2) to one (1)-lane transition areas in work zones, which was found to be effective. In the current study, The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Wayne State University Transportation Research Group have jointly developed a advanced dynamic early lane merge traffic control system (DELMTCS) for three (3) to two (2)-lane transition areas in work zones, creating an enforceable no passing zone to encourage motorists to make an early merge. During the year 2002, the system was designed for a right lane closure and in the year 2003 it was again set up for a left-lane closure. The effectiveness of the DELMTCS in terms of reducing delay, aggressive driver behavior and increasing average travel speed was evaluated using the field data collected at the study area before and after implementing the DELMTCS. Results of the evaluation study indicate that a smoother traffic flow is achieved by the installation of the DELMTCS. Also, the average delay per vehicle to pass through the work zone and the number of aggressive driving maneuvers decreased due to the installation of the DELMTCS in a work zone on the I-94 freeway in Michigan.