Comparative traffic data analysis for a motorway with a tunnel segment

Abstract

This paper introduces the changes of traffic characteristics in one of “Seoul-Chuncheon Motorway” sections including a tunnel segment in South Korea. It is easy to understand that the traffic characteristics are by no means a constant value and are dependent on geometrical features like a tunnel. It would be also important that the traffic characteristics could affect total travelling time passing the section and the results of a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA). Overall traffic characteristics such as free-flow speed, road capacity and breakdown effect were analysed for demonstrating this impact. The past one-year data from Korean Intelligent Transport System (ITS) clearly shows these changes in many locations inside and outside a tunnel. Some meaningful values in the data analysis are suggested in this paper. The initial observation during the comparatively short period (45 days) derives the lowest free-flow speed and the largest traffic volumes through comparing with every value in each location. In the latter part of this paper, the detailed one-year data analysis minimises the errors, which are the impacts of external conditions such as season or weather. In addition, traffic volume at the breakdown point as well as free-flow speed and road capacity indicate that a tunnel could cause the changes in travelling time. It is significant that the derivation of the various values from this analysis could guarantee the possibility of developing a new model for the traffic assignment in a motorway section that has similar geometry to that in this paper.

More information

Identifiers

ORCID for Jonathan Preston: orcid.org/0000-0002-6866-049X

ORCID for Ioannis Kaparias: orcid.org/0000-0002-8857-1865

Catalogue record

Export record