Joint Deployment of Infrastructure-Assisted Traffic Management and Cooperative Driving around Work Zones

Abstract

Highway work zones can induce significant delays and undermine traffic safety. The recent advent of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) can pose an additional threat to traffic flow performance and safety around highway work zones. CAVs equipped with low - medium level automation systems that cannot reliably address work zone scenarios under all circumstances could induce control transitions and imminent Minimum Risk Manoeuvers (MRMs) that would result in significant traffic disruption and multiple safety critical events. The latter negative effects could be mitigated via the introduction of highly automated vehicles that could utilize sophisticated infrastructure assistance to traverse highway work zones without disengaging automation systems. This study develops novel and utilizes existing vehicle-driver models to simulate manual driving, mixed traffic and infrastructure-assisted highly automated traffic around highway work zones. Traffic operations are evaluated for the latter fleet mixes and three different traffic demand levels. Simulation results indicate that joint deployment of infrastructure-assisted traffic management and cooperative driving can ensure increased traffic efficiency and safety levels for high traffic intensity in a fully connected and automated road environment.