On-Ramp Metering and Commuter Delay: A Before and After Study

In this paper researchers report the cause and effect of time varying output flow through a 6.3-mile stretch of northbound Interstate 5 in Sacramento that contains a series of bottlenecks. The researchers found that variations in output flow were linked to the queue that forms and dissipates at a horizontal curve. This curve had become the site’s greatest bottleneck downstream. The researchers developed and field-tested a metering scheme upstream of the curve aimed at maximizing output from the horizontal curve. The researchers also confirmed that on-ramp metering can increase long-run average output flow and reduce system-wide delay. The paper includes a review of the literature, observations of traffic phenomenon at the site, and ramp metering field tests.

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