Variable Speed Limit Control on Highway Work Zone Considering Large Vehicle Mix Rates

Due to the difference of vehicle type and power performance between large vehicles and cars, large vehicle mix rate will have an important impact on traffic flow of work zone and lead to the decrease of driving safety. Through a survey of ShangHai outer ring highway work zone, this article analyzes the influence of large vehicles to traffic flow speed and speed variance, and then put forward a variable speed limit (VSL) strategy based on gap acceptance theory for highway work zone considering large vehicle mix rate. The simulated analyses showed that this strategy can reduce speed variance which can contribute to improving the overall traffic safety in work zone. The research results can provide a powerful technical support for highway work-zone speed management.