Evaluation of Route Diversion Strategies Using Computer Simulation

This paper presents a CORSIM-based simulation approach to evaluate the effects of incident management and signal timing modifications on traffic operations along I-75 and alternative routes in Sarasota County, Florida, U.S.A. The County has developed special countywide signal timing plans on alternative routes to guide and direct motorists coming off the interstate (I-75) back onto the interstate at an appropriate location when a traffic incident happens on I-75. These special signal timing plans were developed for six incident conditions using the SYNCHRO signal timing software. Based on the SYNCRHO data provided by Sarasota County, a CORSIM data set is developed for the evaluation of the effectiveness of the route diversion plan. The findings from the CORSIM analysis indicate that the route diversion plans developed by the County are very effective in terms of traffic operations, reducing overall network delay by an average 21%. An additional sensitivity analysis was conducted for one of six incident conditions to examine the impact of diverted traffic volume on traffic operations. The results imply that the percentage of diverted traffic volume has a great impact on the total delay of the entire network. A 10% diverted traffic volume is found to give minimal total network delay based on the case study.