The Stochastic Queue Core problem, evacuation networks, and state-dependent queues

In this paper, we present the Stochastic Queue Core (SQC) model for network evacuation problems incorporating state-dependent queue roadway links. The roadway links are used to evacuate occupants so that the average travel time of the evacuation and the operating costs are minimized. Several algorithms are developed when there is blocking and where there is none. If there is significant blocking during the evacuation time, then the capacities of the roadway links are improved so as to alleviate the blocking. The computational complexity of the algorithms and numerical results are shown. We also compare and contrast the performance of the state dependent models with two well-known formulas for calculating the travel time of a vehicle along a network.