Design Guideline Development for Managed Lane Access Spacing Using Gap Acceptance Theory

The principal objective of this paper is to develop road design guidelines, especially for managed lane access spacing between the expressway on-ramp (or off-ramp) and managed lane access point. Managed lanes are typically located in the expressway median and are accessed by weaving across the mainlines. The high level of lane-changing activity present in weaving areas affects capacity significantly. One promising tool for the analysis of lane-changing activity is “gap acceptance theory.” This paper estimates the capacity of weaving areas based on the estimated degree of traffic turbulence using gap acceptance theory. The degree of traffic turbulence is represented by a function of the probability that lane-changing vehicles can complete their maneuvers successfully in a given weaving distance. In developing road design guidelines based on the developed gap acceptance model, the minimum managed lane access spacing is determined where the capacity with respect to the managed lane access spacing becomes stable.