Twin Cities Ramp Meter Evaluation, Final Report.

摘要

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) uses ramp meters to manage freeway access on approximately 210 miles of freeways in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Mn/DOT first tested ramp meters in 1969 as a method to optimize freeway safety and efficiency in the metro area. Since then, approximately 430 ramp meters have been installed and used to help merge traffic onto freeways and to help manage the flow of traffic through bottlenecks. While ramp meters have a long history of use by Mn/DOT as a traffic management strategy, some members of the public have recently questioned the effectiveness of the strategy. A bill passed in the past session by the Minnesota Legislature requires Mn/DOT to study the effectiveness of ramp meters in the Twin Cities Region by conducting a shutdown study before the next legislative session. The study is scheduled to occur in the fall of 2000, with the results to be presented to the Legislature and the public by February 1st, 2001. The goal of the study is to evaluate and report any relevant facts, comparisons, or statistics concerning traffic flow and safety impacts associated with deactivating system ramp meters for a predetermined amount of time.