Considerations in the Application of Freeway Computer Simulation Models to Project Evaluation

摘要

Improvements or new construction of freeways can benefit from tools to evaluate various design alternatives. The use of a computer model to evaluate project alternatives is the most cost effective method, but often times the least understood. This research study focuses on characteristics of and the process of choosing a freeway simulation model. The input, output and possible applications of several freeway simulation models are listed and a case study highlighting the output from each model is presented for comparison. Finally, a ranking of the freeway models is presented for particular applications.