Ramp Management and Control Handbook FINAL
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Ramp Management and Control Handbook FINAL January 2006 Publication No. FHWA-HOP-05-072 NOTICE This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liabil- ity for its contents or use thereof. This report does not consti- tute a standard, specification, or regulation. The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade and manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the object of the document. Report No. Government Accession No. Recipient’s Catalog No. FHWA-HOP-06-001 Title and Subtitle Report Date Ramp Management and Control Handbook January 2006 Performing Organization Code Author(s) Performing Organization Report No. Leslie Jacobson, Jason Stribiak, Lisa Nelson, Doug Sallman. Performing Organization Name and Address Work Unit No. (TRAIS) PB Farradyne 3206 Tower Oaks Blvd. Contract or Grant No. Rockville, MD 20852 DTFH61-01-C-00181 Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Type of Report and Period Cov- ered Office of Transportation Management Final Report, October 2003 Federal Highway Administration - January 2006 400 Seventh Street, S.W. Sponsoring Agency Code Washington, D.C. 20590 Supplementary Notes James Colyar and John Halkias, FHWA Contracting Officer's Task Managers. Abstract This handbook provides guidance and recommended practices on managing and controlling traffic on ramps with freeway facilities. The use or applica- tion of the guidance and recommendations provided will in time serve to en- hance the use and effectiveness of the ramp management and control strate- gies. This handbook also describes in greater depth the issues and concepts specific to ramp management and control that were presented in Chapter 7 of the Freeway Management and Operations Handbook. The Freeway Management and Operations Handbook was released by the Federal Highway Administration in September 2003, and has since been updated to summarize the guidance pre- sented in this handbook. Key Words Distribution Statement Ramp, Ramp Management, Ramp Meter- No restrictions ing, Ramp Closure, Ramp Opera- tions, Ramp Design, Ramp Mainte- nance Security Classif. (of this report) Security Classif. (of this page) No. of Pages Price Unclassified Unclassified 342 Foreword FOREWORD Over the last half century, the public’s increasing demand for fast, efficient, and convenient means of travel has resulted in greater use and dependency on existing transportation infrastructure, including freeways and their associated ramps, to meet their personal and/or business needs. This increasing de- mand has largely outpaced efforts to increase supply. Efforts to satisfy public demand for improved travel have, instead shifted from of a philosophy of providing additional capacity to one of improving manage- ment and operations of existing transportation infrastructure. Born out of this philosophy was the imple- mentation of policies, strategies and technologies to improve performance of freeway entrance and exit ramps. These policies, strategies, and technologies are better known as Ramp Management. The over-riding objectives of Ramp Management are to minimize congestion (and its side effects), im- prove safety, and enhance overall mobility. This handbook provides guidance and recommended prac- tices that help practitioners archive these objectives. The use or application of the guidance and recom- mendations provided in this handbook will serve to enhance the use and effectiveness of the ramp man- agement and control strategies. Although more comprehensive in scope, this handbook complements and describes in greater depth the issues and concepts specific to ramp management and control that were presented in Chapter 7 of the Freeway Management and Operations Handbook. The Freeway Management and Operations Handbook was released by the Federal Highway Administration in September 2003, and has been updated concur- rently with this handbook to summarize the guidance presented in this handbook. i Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction ...........................................................................................................................1-1 1.1 Ramp Management Introduction and Understanding ..................................................................1-1 1.1.1 What is Ramp Management? .............................................................................................1-2 1.1.2 Why is Ramp Management Important? ..............................................................................1-3 1.1.3 History of Ramp Management in the United States ...........................................................1-3 1.1.4 Ramp Management Goals, Objectives and Strategies ......................................................1-5 1.1.5 Observed Benefits ..............................................................................................................1-6 1.1.6 Ramp Management as Part of an Effective Transportation System ..................................1-9 1.2 Handbook Vision and Development...........................................................................................1-12 1.2.1 Purpose and Objectives....................................................................................................1-13 1.2.2 Handbook Development and Organization.......................................................................1-14 1.2.3 How to Use this Document ...............................................................................................1-19 Chapter 2: Ramp Management and Control: Overview........................................................................2-1 2.1 Chapter Overview.........................................................................................................................2-1 2.2 Introduction to Ramp Management and Control ..........................................................................2-3 2.2.1 What is Ramp Management? .............................................................................................2-3 2.2.2 Ramp Management and Control Benefits ..........................................................................2-3 2.3 Ramp Management and the Traffic Management Program.........................................................2-4 2.4 Preparing for Successful Operations ...........................................................................................2-5 2.4.1 Coordination .......................................................................................................................2-5 2.4.2 Staffing................................................................................................................................2-6 2.4.3 Resources to Support Successful Operations....................................................................2-6 2.5 Ramp Management Strategies ....................................................................................................2-8 2.5.1 Ramp Closure.....................................................................................................................2-8 2.5.2 Ramp Metering ...................................................................................................................2-8 2.5.3 Special Use Treatments .....................................................................................................2-9 2.5.4 Ramp Terminal Treatments................................................................................................2-9 2.6 Developing and Selecting Ramp Management Strategies ........................................................2-10 2.7 Implementation Issues ...............................................................................................................2-11 2.8 Operations and Maintenance Issues..........................................................................................2-12 2.8.1 Operations ........................................................................................................................2-12 2.8.2 Maintenance .....................................................................................................................2-12 2.9 Performance Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting .................................................................2-13 2.10 Planning and Design Considerations.......................................................................................2-14 2.10.1 Planning Considerations.................................................................................................2-14 2.10.2 Design Considerations....................................................................................................2-15 2.11 Ramp Management and Other Transportation Improvements ................................................2-15 2.11.1 Corridor Planning and Investment ..................................................................................2-15 2.11.2 New Highways ................................................................................................................2-16 2.11.3 Additional Lanes .............................................................................................................2-16 2.11.4 Geometric Improvements ...............................................................................................2-16 2.11.5 Reconstruction and Traffic Management........................................................................2-16 iii Ramp Management