Estimating managed lanes door-to-door travel timesavings using shortest path algorithms

Abstract

Implementing managed lanes, such as high-occupancy toll lanes, within existing urban highway corridors has become increasingly common in cities that want to provide a reliable transportation option but lack sufficient right-of-way to construct new corridors. This study develops a framework that utilizes a shortest path algorithm to compare before and after commute routes and estimate the change in door-to-door travel time offered by managed lane facilities. Using this modeling approach, a case study is explored for the Northwest Corridor (NWC) managed lane facility located in the Atlanta, Georgia, region. The shortest path routines predict that the facility provides a 21.0% - 27.1% decrease in door-to-door travel time for the NWC managed lane users, and a 5.8% – 12.0% travel time decrease for non-NWC general-purpose lane users, for corridor travelers departing home between 6:30 and 8:30 A.M. (traversing the corridor between 6:30 A.M. and 10:00 A.M.). This framework can be easily customized and applied to any other commute route/time change assessment for major managed lane projects.