Variable speed limit system for Elk Mountain corridor.

PDFTech ReportFHWA-WY-10/04FRS05207Variable message signsSpeed limitsDecision support systemsWeather conditionsHighway corridorsRoad weather information systemsField testsWyomingWyoming. Dept. of TransportationBuddemeyer, JennaYoung, RhondaSabawat, VijayLayton, EmilyUniversity of Wyoming. Dept. of Civil and Architectural EngineeringUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUS Transportation CollectionDetermining an appropriate speed for the current conditions can be difficult for the driver. Equally difficult is for lawenforcement agencies to enforce and cite someone going too fast for conditions. In many cases, drivers are cited for goingtoo fast for conditions only after the accident has occurred. Variable speed limits (VSL) are one type of intelligenttransportation system (ITS) that has shown promise for improving safety on roadways subject to adverse conditions. Thepurpose of this research was to lay the foundation for the new I-80 VSL system in southeastern Wyoming. During thisphase of the research, surveys were sent out to all DOTs to see what VSLs have been implemented in the U.S. Driverspeed behaviors during both \ue2\u20ac\u153ideal\ue2\u20ac? and \ue2\u20ac\u153non-ideal\ue2\u20ac? conditions were found and baseline speeds determined. Weather andspeed data were analyzed to determine key variables and threshold values. To check how cars and trucks are reacting to theVSL system individual speed analysis was done. A draft version of control strategy was designed and a simulation was runto check for level of speed compliance. The final task was to determine how drivers are reacting to the new VSL system