On the impact of connected automated vehicles in freeway work zones: A cooperative cellular automata model based approach

Purpose – Freeway work zones have been traffic bottlenecks that lead to a series of problems, including long travel time, high-speed variation, driver’s dissatisfaction and traffic congestion. This research aims to develop a collaborative component of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) to alleviate negative effects caused by work zones. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed cooperative component is incorporated in a cellular automata model to examine how and to what scale CAVs can help in improving traffic operations. Findings – Simulation results show that, with the proposed component and penetration of CAVs, the average performances (travel time, safety and emission) can all be improved and the stochasticity of performances will be minimized too. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research that develops a cooperative mechanism of CAVs to improve work zone performance. © 2018, Tsinghua University Press. All rights reserved.