Safety Analysis of Managed Toll Lanes Considering Connected Vehicles

Managed lanes (MLs) have been implemented as an important traffic management strategy for improving traffic mobility, efficiency, and safety, in addition to generating revenue for transportation agencies. Scenarios were built and tested in microsimulation to specify the safest accessibility level and to decide on the safe weaving length near access zones. A log-linear model was developed with estimation of odds multipliers for the conflict frequency analysis. The results suggested that one accessibility level was the safest option in the 9-mile corridor. The length of 1,000 ft per lane change was shown to be the safest weaving length near access zones. Additionally, further analysis will be conducted for evaluating the MLs facility in a connected vehicle (CV) environment. Three types of lanes [i.e., MLs, general purpose lanes (GPLs), CV lanes] will be built and tested in microsimulation. The findings will reveal the impact of adding CV lanes on the safety of the MLs segments.