Enhancements of the Kronos Simulation Package and Database for Geometric Design Planning, Operations and Traffic Management in Freeway Networks/Corridors (Phase II)

Abstract

This report summarizes the enhancement results of the KRONOS freeway traffic simulation package. KRONOS is a personal computer-based, dynamic freeway simulation software, which is based on the continuum flow modeling approach. Unlike other macroscopic simulation programs, KRONOS explicitly models interrupted flow behavior such as merging, diverging, and weaving. The resulting KRONOS version, v8.0, which operates under the MS-DOS® environment, can simulate two freeways merging/diverging with a common section for a total length up to 20 miles with eight lanes. The new multi-stage incident module can handle up to six capacity-variant stages, which allows evaluation of various management strategies. A spread-sheet formatted output file stores the simulated results of traffic parameters, such as flow, speed, and density. Separate output files also store the measures of effectiveness, such as delay and total travel time. The current version takes approximately three minutes to simulate a 20-mile section for one hour on an IBM-PC compatible with the Pentium-90 MHZ processor.