PURPOSES: This study performs fundamental research on ramp-metering design criteria. METHODS: We carefully review previous studies in terms of ramp-metering design criteria and then consider applicability in Korea. For this, traffic simulation model is employed to analyze actual effect according to specific location of stop-line when implementing rampmetering. RESULTS : When a stop-line moving forward with a 50m interval, travel speed at mainline relative to current stop-line location tends to decrease. However, traveling speed at approach roads increase about 5~18% under the same condition. When a stop-line location moving backward with a 50m interval, mainline travel speed increase approximately 17~32% whereas traveling speed at approach roads decrease. All cases are compared with the current stop-line location. CONCLUSIONS : We believe that both cases are useful with respect to freeway management. For example, moving forward a stop-line case can be used management for queuing area at ramp section and approach roads. Moving backward a stop-line case can be used for traffic control, focusing on mainline of freeways.

Today freeway is thought to be a very important transportation facility carrying tremendous traffic flow as the main corridor within the area of between the areas. However freeway is experiencing severe congestion and accidents by increased entrance ramp flow especially at peak time period. Ramp meters on the freeway entrance ramps that supply traffic to the freeway in a measured or appropriately regulated amount are needed for alleviating freeway congestion. Because ramp meters can be operated to discharge traffic at a measured or regulated rate thus maintaining more uniform speed on the mainline section maximizing the throughput to the freeway within the capacity of a downstream bottleneck and reducing the congestion related accidents. Thus the objectives in this study were to analyze the traffic characteristics on the freeway I-94 with ramp metering system before/after ITS technology in Detroit (Michigan) area compare shifts of the traffic characteristics on the freeway I-94 before/after ITS technology and finally suggest a better ramp metering strategy for the freeway system The following results were obtained: i)Flow occupancies and speeds on the mainline merge section of freeway were shown to be a big difference depending on the peak periods areas and directions based on the distribution of traffic flow characteristics on the freeway. ii)Reduced speed was shown to be more than 5 mph and ramp flow was also shown to be more than 240 vph at peak periods if there was the ramp metering system constructed on the freeway. iii)Ramp metering system was shown to be optimally operated on the freeway if ramp flow could be maximized within the range of over 900 vph and reduced occupancy could be also maximized by no more than 2 percent at peak periods. iv)The average flows on the freeway after the ITS technology were shown to be a decrease of over 20% depending on the peak periods areas and directions when compared with those flow on the freeway before the ITS technology. over 20% depending on the peak periods areas and directions when compared with those speeds on the freeway before the ITS technology. vi)The average metering rates on the freeway after the ITS technology were shown to be an increase of over 10% depending on the peak periods areas and directions when compared with those metering rates on the freeway before the ITS technology.