456 CHARTER II – NETWORK MODELS
Case Study: Southwestern University Traffic Problems
Southwestern University is experiencing increased congestion in its football program now that a high‑profile coach has been hired. This influx means additional reserves, but it has also increased complaints due to the traffic problems associated with the football games. Marty Sour, SWU’s president, has asked the university to plan based on traffic projections. Dr. Sour would hope to have sufficient capacity so that 35.000 cars per hour could travel from the stadium to the intersection following the in‑service highway. To alleviate congestion and increase capacity, the city is considering various improvements. The numbers of cars (in 1,000s) per hour for the relevant links are shown in Figure 11.34.
Because the major problem will be after the game, possible measures include where streets close to the stadium being transformed into one‑way streets for a short period after each game with police officers directing traffic. Figure 11.34 indicates that the final number of cars per hour that may leave the stadium (node 1) is 30,000. The numbers of cars that may pass through nodes 2, 3, and 4 (or links 5, 6, and 7) are given as appropriate capacities in the figure. Therefore, Dr. Lee has prepared alternative expansions while routing traffic by the cheapest options. Based on past experience, it is assumed that as long as the net outflow capacity is within 2.500 cars per hour of the number that leave the stadium, the problem is not too severe. However, the severity of the problem proves dramatic for an additional 1,000 cars that are enabled to leave the streets.
Figure 11.34 — Roads from Stadium to in‑service
Discussion Questions
If there is no expansion, what is the maximum number of cars that may actually arrive from the stadium to the intersection?
If the cost for expanding a short section were the same for each section, how many expansions would be needed to obtain a total capacity equal to 35.080 per hour?
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