Optimizing schedule for improving the traffic impact of work zone on roads

Many different types of construction projects set up work zones on roads. Especially in urban areas, lane closures as a result of work zones have a considerable impact on local traffic. However, for a construction project that consists of several work zones and several work crews, the traffic impact may be improved by appropriate scheduling. Therefore, this paper proposed a scheduling model based on the route-changing behavior of road users. The proposed model calculates the traffic delay of vehicles by microscopic simulation, and applies team ant colony optimization to search for a near-optimal schedule. The project planner then ensures that the contractor executes the activities according to the near-optimal schedule. The proposed model is applied to schedule a sewer system construction project in a city. The results of our study indicate that with our proposed model the total traffic delay is reduced by 11.1% when compared with a schedule proposed by the project planner.