Measuring networkwide traffic delay in schedule optimization for work-zone planning in urban networks

In this paper, we develop a mathematical decision model and a solution algorithm to prioritize and schedule work zones in the planning process. The model is designed to measure the mutually interacting traffic impact and delay as a result of work-zone disruptions in the network. Several construction strategies that interest stakeholders are discussed, including daytime and nighttime construction modes, sequencing precedence, and the seasonal variation effect of demand. The method evaluates networkwide traffic delay through a k-shortest path algorithm to analyze drivers' behavior of alternative-route selection. A numerical example is analyzed on a real-world network to demonstrate the applicability of the model for a road construction scheduling problem.