Evaluation of Design Method for Highway Adjacent Tunnel and Exit Connection Section Length Based on Entropy Method

Area of Science:

• Civil Engineering
• Transportation Engineering
• Traffic Safety

Background:

• Increasing transportation infrastructure leads to more tunnel and exit-adjacent sections (TEAS) on mountain expressways.
• Inadequate or excessive lengths of tunnel and exit connecting sections (TECS) cause driver congestion, confusion, or detours.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a theoretical calculation model for optimizing TECS length in mountain expressways.
• To provide a sustainable design strategy for TEAS by analyzing traffic flow and driver adaptation.

Main Methods:

• Data collection and driving tests to analyze traffic flow and driver light adaptation.
• Development of a VISSIM microscopic simulation model for various design schemes.
• Application of entropy-based multi-attribute decision making (EBMADM) for objective evaluation.

Main Results:

• The study validated the rationality of EBMADM by matching its results with theoretical calculations under current traffic conditions.
• EBMADM evaluation demonstrated a positive correlation between optimal TECS length and traffic volume/diverging ratio.

Conclusions:

• The developed model and EBMADM provide a rational approach for evaluating and designing TECS.
• Findings support optimizing TECS length based on traffic volume and diverging ratio for improved expressway design.