Reliable Urban Transportation Network Design Problem Considering Recurrent Traffic Congestions

Traffic congestion is one of the main reasons for the unsustainability of an urban transportation network. Changes in travel demand and streets’ capacity lead to traffic congestion in urban transportation networks, which is known as recurrent traffic congestion. This study aims to assess the performance reliability of urban transportation networks subject to recurrent traffic congestion conditions in order to help travelers to find alternative non-congested routes. A non-congested route is a route without any congested link. The network reliability is defined and modeled as two different scenarios; users’ unawareness of the network’s traffic congestion and users’ ongoing awareness of the network’s traffic congestion. In addition, a reliable network design model is provided to optimize the reliability of the network taking into account street widening policy and budget constraints. Lastly, a Quantum-Inspired Evolutionary Meta-Heuristic Algorithm is adopted; while maintaining accuracy, to reduce problem-solving time and providing the possibility of solving large-scale problems for real networks. To show the applicability of the proposed models and algorithm, they have been implemented on the Sioux Falls transportation network. The results indicate users’ awareness of traffic congestion in the network increases its reliability, and centrally located links are the first candidates for street widening.