Vehicle - to - Infrastructure Traffic Information System for the Work Zone Based on Dedicated Short - Range Communication Development and Field Demonstration

The preceding critical points have motivated a lot of interest in developing applications with DSRC technology to improve safety and mobility of traffic on U.S. highways (3–11). Recently, a remote collision avoidance system using DSRC-based V2V communication was verified (8). Similarly, a DSRC-based secure communication protocol for a vehicle ad hoc network has been proposed by exchanging warning messages using both V2I and V2V communication (9). The Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety System program of the University of Michigan aims to integrate several collision warning systems into one vehicle in a way that alerts drivers to potential collision threats with an effective driver–vehicle interface, while minimizing the number of excessive warnings presented to the driver (10). Furthermore, ongoing work by the California Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology program is in many areas, some of which include sending travel time (TT) data to vehicles; sending incident information to vehicles; and having work zone safety, intersection collision, and curve overspeed warnings (11). An area where there is a need for such applications is the work-zone environment, which can cause severe congestion on U.S. roadways and a potential hazard to driver safety. Work-zone-related congestion can grow very quickly, especially during peak hours. In this paper, this application area has been targeted and a system has been developed that can estimate and periodically broadcast the start of congestion (SoC) location and the TT through the congestion by using DSRCbased V2I communication. This system can improve both traffic efficiency and driver safety on a congested roadway by acquiring and providing important safety information to the driver, in real time, with DSRC-based V2I communication. Traffic efficiency can be improved by letting drivers know the TT through a congested area, which allows them to make informed decisions about whether to seek an alternate route. The driver’s safety can be improved by communicating how far the SoC is from the current location of the driver so that he or she can be prepared for a sudden breaking situation ahead. The system that has been developed for a work zone is fully portable and can be easily installed at any work-zone site. In addition to the Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Traffic Information System for the Work Zone Based on Dedicated Short-Range Communication Development and Field Demonstration