This study was prepared to identify the most effective means of increasing highway system capacity during the hurricane warning response period to maximize the number of persons that can be evacuated from the south Florida area. The study considered roadway corridors that are part of the Florida Intrastate Highway System (FIHS) and other segments of the state highway system that were identified as potential evacuation corridors for south Florida. This study considered both the travel demand and network capacity available under evacuation conditions based on work performed in previous studies and travel behavior. Sixteen operational improvements were considered in the evaluation of the benefits and constraints that included the impacts on system capacity, safety, costs, and operations. These alternatives included: planning and communication, transportation system management (TSM), transportation demand management (TDM), and capital improvements. However, the emphasis of this paper is on an evaluation of a one-way reversible lane system on Florida's Turnpike from West Palm Beach to Orlando, a length of 233 miles (375 km) involving 22 interchanges. (A)
Abstract