Design of passing lanes on two-lane highways.

This paper presents the methodology and an example of a microcomputer program developed to estimate the microscopic delay, running cost, and safety benefits which can accrue to a two-lane, two-way highway as those benefits vary depending upon the peaking effects of traffic volumes throughout the year including seasonal effects. The program requires the development and insertion of speed and delay models produced from replicated runs of the TWOPAS Traffic Simulation Model to ultimately produce a benefit/ cost ratio estimating the desirability of constructing volume generated auxiliary passing lanes over a particular roadway segment.