- Authored by: Bill Halkias
- Co-authored by: Helen Tyrogianni , Dimitris Mandalozis , Anna Politou
Managing Traffic on Urban Limited Access Facilities. Ingress Through Tolling and Egress to Large Scale Generators as Keys to Relieve Congestion. The Case of Attica Tollway in Athens, Greece
Managing Traffic on Urban Limited Access Facilities. Ingress Through Tolling and Egress to Large Scale Generators as Keys to Relieve Congestion. The Case of Attica Tollway in Athens, Greece
Attica Tollway constitutes the ring road of Athens, extending along 70 km, enabling quicker access to areas which, until recently, were either unapproachable or required a great amount of travel time. Entry to the Attica Tollway is gained via toll plazas located at the extremities of the freeway and at each entry on-ramp. Attica Tollway constitutes a road axis connecting numerous municipalities of the Attica basin and meeting the transportation needs of millions of people, on an annual basis. Attica Tollway was designed and constructed in such a way in order to provide an alternative solution to the congested urban network of Athens without providing disturbance to the surrounding areas. This principle is based mainly on its design that consists of 39 entry points and the potential provision of another three at three critical areas for future development. The Tollway has exceeded traffic forecasts in terms of expectations of demand. The reason is that Attica Tollway has produced significant improvements to traffic conditions in the metropolitan area. On the other hand, Attica Tollway faces congestion problems especially in its central section. Taking into account the frequent and closely spaced interchanges, management of entry points can produce significant advantages to the traffic conditions of the motorway. How about constructing exits (not entries) directly onto the large traffic generators abutting the highway? Would ramp metering in conjunction with provision of additional exits relieve congestion?
National Technical University of Athens
School of Rural and Surveying Engineering
Zografou Campus, Heroon Polytechniou 9
Athens 15780 Greece