Second best toll and capacity optimisation in networks: solution algorithm and policy implications

This paper looks at the first and second best jointly optimal toll and road capacity investment problems from both policy and technical oriented perspectives. On the technical side, the paper investigates the applicability of the constraint cutting algorithm for solving the second best problem under elastic demand which is formulated as a bilevel programming problem. The approach is shown to perform well despite several problems encountered by our previous work in Shepherd and Sumalee (Netw. Spat. Econ., 4(2): 161–179, 2004). The paper then applies the algorithm to a small sized network to investigate the policy implications of the first and second best cases. This policy analysis demonstrates that the joint first best structure is to invest in the most direct routes while reducing capacities elsewhere. Whilst unrealistic this acts as a useful benchmark. The results also show that certain second best policies can achieve a high proportion of the first best benefits while in general generating a revenue surplus. We also show that unless costs of capacity are known to be low then second best tolls will be affected and so should be analysed in conjunction with investments in the network.

Multi‐objective highway alignment optimization using a genetic algorithm

The available highway alignment optimization algorithms use the total cost as the objective function. This is a single objective optimization process. In this process, travel‐time, vehicle operation accident earthwork land acquisition and pavement construction costs are the basic components of the total cost. This single objective highway alignment optimization process has limited capability in handling the cost components separately. Moreover, this process cannot yield a set of alternative solutions from a single run. This paper presents a multi‐objective approach to overcome these shortcomings. Some of the cost components of highway alignments are conflicting in nature. Minimizing some of them will yield a straighter alignment; whereas, minimizing others would make the alignment circuitous. Therefore, the goal of the multiobjective optimization approach is to handle the trade‐off amongst the highway alignment design objectives and present a set of near optimal solutions. The highway alignment objectives, i.e., cost functions, are not continuous in nature. Hence, a special genetic algorithm based multi‐objective optimization algorithm is suggested The proposed methodology is demonstrated via a case study at the end.     

浅谈筑路机械设备管理

文章通过分析筑路机械设备管理的背景和意义,针对目前筑路机械设备管理存在的问题,提出了相关对策,为公路施工企业提高筑路机械设备管理水平提供借鉴。     

姚东大桥悬浇前支点挂篮施工技术

前支点挂篮施工工艺复杂,技术含量高。文章结合余姚姚东大桥施工实践,分析了前支点挂蓝的设计原理和技术难点,介绍了前支点挂篮在混凝土斜拉桥主梁悬浇施工中的工艺及注意事项。     

罗天乐大桥连续刚构0#块施工托架设计方法

文章介绍了罗天乐大桥连续刚构0#块施工托架的设计与计算方法,指出所采用的预埋牛角焊接型钢托架法具有取材方便、组装速度快、变形小、安全性高、经济适用等优点,适合高墩施工和无基础支撑条件的墩桩施工,可供同类型桥梁工程施工参考。     

市政道路工程造价的有效控制

文章从当前市政道路工程造价文件的编制依据、造价从业人员的素质以及项目建设各阶段呈现的投资控制问题出发,提出实现市政道路工程造价有效控制的措施,为市政道路工程造价管理提供参考。     

Understanding members' carsharing (activity) persistency by using econometric model

Carsharing is an innovative travel alternative that has recently experienced considerable growth and become part of sustainable transportation initiatives. Although carsharing is becoming increasingly a popular alternative transportation mode in North America, it is still an under‐researched area. Current research is aimed at better understanding of the behavior of carsharing users. For every member, a two‐stage approach microsimulates the probability of being active in any month using a binary probit model and given that a particular member is active during a month, the probability of that member using the service multiple times using a random utility‐based model. The model is estimated using empirical data from one of the largest carsharing companies in North America. The model estimates reveal that the activity persistency of members is positively linked to previous behaviors for up to 4 months, and that the influence of previous months weakens over time. It also shows that some attributes of the traveler (gender, age, and language spoken at home) impact his or her behaviors. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vulnerability analysis for large-scale and congested road networks with demand uncertainty

To assess the vulnerability of congested road networks, the commonly used full network scan approach is to evaluate all possible scenarios of link closure using a form of traffic assignment. This approach can be computationally burdensome and may not be viable for identifying the most critical links in large-scale networks. In this study, an “impact area” vulnerability analysis approach is proposed to evaluate the consequences of a link closure within its impact area instead of the whole network. The proposed approach can significantly reduce the search space for determining the most critical links in large-scale networks. In addition, a new vulnerability index is introduced to examine properly the consequences of a link closure. The effects of demand uncertainty and heterogeneous travellers’ risk-taking behaviour are explicitly considered. Numerical results for two different road networks show that in practice the proposed approach is more efficient than traditional full scan approach for identifying the same set of critical links. Numerical results also demonstrate that both stochastic demand and travellers’ risk-taking behaviour have significant impacts on network vulnerability analysis, especially under high network congestion and large demand variations. Ignoring their impacts can underestimate the consequences of link closures and misidentify the most critical links.     

穿越古滑坡川主寺隧道围岩破坏特征及稳定性研究

文章以川主寺隧道所处的工程地质条件为基础,通过现场调研分析了隧道围岩变形破坏形式主要为坍塌、掉块以及剥落.围岩稳定性三维有限元数值模拟结果显示,碎裂围岩自稳能力差,围岩变形以弹塑性变形、松弛变形为主;H型钢拱架支护结构对碎裂围岩稳定性起到积极的作用,并通过典型洞段现场位移监测数据分析结果得以证实.     

静态爆破法在深圳地铁施工中的应用

静态爆破是近年来发展起来的一种新型爆破施工技术,它可在无震动、无飞石,无噪音、无污染的条件下破碎或切割岩石或混凝土构筑物。深圳地铁2号线东延线土建工程安托山站—侨香站区间矿山法施工竖井系选用此工法在2 500 mm×3 000 mm雨水箱涵附近成功地进行了中、微风化花岗岩开挖施工,确保了雨水箱涵的安全性。