The expressway network design problem for multiple urban subregions based on the macroscopic fundamental diagram

As urbanization advances, cities are expanding, leading to a more decentralized urban structure and longer average commuting durations. The construction of an urban expressway system emerges as a critical strategy to tackle this challenge. However, the traditional link-level network design method faces modeling and solution challenges when dealing with the large-scale expressway network design problem (ENDP). To address the challenges, this paper proposes an expressway network design method for multiple urban subregions based on the macroscopic fundamental diagram (MFD). Initially, a mixed road network traffic model that describes traffic dynamics of multiple subregions and candidate expressways is developed by integrating the MFD and the cell transmission model (CTM). Then, treating urban subregions and candidate expressways as route nodes in the mixed road network, a route choice model is established based on stochastic user equilibrium. Finally, a decision model for ENDP is proposed to minimize vehicle travel time under the construction budget constraint. The impact of financial investment and traffic demand on expressway network design schemes in the case study is explored separately. The simulation results indicate that during the initial stages of expressway planning, the construction of new expressways can significantly alleviate traffic congestion. However, as the expressway network expands further, the effectiveness of improving traffic conditions through new expressway construction gradually diminishes if traffic demand does not continue to increase. Additionally, variations in traffic demand between subregions result in different construction schemes, emphasizing the importance of adjusting budget allocations based on specific traffic demands.