An Adaptive Traffic Signal Control System (ACS-Lite) in Heavily Congested Arterial Traffic: Experiences and Lessons Learned

Adaptive control software lite (ACS-Lite) is a traffic signal timing optimization system that dynamically adjusts traffic signal timing to meet current traffic demands. In this study, we conduct a "before and after" analysis to evaluate the ACS-Lite adaptive traffic control system recently deployed on a congested urban corridor in Albany, New York. This paper documents the experiences and lessons learned from its deployment and evaluation. Analysis results show that in heavily congested corridors, adaptive control can improve flow within its own system, but may cause extra delays at boundaries where there are interactions with other traffic control systems. Therefore, in some cases, a more comprehensive control and management framework may be needed.