This paper presents a methodology for the development of a toll plaza design manual intended for a preliminary estimation of the configuration of an urban barrier toll plaza, such as plazas on toll highway facilities, toll bridges, and toll tunnels. The manual is meant for cases in which conventional methods of toll collections are combined with electronic methods of automatic vehicle identification. During the development of the manual, a new concept - the throughput equivalent volume - was established. This concept is used to convert different volume combinations, of various toll-collection methods, and different vehicle classes at a specific plaza, into a common equivalent volume. The result is homogeneous volume of equivalent vehicles, termed throughput equivalent volume, which enables the summation of various volumes of vehicles bound for each lane category: manual, automated, and dedicated automatic vehicle identification lanes. The method that was developed makes it possible to determine the number of lanes needed for each specific category; this is done by dividing the sum of the throughput equivalent volumes by the throughput capacity of the equivalent lane. A flow chart showing the proposed process and examples of the design charts developed are presented and discussed. Further discussion of sensitivities and complexities of the planning process for a toll plaza is provided. The paper concludes with a list of five principal recommendations for the planning process. Since the results obtained are preliminary and intended to be used in a planning manual, the need is emphasized to fine-tune the plaza configuration for each specific site conditions with a simulation model that considers the randomness of the arrival of vehicles and the throughput variability of each plaza lane.

Ensuring a coordinated response to highway crashes and other incidents is vital to protecting public safety, keeping traffic moving, and reducing environmental impacts. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Research Report 981: Guidelines for Quantifying Benefits of Traffic Incident Management Strategies aims to offer guidance on Traffic Incident Management (TIM) programs, which can vary widely and may have different goals, guidelines, and methods applicable under a variety of data scenarios. Supplemental to the report is NCHRP Web-Only Document 301: Development of Guidelines on Quantifying Benefits of Traffic Incident Management Strategies, an Implementation Plan, and a Summary Presentation.