Traffic control at smart road intersections

Abstract

This project extends an existing single-intersection mutex algorithm by connecting independent intersection controllers to manage traffic flow across a network of intersections. While prior work has established centralized mutex control for isolated intersections, the expansion to a network introduces new challenges, particularly in managing intermediary road segments and preventing deadlock conditions. With each intersection operating as an independent decision-making unit, the study designs a traffic control system that maintains centralized control at individual intersections while employing distributed independent controllers at the network level. Through implementation and testing, we demonstrate that while the system does not achieve complete deadlock freedom, it maintains reliable operation under typical traffic conditions, with potential deadlocks emerging only during extreme congestion scenarios or rare circular-wait conditions. This presents the system a feasible alternative solution for traffic network management. As transportation systems increasingly integrate autonomous vehicles and wireless communications, this work contributes to the growing field of intersection management algorithms by providing insights into the challenges and potential solutions for scaling single-intersection control mechanisms to network-wide applications.