Using Advanced Driving Simulator as Design Tool in Road Tunnel Design

To obtain more information for tunnel design problems, a virtual model of some proposed tunnel designs was developed to demonstrate the design in advance and to be used as a platform for future tunnel research projects. By combining this model with an advanced driving simulator, the designers can virtually drive through their drawings before construction work is started. In comparison with traditional animation techniques, an interactive virtual model combined with a driving simulator has proved to be useful in many aspects. It is an excellent tool for testing proposed positions of road signs in the tunnel. It is easier to compare alternative sign positions with the three-dimensional virtual tunnel model than with ordinary drawings. Some visual traps not foreseen in the original sign-position design were corrected after detection in the simulator. Traffic engineers reported that they became involved in the tunnel design process at an earlier stage than before, enabling them to work in the final tunnel environment long before the actual tunnel was built. The ability to work early in the design process makes it possible for traffic engineers, architects, and safety engineers to evaluate their designs while other solutions still can be considered.