Numerical Studies on Reformulation Techniques for Continuous Network Design with Asymmetric User Equilibria

Abstract

In this article, we aim to find the most effective reformulation techniques to solve the MPCC (mathematical program with complementarity constraints) model that we proposed recently for continuous network design problems under asymmetric user equilibria. The MPCC model is based on a link-node nonlinear complementarity formulation for asymmetric user equilibria. By applying various reformulation techniques for the lower level nonlinear complementarity, the original bilevel formulation can be converted to a single level nonlinear programming problem. We show that certain reformulations are more effective than others to solve the proposed MPCC model. Recommendations are thus provided on how to choose a reformulation of the continuous network design problem that can be solved effectively and/or efficiently.