CETRAN30: Fundamentals of Transportation

Engineering
MODULE 8: INTERSECTION DESIGN AND CONTROL

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INTERSECTION DESIGN AND CONTROL
Intersections play an important role in any network system. They are the points where
traffic converges and where the direction of travel changes. Intersections may be categorized
according to shape, type of structure, and type of operation.

Shape
This refers to the configuration of the intersection and would depend largely on the number
of legs. Carefully planned and properly designed road networks often lead to intersections
with simpler shapes having a lesser number of legs. Some of the most commonly observed
intersection configurations are the following:
a. Three-leg: T or Y
INTERSECTION DESIGN AND CONTROL
b. Four-leg: normal crossing, oblique, or d. Rotary or roundabout
skewed/staggered

c. Multileg: intersections with more than four legs

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Type of Structure
Most of the intersections are either designed as at-grade intersections or grade-separated
intersections such as flyovers or interchanges. The type of grade separation depends largely
on the extent of improvement it would provide in terms of easing congestion or reducing
traffic accidents.

Grade-separated Intersection

At-grade Intersection
INTERSECTION DESIGN AND CONTROL
Type of Operation
Rules and regulations applied to a given intersection depend
largely on the type of control that is in operation at that
intersection. The main objective is to simplify the traffic flow.
This is often achieved by reducing the number of conflicts of
vehicles. 7

An intersection operates as unchannelized or channelized, and Channelized Intersection

unsignalized or signalized. Channelization often leads to
simplified movements of vehicles as it leads drivers to one
conflict at a time. On the other hand, signalization greatly
reduces crossing conflicts at the intersection area.

Unchannelized Intersection
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BASIC INTERSECTION DESIGN PRINCIPLES

When designing or improving an intersection, it is very important to follow some basic principles to avoid
costly mistakes that lead to a lack of the intersection’s capacity or to its being accident-prone.
a. The maximum number of legs should be four. It has been shown that the number of conflicts increases
exponentially as the number of intersection legs increases.
b. Staggered intersections should be avoided. Due to the proximity of two side roads, inadequate length of
storage lane for left vehicles often causes blockage of the through traffic.
c. Main traffic flow should be nearly as straight as possible. Sharp turns, such as left and right turns, cause
unnecessary reductions in traffic speeds.
d. Roads should not intersect at a small angle. Oblique intersections pose potential hazards and cause high
severity accidents due to the head-to-head collisions of vehicles.
e. Two intersections should be as far as possible from each other. In addition to the reason cited in (b),
adequate weaving sections may not be provided. As a rule of thumb, the distance between the two
intersections must be:
Distance (m) = design speed (kph) x number of lanes x 2
INTERSECTION DESIGN AND CONTROL
METHODS OF CONTROL OF INTERSECTIONS

Conflicts occur at intersections. The more number of legs an intersection has, the more conflict has. Figures
below show the number of conflicts of three-leg and four-leg intersections

Intersection Type
Type of Conflict
Three-leg Four-leg
Diverging 3 8
Merging 3 8
Crossing 3 16
TOTAL 9 32
INTERSECTION DESIGN AND CONTROL
Depending on the traffic volume using the intersection and the severity of conflicts, intersection control may
fall under the following categories:
a. Unsignalized
b. Signalized
c. Grade separation

Unsignalized Intersection
When two minor roads intersect, traffic may be assumed to arrive at any approach of the intersection in a
random fashion. In this case, signals may not be necessary but some control must be employed to ensure safety.
There is actually a rule for minor intersections where there is no clearly defined priority. The so-called “right-
of-way rule governs”. This rule states that when two vehicles arrive at the same time at the intersection, the
vehicle on the right has priority.
Roundabout is another form of unsignalized intersection that works best when the number of turning vehicles
is almost equal to the number of through vehicles. In roundabout, all the vehicles move counterclockwise in
one-way fashion.
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Signalized Intersection
The control of traffic intersections by traffic signals is done by separation in time. Conflicts between opposing
or merging streams are prevented by giving the right of way to a given direction. Consider four-leg intersection
with all movements allowed. Figure below shows the conflict diagrams for the different types of intersections
discussed previously.

Unsignalized Signalized Roundabout

Intersection Intersection Intersection
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Comparison in terms of the number of conflicts and the applicable type of control or regulation for the three
types of intersection.
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Grade Separation
Grade separation eliminates the problematic crossing conflicts of the different movements of vehicles.
Flyover/overpass, underpass, or full-blown interchanges are some of the examples of grade separation. Some of
these grade separations or interchanges are shown in the figure below. They provide the safest and most
efficient method of control but definitely the most costly.
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INTERSECTION DESIGN AND CONTROL
ANALYSIS OF UNSIGNALIZED INTERSECTION

A large number of intersections all over the country are still without traffic signals. It is,
therefore, necessary to have a means of analysis of the performance of this type of
intersection to find appropriate measures to minimize congestion and reduce the occurrence
of traffic accidents.

The method calculates the maximum flow in any given minor road traffic stream. It is then
compared with the existing traffic flow to eliminate the reserve capacity. The probable delay
and level of service are determined based on this reserve capacity.
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ANALYSIS OF UNSIGNALIZED INTERSECTION

Consider the four-leg intersection below. Minor movements are movements coming from the
side road or minor road. In addition, the left turn movement from the major roads are also
considered minor. But in terms of hierarchy, these left-turn movements have higher priority
than the movements coming from the minor road.

The method requires that the traffic movements be

dealt with in the following order:

a. Right turns into the major road

b. Left turns off the major road
c. Traffic crossing the major road
d. Left turns into the major road
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Structure of Major Road Traffic
For traffic turning right from the major road, which does not have a direct
conflict with the minor flow being considered, half of its volume is
considered an inhibiting effect. If this inhibiting effect is shown to be
absent through actual observation of the condition, traffic turning right
from the major road may be totally omitted.

Critical Gap
The source of capacity of the minor road flows is the available gaps
between major road flows. The critical gap is used to describe the
minimum gaps needed by drivers of minor road vehicles.
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TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROL

The control of traffic intersections by traffic signals is done

by separation in time, i.e., conflicts between opposing or
merging streams are prevented by giving the right of way to
a given direction. This separation in time is termed as signal
phasing. And it can be seen that the more number of
conflicts, the more number of phasing is needed.
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Types of Signals
Depending on the distance and influence of one or more signals over the other, the intersections may be
classified as isolated, coordinated, or area controlled.

Isolated
A particular intersection may be considered isolated if the arrivals of vehicles at its approach are random.

Pre-time Signal
Pre-time or fixed signals work best when there is not much fluctuation in traffic flow. The pre-time signal
controller may be of a single or multiprogram type of controller. The single-program controller makes use of
one set of signal parameters to control traffic flow throughout the day or during the period when the signal is in
operation. On the other hand, the multiprogram type makes use of a number of sets of parameters. This offers
greater flexibility and may be able to cope with the fluctuating demand within the day.
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Traffic Actuated
For isolated intersections where randomness of arrivals is expected, traffic-actuated signals are very effective.
In case of a priority road, a semi-actuated type of signal control is appropriate (see figure below).
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Coordinated
Where randomness can no longer be ensured and there is a need for continuous movement
over an arterial, coordination and synchronization of the timing of signals in series is
required.

Area Traffic Control

In urban centers, links (road sections) and nodes (intersections) often form a network as
shown in the figure below. Optimization techniques have been developed to cope with such
networks. Sophisticated software such as SCATS, SCOOT, etc. are used.
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Data Requirements for Traffic Signal Timing

In planning for phase pattern and for the determination of appropriate

timing of the signals, a number of data are required:
a. Traffic volume
b. Pedestrian flows
c. Passenger car unit values (PCU)
d. Saturation flow rates Two-phase System
e. Physical Characteristics of the road

Phase

Phasing is a process by which right of way is given to particular

movements in a logical manner with the primary purpose of
minimizing the number of conflicts.

Three-phase System
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