Feasibility and Operational Analysis of Unconventional Intersection Designs in Dense Urban Areas

Abstract

The increasing populations in major urban areas and the complexities associated with living in those communities have fuelled the increasing demands for mobility in most of the major metropolitan areas. This high demand coupled with the limited resources and restrictions on the available right of way in urban areas has motivated transportation engineers in different agencies around the world to test and apply unconventional solutions in an attempt to improve the level of service on the major roadway network. This paper combines both theoretical and real-life operational performance comparison for the before and the after of the construction of unconventional designs on two major intersections in the city of Riyadh, KSA. It provides the results of VISSIM micro-simulation model calibration and the performance analysis for the case study intersections. In addition, it presents the comparison of the existing conditions following the actual construction of the unconventional intersection designs and it and provides a feasibility analysis for a double continuous flow intersection that was used in the study. The results have showed an improved intersection performance from the simulation models and the actual data collected for the case study intersections. In addition, they have showed that it has been feasible to apply those designs in urban areas.