A presentation on

Presented By:
Dr. Abdullah Ahmad
Assistant Professor

Department of Civil Engineering, NIT Srinagar

• “The general area where two or more highways join or cross,
including the roadway and roadside facilities for traffic
movements within the area” (AASHTO)

• Intersection is an area shared by two or more roads. This area

is designated for the vehicles to turn to different directions to
reach their desired destinations.

• Vehicles moving in different direction want to occupy same

space at the same time.
• Drivers therefore have to make a decision at an intersection
concerning which of the alternative routes they wish to take.

• Intersections tend to have a high potential for crashes.

• The overall traffic flow on any highway depends to a great
extent on the performance of the intersections, since
intersections usually operate at a lower capacity than through
sections of the road.
WHY
INTERSECTION?

EFFICIENT MOVEMENT OF
VEHICLES AND PEDESTRAINS

EASE COMFORT
&CONVIENENCE
MOVEMENT OF TRAFFIC

REDUCTION OF
CONFLICT POINTS
WHY INTERSECTION DESIGN IS NECESSARY FOR
TRAFFIC AND HIGHWAY ENGINEERS?

CONFLICTING TRAFFIC MOVEMENTS

MAJOR SOURCE OF CRASH

VEHICLE DELAY
  INTERSECTION TYPES

 INTERSECTION AT GRADE

 GRADE SEPARATED INTERSECTION

Grade–separated intersections At – grade intersections
Basic Forms of At Grade Intersections
  AT GRADE INTERSECTION

AT GRADE TYPES :
 All paved/ unchannelized intersection
 Channelized intersection
 Roundabouts/rotaries
 Signalized intersections
  UN CHANNELIZED INTERSECTION

 The entire intersection is paved and there is absolutely no

restriction to the vehicles to use any part of intersection area
 It is a lowest class of intersection
 Easy to construct but most complex in traffic operation resulting in
large conflict area
 Adopted if traffic volume is less
  CHANNELIZED INTERSECTION

 Channelized intersection is achieved by introducing islands into

the intersection area in order to channelize the traffic flow into
appropriate streams.
 Channelization reduces conflict area available in un-
channelized intersection
 FUNCTION OF CHANNELIZING INTERSECTION:

 Channelize turning traffic into appropriate paths

 Reduce relative speed

 Decrease conflict area at intersection

 ROTARY INTERSECTION

 It is a special form of at grade intersection where all

converging vehicles are forced to move round the central
island in one direction in an orderly and uniform manner
and move out of rotary into the desired direction
  GUIDELINES FOR SELECTION OF ROTARY

 Traffic entering from all the approaches are relatively equal.

 Max 3000veh/hr and min 500veh/hr

 Right turn traffic high i.e. more than 30%

 More than four approaches

 SIGNALISED INTERSECTION
 Intersection at grade that are controlled by signals are called signalized
intersections
 Automatic traffic control signals are operated by electric power to
alternatively stop and let go traffic entering the intersection
 Thus preventing crossing conflict by time separation

 OBJECTIVE OF SIGNAL CONTROL INTERSECTION

Prevent traffic conflicts

Reduce accidents
Minimised over all delay
 Direct ramp ....2 conflict points
Transfer of routes or turning facilities
are provided by interchange facilities Semi direct ramp .....1 conflict point
consisting of ramps Indirect ramp.......0 conflict point

Diverge ----right diverge......left diverge......left

merge ......right merge......right merge.......left.
 It is the highest form of intersection .

 This type of intersection causes least delay and hazard to the

traffic and in general is much superior to intersection at grade
from the point of view of traffic safety ,operation and capacity

 Eliminates all cross conflict points at intersection

 Transfer of route at grade separation are provided by interchange

facilities consisting of interchange ramps
 It is a bridge that eliminates crossing conflicts at intersections
by vertical separation of roadways in space.
 Route transfer at grade separations is accommodated by
interchange facilities consisting of ramps.
 The ultimate objective of grade separated intersections is to
eliminate all grade crossing conflicts and to accommodate
other intersecting manoeuvres by merging, diverging and
weaving at low relative seed.
 One of the distinctions made in type of interchange is
between the directional and the non directional.

 Directional interchanges are those having ramps that tend

to follow the natural direction of movement.

 Non directional interchanges require a change in the

natural path of traffic flow.
 Underpass

 Overpass

 Trumpet Interchange

 Diamond Interchange

 Cloverleaf Interchange

 Partial cloverleaf Interchange

 Directional Interchange

 Bridged Rotary
Underpass:
 Highway taken by depressing it below the ground level to
cross another road by means of an under bridge
 A tunnel may be for foot, vehicular road traffic, or rail
traffic.
Underpass:
 Warning to traffic in advance

 It is advantageous to turning traffic

 Troublesome drainage problem,

especially when ground water level
rises high during rainy season.
Overpass:
 An overpass also known as a flyover, is a bridge, road, railway or similar
structure that crosses over another road or railway.
 Major highway taken above by raising its profile above the general ground
level by embankment or an over bridge across any other highway .
 Troublesome drainage problem may be reduced by taking the major
highway above the cross road
Overpass:
 A pedestrian overpass allows
pedestrians safe crossing over busy
roads without impacting traffic.
 Railway overpasses are used to
replace at-grade crossing as a safer
alternative.
 Overpasses allows for unobstructed
rail traffic flow from mixing with
vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
Trumpet Interchange
• Trumpet interchanges have been
used where one highway
terminates at another highway.
• These involve at least one loop
ramp connecting traffic either
entering or leaving the
terminating expressway with the
far lanes of the continuous
highway.
Trumpet Interchange
• The principal advantages are low construction cost and are useful
for highways as well as toll roads.

• These interchanges are useful for highways as well as toll roads, as

they concentrate all entering and exiting traffic into a single stretch
of roadway, where toll booths can be installed.

• Trumpets are suitable at the locations where the side road exists on
only one side of the freeway, and traffic is relatively low.
Trumpet Interchange
• But the limitations in employing trumpet interchanges are it leaves a
redundant patch of the land within the loop.

• Disorienting to navigate for those driving in the direction that uses

the loop.

• Moreover scaling down the interchange often results in a more

dangerous suffers congestion from articulated lorries that have
tipped over.
Diamond Interchange
• A diamond interchange is a common
type of road junction, used where a
freeway crosses a minor road.

• The diamond interchange uses less

space than most types of freeway
interchange.
Diamond Interchange
Advantages:
• Preferred configuration where two high-volume freeways
intersect.
• Reduced travel distance on the ramps, increased ramp speed
and capacity and elimination of weaving.
• Offers high capacity movements for both trough and turning
traffic with comparatively little additional area needed for
construction when compared to a cloverleaf interchange.
Diamond Interchange

Disadvantages
• More costly to construct than a cloverleaf interchange due to the
increase number and length of ramps and the number of bridge
crossings.

• The configuration and design of each interchange is uniquely based

on traffic volumes and patterns, environmental and cost
considerations. Therefore, detailed and time-consuming studies of
all likely alternatives are necessary.
Cloverleaf Interchange
• A cloverleaf interchange is a two level
interchange in which left turns are
handled by ramp roads.
• To go left (in right-hand traffic),
vehicles first continue as one road
passes over or under the other, then
exit right onto a one-way three-
fourths loop ramp (270) and merge
onto the intersecting road.
Partial cloverleaf Interchange:
• Partial clover leaf is a modification
that combines some elements of a
diamond interchange with one or
more lops of a cloverleaf to
eliminate only the more critical
turning conflicts.
• It provides more acceleration and
deceleration space on the freeway.
Directional Interchange:
•A Directional interchange provides direct
for left turns. These interchanges contain
ramps for one or more direct or semi direct
left turning movements.
• Interchanges of two freeways or
interchanges with one or more very heavy
turning movements usually warrant direct
ramps, which have higher speeds of
operation and higher capacities, compared
to loop ramps.
• Bridged Rotary
 Conflict points
• Conflict points are the points where two vehicles can potentially clash with
each other.
• The number of conflict points can be determined based upon the type of
intersection.

Traffic Manoeuvres
Let us understand what are the different type of traffic manoeuvres which will help
us in finding potential conflict points in an intersection.

Type of conflicts could arise due to

•Diverging
•Merging
•Crossing
•Weaving

• Crossing conflict is a major conflict and dangerous, rest are minor conflicts.
• Weaving is a combination of merging and diverging, happens usually in rotary.
Two-lane two-way traffic on both sides

Major Conflict Points = 16

Minor Conflicting Points = 8
Total Conflicting Points = 24
 Two-lane two-way & Two-lane one-way traffic

Major Conflict Points = 7

Minor Conflicting Points = 4
Total Conflicting Points = 11
Two-lane One-way traffic on both sides

Major Conflict Points = 4

Minor Conflicting Points = 2
Total Conflicting Points = 6