Welcome to the home for CE 572 - Intersection Traffic Operations.
There are three basic types of intersections, each defined by the type of control that is used: (1) signal controlled, (2) stop or yield sign controlled, and (3) uncontrolled. Each intersection type is most appropriately used for a given set of traffic volume and intersection geometry conditions. During this class, we will study the first two types, intersections that are controlled by traffic signals and stop or yield controlled intersections (such as all-way stop controlled intersections, two-way stop controlled intersections, and roundabouts).
Traffic operations analysis is a major focus of work for the transportation engineer. Engineers today are more likely to redesign or upgrade an existing facility than to prepare a design for a new facility. This emphasis requires the transportation engineer to have a thorough understanding of the dynamics of traffic operations and the basic elements of traffic flow. To help you to gain this understanding, we will investigate traffic operations of unsignalized and signalized intersections as part of this course.
The expanded theoretical knowledge base of traffic flow at unsignalized and signalized intersections and the powerful computer software and hardware systems now widely available have combined to improve the capability of a very important tool for the transportation engineer, the computer model. Computer models are much more crucial today since the kinds of problems that transportation engineers are required to solve are much more complex than in the past. You will first learn the basic theory and calculation methods for the various kinds of intersection control. Then you will see how these theories and methods are included as the basis for the computational procedures of the Highway Capacity Manual 2010. Finally, you will apply these procedures in a set of case studies of intersection operations.
The level of traffic congestion in many urban areas has increased significantly from previous years. The peak hour is now in many cases the peak three hours, with congested conditions often affecting not just one intersection, but entire arterials and networks. Thus, the engineer must account for conditions not just in one place (at one intersection) or one point in time (the standard 15-minute analysis period), but over large blocks of both time and space.
There are three basic types of intersections, each defined by the type of control that is used: (1) signal controlled, (2) stop or yield sign controlled, and (3) uncontrolled. Each intersection type is most appropriately used for a given set of traffic volume and intersection geometry conditions. During this class, we will study the first two types, intersections that are controlled by traffic signals and stop or yield controlled intersections (such as all-way stop controlled intersections, two-way stop controlled intersections, and roundabouts).
Traffic operations analysis is a major focus of work for the transportation engineer. Engineers today are more likely to redesign or upgrade an existing facility than to prepare a design for a new facility. This emphasis requires the transportation engineer to have a thorough understanding of the dynamics of traffic operations and the basic elements of traffic flow. To help you to gain this understanding, we will investigate traffic operations of unsignalized and signalized intersections as part of this course.
The expanded theoretical knowledge base of traffic flow at unsignalized and signalized intersections and the powerful computer software and hardware systems now widely available have combined to improve the capability of a very important tool for the transportation engineer, the computer model. Computer models are much more crucial today since the kinds of problems that transportation engineers are required to solve are much more complex than in the past. You will first learn the basic theory and calculation methods for the various kinds of intersection control. Then you will see how these theories and methods are included as the basis for the computational procedures of the Highway Capacity Manual 2010. Finally, you will apply these procedures in a set of case studies of intersection operations.
The level of traffic congestion in many urban areas has increased significantly from previous years. The peak hour is now in many cases the peak three hours, with congested conditions often affecting not just one intersection, but entire arterials and networks. Thus, the engineer must account for conditions not just in one place (at one intersection) or one point in time (the standard 15-minute analysis period), but over large blocks of both time and space.