Abstract:
Traffic congestion has become one of the biggest problems in urban transportation systems
and it worsens during the peak hours. The main reasons for traffic congestion are the increase in
road traffic volume and inefficient infrastructure. This leads to delays and accidents and
environmental problems, especially in rapidly growing urban areas. The common effects of traffic
congestion are environmental, economic, health and social. The Peshawar Road or N-5 is one of
the most important roads in Rawalpindi used by daily commuters of intercity and many businesses.
Traditional signalized intersections on Peshawar Road serve the traffic volumes which have
exceeded the road capacities. Therefore, the level of service of all the intersections for almost all
approaches is “F”. This is concerning because the amount of people using this road are increasing
day by day and the non-availability of public transport will eventually lead to the breakdown of
the system. This study aims to provide better alternatives to traditional intersection designs, so that
the road network can serve existing and future traffic efficiently. The combination of alternatives
suggested in this study include single point urban interchange, Median U-turn intersection, and
crossover displace left turn intersection. Synchro software was used to analyse traffic signal
optimization and protected right turn phasing. Based on these short list designs the best performing
were combined in a whole network at study area. These alternatives designs will reduce the delays
and the user costs associated with these delays. The comparison of the existing and proposed
designs was done using the PTV VISSIM software. Main criteria for the comparison of current
and proposed designs were travel time delay and vehicle operating cost.
