MANAGING DELAY ON CHAIN OF INTERSECTIONS ON A MAJOR URBAN CORRIDOR – AN ALTERNATIVE BASED ANALYSIS

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.