Comparative Analysis of the Through-about, Roundabout, and Conventional Signalized Intersection Designs

The modern roundabout has become a very popular alternative intersection design within the United States. As this design becomes a more standard solution in keeping with European practice, more frequent occurrences of the through-about intersection, a related design, are likely to be encountered. This design, while not well documented in the literature, occurs on the spectrum of alternative intersection designs. This paper examines the operational aspects of the through-about intersection design. Comparative analysis of overall intersection delay is conducted using the INTEGRATION traffic microsimulation software package, with data for the conventional intersection verified using the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) methodology embedded within the macroscopic-based Synchro traffic software. Secondary measures of effectiveness are discussed, including safety, cost, and fuel consumption. The analysis of this design shows that the through-about may not be successful as a direct competitor for either the modern roundabout design or for the conventional signalized intersection. Instead, this design should be considered as a site-specific solution to achieve effective safety and access considerations where a high-volume arterial intersects with one or more low-volume roads, potentially with large skew angles.

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AHB65 Operational Effects of Geometrics.
  • Corporate Authors:

    Transportation Research Board

    500 Fifth Street, NW
    Washington, DC  United States  20001
  • Authors:
    • Sangster, John
    • Rakha, Hesham
    • Al-Kaisy, Ahmed
  • Conference:
  • Date: 2015

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: 18p
  • Monograph Title: TRB 94th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01555401
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: 15-1866
  • Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
  • Created Date: Feb 27 2015 10:01AM