CRITERIA TO BE USED IN DEVELOPING WARRANTS FOR INTERCHANGES ON RURAL EXPRESSWAYS
THE CONSEQUENCES TO THE PUBLIC OF CONSTRUCTING AN AT-GRADE INTERSECTION WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF CONSTRUCTING A DIAMOND INTERCHANGE AT AN INTERSECTION BETWEEN A RURAL EXPRESSWAY AND AN ARTERIAL HIGHWAY ARE COMPARED. TWO CRITERIA, MEASURED AT VARIOUS TRAFFIC VOLUME COMBINATIONS AND AT DIFFERENT TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, WERE SELECTED FOR PRESENTATION: LEVEL OF SERVICE, AND COMPARISON OF USER BENEFITS WITH CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE COST. THE AT-GRADE SIGNALIZED INTERSECTION WAS COMPARED WITH THE DIAMOND INTERCHANGE. RUNNING TIME WAS REDUCED IN THE RANGE OF 11 TO 23% FOR THE INTERCHANGE AS COMPARED WITH THE SIGNAL, VEHICLE OPERATING COST ACCOUNTED FOR FROM 78 TO 90% OF THE TOTAL USER SAVINGS PROVIDED BY AN INTERCHANGE. FOR ALMOST ALL CONDITIONS, THE OPERATING COST ALONE WAS LARGER THAN THE ADDITIONAL COST OF PROVIDING THE INTERCHANGE. STOP-SIGN CONTROL WAS COMPARED WITH THE DIAMOND INTERCHANGE. THE BENEFIT OF PROVIDING A DIAMOND INTERCHANGE RATHER THAN TWO-WAY STOP SIGN OR FOUR-WAY STOP SIGN CONTROL WAS CALCULATED. WHEN ARTERIAL VOLUMES ARE LOW, TWO-WAY STOP SIGNS ARE MORE ECONOMICAL THAN AN INTERCHANGE. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE ANNUAL BENEFIT OBTAINED BY PROVIDING AN INTERCHANGE WOULD BE NEAR OR ABOVE THE ANNUAL COST FOR THE INTERCHANGE WHEN TRAFFIC VOLUMES EXCEEDED THE MINIMUM TRAFFIC VOLUME WARRANTS FOR A TRAFFIC SIGNAL, DEPENDING ON THE ASSUMPTIONS. FOR THESE VOLUMES AND ASSUMPTIONS, AN INTERCHANGE WAS ECONOMICALLY JUSTIFIED RATHER THAN A SIGNALIZED INTERSECTION. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT A DIAMOND INTERCHANGE WOULD BE WARRANTED FROM THE ECONOMIC STANDPOINT RATHER THAN USE OF TRAFFIC SIGNALS OR FOUR-WAY STOP SIGN CONTROL. THE BENEFIT-COST RATIOS PRESENTED CAN BE USED AS A GUIDE BY THE DECISION-MAKERS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE BENEFIT OBTAINED BY PROVIDING AN INTERCHANGE ON EXPRESSWAYS RATHER THAN AT-GRADE SIGNALIZED INTERSECTION IS SUFFICIENT TO WARRANT THE ADDITIONAL COST.
- Record URL:
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Supplemental Notes:
- Paper sponsored by Committee on Quality of Traffic Service and presented at the 47th Annual Meeting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Authors:
- Ockert, C W
- Walker, C R
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Discussers:
- Dale, Charles W
- Corradino, Joseph C
- Publication Date: 1968
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Features: Figures; References; Tables;
- Pagination: pp 69-89
- Monograph Title: Freeway operations
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Serial:
- Highway Research Record
- Issue Number: 244
- Publisher: Highway Research Board
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Arterial highways; Benefit cost analysis; Construction; Costs; Decision making; Diamond interchanges; Expressways; Intersections; Level of service; Maintenance management; Motor vehicles; Operating costs; Rural highways; Stop signs; Traffic volume; Travel time; User benefits; Warrants (Traffic control devices)
- Uncontrolled Terms: Construction costs; Maintenance costs
- Subject Areas: Construction; Design; Finance; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00203378
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Jan 23 1994 12:00AM