TRAFFIC CONTROL FOR REVERSIBLE FLOW, TWO-WAY LEFT-TURN LANES. STATE-OF-THE-ART REPORT

Reversible flow operations have been implemented on major urban facilities to provide additional directional capacity during peak periods. On some of these facilities, the reversible flow lane is used as a two-way left-turn lane during off-peak periods to accommodate land access needs. There are no standards in the MUTCD for traffic control where both reversible flow and two-way left-turn lane treatments are used on the same roadway. This report contains traffic control and effectiveness information for 19 sites with reversible flow, two-way left-turn lane operations. In addition to a detailed description of the traffic control systems, the safety and operational impacts of systems are reported. Also, observations of motorist compliance and problems with each system are discussed. Installation and maintenance cost data have been indexed to 1983 costs to provide a relative comparison among the six basic types of traffic control. Recommendations are presented for laboratory studies to identify traffic control systems that are understood by motorists and meet site-specific conditions, community acceptance, and local budgets.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • The Final Report of this study, FHWA/RD-85/009, includes a summary of the State-of-the-Art report, laboratory experiments and results, and suggested traffic control devices for use with reversible flow two-way left-turn lanes.
• Corporate Authors:

  Center for Applied Research, Incorporated

  10213 Forest Lake Drive
  Great Falls, VA  United States  22066

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Parker Jr, M R
  • Tsuchiyama, K H
• Publication Date: 1984-10

Media Info

• Pagination: 147 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Compliance; Costs; Measures of effectiveness; Reversible traffic lanes; Traffic control; Traffic safety; Two way left turn lanes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Effectiveness
• Old TRIS Terms: Two way left turn
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00472188
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/RD-85/010, FCP 31A1-984
• Contract Numbers: DTFH61-83-C-00036
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 31 1987 12:00AM