HighlightsHighly-congested closely-spaced intersections along a corridor were analyzed.A microsimulation approach was used to assess traffic performance and emissions.NSGA-II Genetic Algorithm was used to find optimal spacing between intersections.A one-lane roundabout improved traffic performance and emissions at the corridor.Optimal spacing provided additional emissions reductions for the corridor.

    AbstractTraffic lights or roundabouts along corridors are usually installed to address location-specific operational needs. An understanding of the impacts on traffic regarding to highly-congested closely-spaced intersections has not been fully addressed. Accordingly, consideration should be given to how these specific segments affect corridor performance as a whole.One mixed roundabout/traffic light/stop-controlled junctions corridor was evaluated with the microscopic traffic model (VISSIM) and emissions methodology (Vehicle Specific Power – VSP). The analysis was focused on two major intersections of the corridor, a roundabout and a traffic light spaced lower than 170m apart under different traffic demand levels. The traffic data and corridor geometry were coded into VISSIM and compared with an alternative scenario where the traffic light was replaced by a single-lane roundabout. This research also tested a method to improve corridor performance and emissions by examining the integrated effect of the spacing between these intersections on traffic delay and vehicular emissions (carbon dioxide, monoxide carbon, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons). The Fast Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) was used to find the optimal spacing for these intersections.The analysis showed that the roundabout could achieve lower queue length (∼64%) and emissions (16–27%, depending on the pollutant) than the traffic light. The results also suggested that 200m of spacing using the best traffic control would provide a moderate advantage in traffic operations and emissions as compared with the existing spacing.


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    Title :

    Assessing the impact of closely-spaced intersections on traffic operations and pollutant emissions on a corridor level


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    2017-01-01


    Size :

    17 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English