00935935

Component

http://www.teachamerica.c...ment.info/pdf/AM00PAPR.pdf

Left turns at intersections have been a recurring problem, especially at suburban intersections. To simplify conflicts, indirect left/U-turns in advance or beyond intersections have been increasingly utilized. The Michigan Department of Transportation has provided U-turn channels on highways with wide-medians and prohibited all left-turns at signalized intersections for many decades. More recently Oakland County, Michigan has installed "U" turns on some of its arterials. This paper provides an overview and analysis of the Michigan "U". It describes the origin, features and application of the concept, with a focus on the Detroit metropolitan area - including the more recent applications in Oakland County. It presents the reported safety and operational benefits, and community response. It compares capacities and service levels with those for more conventional facilities. The paper also gives a case study of Telegraph Road (US-24), a six-to-eight lane roadway carrying up to 100,000 vehicles per day. It describes the signal coordination, traffic flow, and travel times/speeds as well as safety. It also describes the Livernois Road Experience in Oakland County. Finally, the paper describes the access management implications, and the opportunities for application elsewhere.

English

14p

2000

Fourth National Access Management Conference

Access control (Transportation); Benefits; Highways; Intersections; Left turns; Medians; Metropolitan areas; Public opinion; Signalized intersections; Suburbs; Traffic flow; Traffic safety; Traffic signal control systems; Traffic speed; Travel time; U turns

Indirect left turns

Detroit (Michigan); Michigan

Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Society; I73: Traffic Control

TRIS, TRB

Dec 27 2003 12:00AM

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