01478020

Component

Many traffic simulation software tools, such as Vissim, SimTraffic, Corsim, Synchro, and Dynasmart have emerged over the last decade and are widely used for analyzing capacity, delay, and level of service at intersections, ramps, and along arterial/freeway segments. While these tools have shown great promise, they are expensive and the data collection and input set-up is time consuming and resource intensive. Traffic engineers predominantly use one of those tools to analyze diverging diamond interchange (DDI), also known as double crossover diamond interchange. Developing a simulation model and performing required analysis takes considerable time and effort. Since it is not necessary to obtain detail traffic operational analysis of a DDI while interchange alternatives are being developed, a quick and easy evaluation procedure is warranted. In this paper, a critical lane volume (CLV) based analysis methodology is presented which could be an appropriate tool to bridge the gap. In this methodology, two intersection or nodes of a DDI, where through traffic movements along the arterial cross each other, are considered crucial. Understanding of the crossover movements, ramp movements, and coordination of traffic movements between the two nodes and lane configuration are used in developing the methodology. Critical movements are analyzed, compared and logically added to obtain the critical lane volume of the two nodes. The obtained critical lane volume is divided by intersection capacity to compute volume to capacity ratio and used in deriving the level of service of the two intersections in a DDI. The paper describes the mathematical formulation and analysis procedure to evaluate a DDI. Two real-world DDIs are analyzed using the developed method and compared with simulation results for reliability and accuracy.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AHB40 Highway Capacity and Quality of Service.

01470560

13-5118

English

18p

2013

Transportation Research Board 92nd Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Diamond interchanges; Diverging traffic; Highway capacity; Lane occupancy; Level of service; Mathematical methods

Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I73: Traffic Control

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2013 Paper #13-5118

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Feb 5 2013 12:58PM