Innovative Intersections and Interchanges
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What Is A Single Roundabout Interchange?
- A grade-separated interchange where all ramps begin or end at a single roundabout on the arterial
- Serves as the overpass or underpass of a freeway
- A circular unsignalized intersection where traffic flows in one direction around a central island. Traffic entering the roundabout must yield to traffic already inside
- Can accommodate more than four intersecting roadways
When Should It Be Considered?
- With heavy turning volumes onto and off of the freeway ramps
- In urban areas with moderate traffic volumes
- Where right of way is limited
- At heavily-used freeway off-ramps where vehicles tend to back up onto the freeway
Benefits
- Improved safety: Reduces the number of points where vehicles cross paths and eliminates the potential for right-angle and head-on crashes
- Increased efficiency: Decreases the delay for ramp traffic and eliminates the need for traffic signals
- Continuous flow: Yield-controlled design minimizes backups on the freeway, reducing the potential for high-speed rear-end crashes
How to Navigate
Below shows how to navigate a single roundabout interchange. Click the image to view a larger version.
Conflict Points
The number of conflict points (locations where vehicle travel paths intersect) is one metric that can be used to evaluate the safety of an innovative intersection or interchange.
There are three categories: crossing, merging or diverging.
In general, merging and diverging conflict points — where vehicles are moving in the same direction — are associated with less severe crash types than crossing conflict points where vehicles are moving in opposite directions.
The diagrams below compare possible vehicle travel movements and associated conflict points at a conventional diamond interchange to a single roundabout interchange.
These diagrams represent a general case, with one travel lane in each direction, and do not take into account pedestrian or bicycle movements at an intersection or interchange.
When compared to a conventional diamond interchange, a single roundabout interchange has no crossing conflict points, two fewer merging conflict points, and two fewer diverging crossing points.
Conventional Diamond Interchange: Conflict Points
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Single Roundabout Interchange: Conflict Points
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