Implementation of a Double Continuous Flow Intersection in Riyadh

Authors

  • Kashif Bashir
    Affiliation
    Kellogg Brown & Root Pty Ltd., 3004 Melbourne, 441 Saint Kilda Road , Australia
  • Rana Imam
    Affiliation
    Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Jordan, 11942 Amman, Queen Rania Street, Jordan
  • Ammar Sharan
    Affiliation
    Royal Commission for Riyadh City, 12512-3166 Riyadh, 7666 Amr Aldhamry Street, Saudi Arabia
  • Ala AlSoud
    Affiliation
    Consolidated Consultants Group, 11372 Riyadh, 194 Mousa Bin Naseer St., Saudi Arabia
https://doi.org/10.3311/PPtr.16506

Abstract

The continuous growth of population in the capital, coupled with increased auto ownership and dependence has worsened traffic conditions on Riyadh's road network. Conventional methods to address this increased demand could be costly and insufficient. There has been greater interest in using alternative measures to improve the performance and safety characteristics on main corridors, particularly those that arrive at signalized intersections. Heavy left turning traffic at these intersections is one of the main causes for delays. Previous research has investigated several types of alternative designs termed "unconventional" arterial intersection designs that could minimize the effect of left turning traffic. This paper provides decision makers with an objective assessment on the efficiency of implementing an unconventional intersection design, the Double Continuous Flow Intersection (DCFI) configuration, to improve the operational and safety characteristics of an existing major signalized arterial intersection in Saudi Arabia. In this study, the Kingdom Hospital Intersection in Riyadh was selected, as it is one of the most congested intersections in Riyadh. Using the collected traffic data, the micro-simulation program VISSIM was used to analyze and compare the efficiency of both configurations. When compared to the existing conventional signalized intersection design, it was found that the proposed Double Continuous Flow Intersection (DCFI) unconventional intersection design decreased the average delay per vehicle by 99 seconds. The proposed Double Continuous Flow Intersection configuration also improved the Level of Service at the intersection from level F (152 sec/veh average delay) to level D (53 sec/veh average delay).

Keywords:

double continuous flow intersection, micro-simulation, unconventional intersection design, urban intersection, VISSIM software

Citation data from Crossref and Scopus

Published Online

2021-12-08

How to Cite

Bashir, K., Imam, R., Sharan, A., AlSoud, A. (2021) “Implementation of a Double Continuous Flow Intersection in Riyadh”, Periodica Polytechnica Transportation Engineering, 49(4), pp. 333–343. https://doi.org/10.3311/PPtr.16506

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Section

Articles