Interchange alternative selection based on analysis of operational measures
Abstract
[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Interchanges are a particularly important focus in transportation because of the high level of interacting cross-traffic. Often, traditional diamond interchanges are limited in their ability to provide adequate safety and operational needs. Alternative interchanges are a common solution that involve using innovative designs which work well with specific site characteristics. Because there are often many alternative designs to consider and because it can be time-consuming to model and evaluate each alternative, there is a need to expedite the process using a designated screening approach and evaluation. This thesis contains an interchange study for a corridor located in Columbia, Missouri that uses a screening process which incorporates analytical and simulation tools. Several interchanges are analyzed including: diamond, single point urban (SPUI), partial cloverleaf, diverging diamond interchange (DDI), displaced left turn (DLT), roundabout, and an innovative displaced left roundabout (DLR). The results of operational analysis show that: the DDI performs the best on the interchange for high demand; the DLR performs best for the interchange only at low demand; the current design is sufficient with the given growth volume, so an alternative is not warranted. One contribution of this thesis is the development of a systematic procedure that first screens for promising designs and then conducts an extensive simulation analysis to compare their performance.
Degree
M.S.
Thesis Department
Rights
Access is limited to the campuses of the University of Missouri.