Graduate Report

On
URBAN ROADS, INTERSECTIONS AND
ROAD SECTIONS

CE 635: TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION PLANNING

PREPARED BY :
KANDARP RAJYAGURU
P16UP004

GUIDED BY:
DR. KRUPESH A. CHAUHAN

Civil Engineering Department, M.Tech. (Urban Planning), Sem.-1(2016)

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CONTENTS

1. URBAN ROAD SYSTEM

1.1 PATTERNS OF URBAN ROADS
1.2 CLASSIFICATION OF URBAN ROADS

2. ROAD INTERSECTIONS
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2 INTERSECTION TERMINOLOGY
2.3 INTERSECTION TYPES AND CONFIGURATIONS

3. ROAD SECTIONS
3.1 CROSS SECTION OF RURAL ROADS
3.2 CROSS SECTION OF URBAN ROADS

1. URBAN ROAD SYSTEMS

1.1 PATTERNS OF URBAN ROADS

Following are the different system of streets or roads commonly
adopted in the city:

Rectangular or Grid-Iron Street system.

Rectangular combined with Diagonal street system.

Concentric and Radial Street system.

Rectangular combined with Radial street system.

Organic street system.

Irregular Medieval street system.

Combination of Rectangular and Irregular Street system.

1. URBAN ROAD SYSTEMS

1)

Grid Iron Street System

This system is suitable for a fairly plain country, without any predominant natural
features. Here the streets have equal widths and they cross each other at right angles.
Prominent examples being Chandigarh and Jaipur in India.
Advantages

It is convenient to traffic and so a speedy and free traffic can be maintained.

The houses are constructed in rectangular blocks so, convenient, economical and
most suited for building construction.
There is no wastage of land since no irregular portions are left out.
The maximum area is used for construction. It is therefore most advantageous for
private land-owners.

CHANDIGARH
CITY PLANNING

Disadvantages

This system produces monotonous effect, since the roads are straight, as a result
vistas are open, devoid of variation or surprises.
This system does not provide shorter routes for direct access to CBD areas.

JAIPUR
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CITY PLANNING

1. URBAN ROAD SYSTEMS

2) Rectangular combined with diagonal street system

It is an improved type of rectangular system. London was
the first town designed as this type of system.
Advantages

This system provides direct link to the distant parts

of the town.
Intersection of diagonals acts as a landmark and
helps in introducing imageability to a city.

Disadvantages

From traffic point of view, this system forms many

dangerous intersections and hence often proves
dangerous for commuters.

LONDON
CITY PLANNING

1. URBAN ROAD SYSTEMS

3) Concentric & Radial street system

In this system the circular or ring road are connected to radial roads. It is also called
Spider Web System.
This system represents the most natural growth as many cities roughly posses a part of
this feature.
Ring roads round the hub of a town, so that each growth or part is near to the centre.
Classic examples being Washington D.C. and New Delhi.

Advantages

WASHINGTON DC
CITY PLANNING

The radial roads provide direct access to the heart or central part of the town and are
earmarked for fast moving traffic. Hence, these ring roads can be designed as arterial
roads.
The circular roads function as the intermediary between diagonal roads and local roads.
The circular roads help to distribute the local traffic to the different thoroughfares.
Hence it is most suitable from traffic point of view.
This system is found to be more useful for the economic expansion of the town
particularly if the town has central features such as important public buildings, market
etc.

Disadvantages

The plots are formed trapezoidal in shape. So a lot of space is wasted due to irregular
portions left out..

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NEW DELHI
CITY PLANNING

1. URBAN ROAD SYSTEMS

1.2 CLASSIFICATION OF URBAN ROADS
According to Indian Roads Congress,
Urban roads other than expressways are classified into four main categories. These are:
(i) Arterial
(ii) Sub-arterial
(iii) Collector Street
(iv) Local Street

1.2.1 DEFINITIONS
1) Arterial Road
A general term denoting a street primarily for through traffic, usually on a continuous route.

2) Sub-Arterial Road
A general term denoting a street primarily for through traffic usually on a continuous route
but offering somewhat lower level of traffic mobility than the arterial.
3) Collector Street
A street for collecting and distributing traffic from and to local streets and also for providing
access to arterial streets.
4) Local Street
A street primarily for access to residence, business or other abutting property.
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1. URBAN ROAD SYSTEMS

1.2.2 FUNCTIONS
1) Arterial Road

This system of streets, alongwith expressway where they exist, serves as the principal
network for through traffic flows.

Significant intra-urban travel such as between central business district and outlying
residential areas or between major suburban centres takes place on this system.

Arterials should be coordinated with existing and proposed expressway systems to provide
for distribution and collection of through traffic to and from sub-arterial and collector
street systems.

A properly developed and designated arterial street system would help to identify
residential neighbourhoods, industrial sites and commercial areas.

These streets may generally be spaced at less than 1.5 km in highly developed central
business areas and at 8 km or more in sparsely developed urban fringes.

Parking, loading and unloading activities are usually restricted and regulated. Pedestrians
are allowed to cross only at intersections.

2)

Sub-Arterial Road

These are functionally similar to arterials but with somewhat lower level of travel mobility.

Their spacing may vary from about 0.5 km in the central business district to 35 km in the
sub-urban fringes.

1. URBAN ROAD SYSTEMS

1.2.2 FUNCTIONS
3) Collector streets

The function of collector streets is to collect traffic from local streets and feed it to
the arterial and sub-arterial streets or vice-versa.

These may be located in residential neighbourhoods, business areas and industrial

areas. Normally, full access is allowed on these streets from abutting properties.

4)

Local streets

These are intended primarily to provide access to abutting property and normally do
not carry large volumes of traffic.

Majority of trips in urban areas either originate from or terminate on these streets.

Local streets may be residential, commercial or industrial, depending on the

predominant use of the adjoining land.

They allow unrestricted parking and pedestrian movements.

2. ROAD INTERSECTIONS
2.1 INTRODUCTION

An intersection is the area where two or more streets join or cross atgrade.

The intersection includes the areas needed for all modes of travel: pedestrian, bicycle, motor vehicle,
and transit. Thus, the intersection includes not only the pavement area, but typically the adjacent
sidewalks and pedestrian curb cut ramps.

The intersection is defined as encompassing all alterations (for example, turning lanes) to the
otherwise typical crosssections of the intersecting streets.

Intersections are a key feature of street design in four respects:

Focus of activity The land near intersections often contains a concentration of travel destinations.
Conflicting movements Pedestrian crossings and motor vehicle and bicycle turning and crossing
movements are typically concentrated at intersections.
Traffic control At intersections, movement of users is assigned by traffic control devices such as yield
signs, stop signs, and traffic signals. Traffic control often results in delay to users traveling along the
intersecting roadways, but helps to organize traffic and decrease the potential for conflict.
Capacity In many cases, traffic control at intersections limits the capacity of the intersecting
roadways, defined as the number of users that can be accommodated within a given time period.
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2. ROAD INTERSECTIONS
2.2 INTERSECTION TERMINOLOGY

The major street is typically the intersecting street with greater

traffic volume, larger crosssection, and higher functional class.

The minor street is the intersecting street likely to have less

traffic volume, smaller crosssection and lower functional
classification than the major street.

The angle of intersection is formed by the intersecting streets

center lines. Where the angle of intersection departs
significantly (more than approximately 20 degrees) from right
angles, the intersection is referred to as a skewed intersection.

Intersection legs are those segments of roadway connecting to

the intersection. The leg used by traffic approaching the
intersection is the approach leg, and that used by traffic leaving
is the departure leg.

Auxiliary lanes are lanes added at the intersection, usually to

accommodate turning motor vehicles. They may also be used to
add through lanes through an intersection.

A turning roadway is a short segment of roadway for a left turn,

delineated by channelizing islands. Turning roadways are used
where leftturn volumes are very high, or where skewed
intersections would otherwise create a very large pavement
area.

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2. ROAD INTERSECTIONS
2.3 INTERSECTION TYPES AND CONFIGURATIONS (AT GRADE)
Intersections can be categorized into four major types.

1)

SIMPLE INTERSECTIONS

Simple intersections maintain the streets typical crosssection and number of

lanes throughout the intersection, on both the major and minor streets.

Simple intersections are bestsuited to locations where auxiliary (turning) lanes

are not needed to achieve the desired levelofservice, or are infeasible due to
nearby constraints.

Generally, simple intersections provide the minimum crossing distances for

pedestrians and are common in lowvolume locations.

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2. ROAD INTERSECTIONS
2.3 INTERSECTION TYPES AND CONFIGURATIONS (AT GRADE)
2)

FLARED INTERSECTIONS

Flared intersections expand the crosssection of the street (main, cross or both).
The flaring is often done to accommodate a rightturn lane, so that rightturning
bicycles and motor vehicles are removed from the throughtraffic stream to
increase capacity at highvolume locations, and safety on higher speed streets.

Intersections may be flared to accommodate an additional through lane as well.

This approach is effective in increasing capacity at isolated rural or suburban
settings in which lengthy widening beyond the intersection is not needed.

* Please consider the lanes according to the left hand drive system.

Intersection approaches can be flared slightly, not enough for additional approach
lanes but simply to ease the vehicle turning movement approaching or departing
the intersection. However, adding flare to an intersection increases the pedestrian
crossing distance and time.

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2. ROAD INTERSECTIONS
2.3 INTERSECTION TYPES AND CONFIGURATIONS (AT GRADE)
3) CHANNELIZED INTERSECTIONS

Channelized intersections use pavement markings or raised islands to designate

the intended vehicle paths. The most frequent use is for left turns, particularly
when accompanied by an auxiliary leftturn lane.

At intersections located on a curve, divisional islands can help direct drivers to

and through the intersection.

Channelized intersections are usually large and, therefore, require long pedestrian
crosswalks. However, the channelization islands can effectively reduce the
crosswalk distance in which pedestrians are exposed to moving motor vehicles.

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2. ROAD INTERSECTIONS
2.3 INTERSECTION TYPES AND CONFIGURATIONS (AT GRADE)
4) ROUNDABOUTS

The roundabout is a channelized intersection with oneway traffic flow circulating around a central
island.

All trafficthrough as well as turningenters this oneway flow. Although usually circular in shape,
the central island of a roundabout can be oval or irregularly shaped.

Roundabouts can be appropriate design alternative to both stopcontrolled and signalcontrolled

intersections, as they have fewer conflict points than traditional intersections.

Roundabouts are also considered as traffic calming devices in some locations since all traffic is slowed
to the design speed of the oneway circulating roadway.

PARAMETERS

ROUNDABOUTS

ROTARY

Size

Outer diameter 24 to 40 m.

Outer diameter upto 200 m.

Speed

Vehicle speed 15 to 40 km/hr.

Vehicle speed 50 to 65 km/hr.

Capacity

Smaller gaps in traffic flow, increasing the

volume of traffic processed.

Vehicles need larger gaps in

circulating traffic flow reducing the
volume of traffic processed.

Safety

Slower speeds at roundabouts not only

reduce the severity of crashes, but minimizes
the total number of all crashes.

Rotaries typically see high numbers

of crashes with a greater severity.
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2. ROAD INTERSECTIONS
2.3 INTERSECTION TYPES AND CONFIGURATIONS (AT GRADE)
4) ROUNDABOUTS
SR.NO.

ADVANTAGES

DISADVANTAGES

1.

An orderly traffic flow is provided by rotary one way movement.

It cannot accommodate more traffic than its design capacity.

2.

All traffic processed simultaneously and continuously at low

speeds. At low volumes there is little delay.

Does not operate satisfactorily when the traffic volumes on two or more
intersection legs approach their capacities.

3.

Weaving movements replace the usual angular crossing at typical

at-grade intersections. Thus direct conflict is eliminated.

A rotary requires more right of way and generally cost more than other at
grade sections.

4.

All turns can be made with ease, although extra travel distance is
required for all the movements except left turns.

Due to large area requirements, it cannot be used in congested areas.

5.

The rotary design is especially suited for intersections with five or

more legs.

Topographically it requires large flat areas.

6.

It costs less than a grade separator (interchange), though the

capacity of rotary is much lower than an interchange.

Not suitable where large volumes of pedestrains require crossing the

road.

7.

It reduces the large area of conflict.

The rotary is not readily adaptable to stage development.

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2. ROAD INTERSECTIONS
2.3 INTERSECTION TYPES AND CONFIGURATIONS (AT GRADE)
5)

TYPICAL INTERSECTION CONFIGURATIONS

Most intersections have three or four legs, but multileg intersections (five and
even sixleg intersections) are not unusual.

Ideally, streets in threeleg and fourleg intersections cross at right angles or

nearly so. However, skewed approaches are a regular feature of intersection
design.

When skew angles are less than 60 degrees, the designer should evaluate
intersection modifications to reduce the skew.

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2. ROAD INTERSECTIONS
2.3 INTERSECTION TYPES AND CONFIGURATIONS (GRADE SEPERATED)

It is a bridge that eliminates crossing conflicts at intersections by vertical separation of

roadways in space. Grade separated intersection are otherwise known as
Interchanges. Grade separated intersections cause less hazard and delay than grade
intersections.

Interchanges are described by the patterns of the various turning roadways or ramps.
The interchange configurations are designed in such a way to accommodate
economically the traffic requirements of flow, operation on the crossing facilities,
physical requirements of the topography, adjoining land use, type of controls, right-ofway and direction of movements.

Classification of Grade Separated Intersection

- Underpass
- Overpass
- Trumpet Interchange
- Diamond Interchange
- Cloverleaf Interchange
- Partial Cloverleaf Interchange
- Directional Interchange
- Bridged Rotary

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2. ROAD INTERSECTIONS
2.3 INTERSECTION TYPES AND CONFIGURATIONS (GRADE SEPERATED)
1) TRUMPET INTERCHANGE

Trumpet interchange is a popular form of three leg interchange. If one of the legs of
the interchange meets a highway at some angle but does not cross it, then the
interchange is called trumpet interchange.

The principal advantages are low construction cost and are useful for highways as well
as toll roads. But the limitations in employing trumpet interchanges are it leaves a
redundant patch of the land within the loop.

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2. ROAD INTERSECTIONS
2.3 INTERSECTION TYPES AND CONFIGURATIONS (GRADE SEPERATED)
2) DIAMOND INTERCHANGE

Diamond interchange is a popular form of four-leg interchange found in the urban

locations where major and minor roads crosses. The important feature of this
interchange is that it can be designed even if the major road is relatively narrow.

This particular intersection has four one way ramps which are essentially parallel to
the major artery.

The left turn crossing movement conflicts are considerably reduced by eliminating the
conflict with the traffic in opposite direction. All the remaining left turn conflicts,
merging and diverging manoeuvre conflicts take place at the terminal point of each
ramp.

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2. ROAD INTERSECTIONS
2.3 INTERSECTION TYPES AND CONFIGURATIONS (GRADE SEPERATED)
3) CLOVERLEAF INTERCHANGE

It is also a four leg interchange and is used when two highways of high volume and
speed intersect each other with considerable turning movements. The main
advantage of cloverleaf intersection is that it provides complete separation of traffic.

There are two points of entry and exit on each through roadway. The first exit is
provided before the cross road structure allows left turn movements. The second exit,
immediately after the cross road structure, allows for right turn movements.

There are also disadvantages of greater travel distances, higher operating costs,
difficult merging sections, circuity of travel, large areas for loops, sight distances to
exits at the other side of the bridge, confusion caused by turning left to go right and
large rights-of-way occasioned by the radius requirements necessary for satisfactory
speeds on the ramps.

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3. ROAD SECTIONS

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3. ROAD SECTIONS

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3. ROAD SECTIONS

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3. ROAD SECTIONS

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THANK YOU

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