Development of a Progression-Based Signal-Timing Strategy for Continuous-Flow Intersections

Abstract

Because continuous-flow intersections (CFIs) are a relatively new intersection design, there are few existing guidelines for designing signal timings for CFIs. An appropriate signal-timing plan will maximize the capacity of the intersection, reduce congestion, and improve safety. This research developed a new signal-timing strategy for CFIs that is based on traffic progression. This new CFI signal-timing strategy was evaluated by conducting traffic simulation-based experiments, and the results of the evaluation showed that it outperformed the signal-timing plan provided by a commonly used existing signal-timing optimization tool. The proposed signal-timing strategy can reduce average traffic delay by 24%, average vehicle travel time by 8.5%, and average queue length by 28.8% at the studied CFI.