Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter.
Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
OCR for page R1
NATIONAL
NCHRP REPORT 707
COOPERATIVE
HIGHWAY
RESEARCH
PROGRAM
Guidelines on the Use
of Auxiliary Through Lanes
at Signalized Intersections
OCR for page R2
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2011 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
OFFICERS
CHAIR: Neil J. Pedersen, Consultant, Silver Spring, MD
VICE CHAIR: Sandra Rosenbloom, Professor of Planning, University of Arizona, Tucson
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board
MEMBERS
J. Barry Barker, Executive Director, Transit Authority of River City, Louisville, KY
Deborah H. Butler, Executive Vice President, Planning, and CIO, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Norfolk, VA
William A.V. Clark, Professor, Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles
Eugene A. Conti, Jr., Secretary of Transportation, North Carolina DOT, Raleigh
James M. Crites, Executive Vice President of Operations, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, TX
Paula J. Hammond, Secretary, Washington State DOT, Olympia
Michael W. Hancock, Secretary, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Frankfort
Adib K. Kanafani, Cahill Professor of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
Michael P. Lewis, Director, Rhode Island DOT, Providence
Susan Martinovich, Director, Nevada DOT, Carson City
Joan McDonald, Commissioner, New York State DOT, Albany
Michael R. Morris, Director of Transportation, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Arlington
Tracy L. Rosser, Vice President, Regional General Manager, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Mandeville, LA
Steven T. Scalzo, Chief Operating Officer, Marine Resources Group, Seattle, WA
Henry G. (Gerry) Schwartz, Jr., Chairman (retired), Jacobs/Sverdrup Civil, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Beverly A. Scott, General Manager and CEO, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Atlanta, GA
David Seltzer, Principal, Mercator Advisors LLC, Philadelphia, PA
Lawrence A. Selzer, President and CEO, The Conservation Fund, Arlington, VA
Kumares C. Sinha, Olson Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Thomas K. Sorel, Commissioner, Minnesota DOT, St. Paul
Daniel Sperling, Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science and Policy; Director, Institute of Transportation Studies; and Interim
Director, Energy Efficiency Center, University of California, Davis
Kirk T. Steudle, Director, Michigan DOT, Lansing
Douglas W. Stotlar, President and CEO, Con-Way, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI
C. Michael Walton, Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering, University of Texas, Austin
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
J. Randolph Babbitt, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S.DOT
Rebecca M. Brewster, President and COO, American Transportation Research Institute, Smyrna, GA
Anne S. Ferro, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S.DOT
LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC
John T. Gray, Senior Vice President, Policy and Economics, Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC
John C. Horsley, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC
David T. Matsuda, Deputy Administrator, Maritime Administration, U.S.DOT
Michael P. Melaniphy, President, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
Victor M. Mendez, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S.DOT
Tara O'Toole, Under Secretary for Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC
Robert J. Papp (Adm., U.S. Coast Guard), Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC
Cynthia L. Quarterman, Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S.DOT
Peter M. Rogoff, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, U.S.DOT
David L. Strickland, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S.DOT
Joseph C. Szabo, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S.DOT
Polly Trottenberg, Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S.DOT
Robert L. Van Antwerp (Lt. Gen., U.S. Army), Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
Barry R. Wallerstein, Executive Officer, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Diamond Bar, CA
Gregory D. Winfree, Acting Administrator, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, U.S.DOT
*Membership as of November 2011.
OCR for page R3
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
NCHRP REPORT 707
Guidelines on the Use
of Auxiliary Through Lanes
at Signalized Intersections
Brandon Nevers
Hermanus Steyn
Yuri Mereszczak
Zach Clark
KITTELSON & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Reston, VA
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Nagui Rouphail
Joe Hummer
Bastian Schroeder
Zach Bugg
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
INSTITUTE FOR TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
Raleigh, NC
Jim Bonneson
TEXAS TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE
College Station, TX
Danica Rhodes
WRITE RHETORIC
Boise, ID
Subscriber Categories
Highways · Operations and Traffic Management · Planning and Forecasting · Safety and Human Factors
Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
WASHINGTON, D.C.
2011
www.TRB.org
OCR for page R4
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY NCHRP REPORT 707
RESEARCH PROGRAM
Systematic, well-designed research provides the most effective Project 03-98
approach to the solution of many problems facing highway ISSN 0077-5614
administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local ISBN 978-0-309-21375-2
interest and can best be studied by highway departments individually Library of Congress Control Number 2011943520
or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the © 2011 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
accelerating growth of highway transportation develops increasingly
complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These
problems are best studied through a coordinated program of COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
cooperative research.
Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining
In recognition of these needs, the highway administrators of the written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials published or copyrighted material used herein.
initiated in 1962 an objective national highway research program Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this
employing modern scientific techniques. This program is supported on publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the
understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA,
a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of the
FMCSA, FTA, or Transit Development Corporation endorsement of a particular product,
Association and it receives the full cooperation and support of the method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for
Federal Highway Administration, United States Department of educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of
any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission
Transportation.
from CRP.
The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies was
requested by the Association to administer the research program
because of the Board's recognized objectivity and understanding of
NOTICE
modern research practices. The Board is uniquely suited for this
purpose as it maintains an extensive committee structure from which The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the National Cooperative Highway
Research Program, conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of
authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; it the Governing Board of the National Research Council.
possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal,
The members of the technical panel selected to monitor this project and to review this
state and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; its report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.
relationship to the National Research Council is an insurance of The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to
procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved
objectivity; it maintains a full-time research correlation staff of
by the Governing Board of the National Research Council.
specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of
The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the
research directly to those who are in a position to use them. researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation
The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified Research Board, the National Research Council, or the program sponsors.
by chief administrators of the highway and transportation departments The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research
and by committees of AASHTO. Each year, specific areas of research Council, and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not
needs to be included in the program are proposed to the National endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers' names appear herein solely
because they are considered essential to the object of the report.
Research Council and the Board by the American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials. Research projects to fulfill these
needs are defined by the Board, and qualified research agencies are
selected from those that have submitted proposals. Administration and
surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National
Research Council and the Transportation Research Board.
The needs for highway research are many, and the National
Cooperative Highway Research Program can make significant
contributions to the solution of highway transportation problems of
mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is
intended to complement rather than to substitute for or duplicate other
highway research programs.
Published reports of the
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
are available from:
Transportation Research Board
Business Office
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
and can be ordered through the Internet at:
http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore
Printed in the United States of America
OCR for page R5
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific
and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the
authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal
government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel
organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the
National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also
sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior
achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members
of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the
responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government
and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the
Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of
science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in
accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the
National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and
the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine.
Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The mission of the Transporta-
tion Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange,
conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. The Board's varied activities annually engage about
7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia,
all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal
agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individu-
als interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org
www.national-academies.org
OCR for page R6
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR NCHRP REPORT 707
Christopher W. Jenks, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Crawford F. Jencks, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Nanda Srinivasan, Senior Program Officer
Charlotte Thomas, Senior Program Assistant
Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications
Natalie Barnes, Senior Editor
NCHRP PROJECT 03-98 PANEL
Field of Traffic--Area of Operations and Control
Michael M. Christensen, McGregor, MN (Chair)
James H. Dunlop, North Carolina DOT, Garner, NC
Rashad M. Hanbali, City of Cape Coral, Cape Coral, FL
Thomas Hicks, Maryland State Highway Administration, Hanover, MD
Brent A. Sweger, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Frankfort, KY
Michael L. Swires, Washington State DOT, Seattle, WA
Zhongren Wang, California DOT, Sacramento, CA
Deborah Curtis, FHWA Liaison
Richard A. Cunard, TRB Liaison
AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
These guidelines were prepared as part of NCHRP Project 3-98, "Guidelines on the Use of Auxiliary
Through Lanes at Signalized Intersections." The research team consisted of Brandon Nevers (principal
investigator), Hermanus Steyn, Michael Houston, Yuri Mereszczak, Zach Clark, and Mark Vandehey (Kit-
telson & Associates, Inc.); Nagui Rouphail (co-principal investigator), Joe Hummer, Bastian Schroeder,
and Zach Bugg (North Carolina State University Institute of Transportation Research and Education); Jim
Bonneson (Texas Transportation Institute), Danica Rhodes (Write Rhetoric), and data collection staff
from Quality Counts.
Several additional individuals contributed to the project. Mike Alston and Brendan Lehan of North Car-
olina State University provided key contributions to the development of the operations and safety assess-
ments. Séverine Maréchal and Diego Franca of Kittelson & Associates, Inc. assisted with the survey and
interim report. Ralph Bentley and Jon Sommerville assisted with exhibits and production of the guide-
lines. Brian Ray, Lee Rodegerdts, and Paul Ryus of Kittelson & Associates, Inc. provided review and input
in the development of the guidelines.
The research team thanks each of the panel members for the valuable input, guidance, and support pro-
vided throughout the project. Their contributions significantly enhanced the research products.
The research team also appreciates the input provided by each of the survey respondents. This infor-
mation provided the basis for the identification and selection of study ATL approaches that are the foun-
dation for the guidelines produced from this project. The research team also thanks Jay Ring at the Uni-
versity of Buffalo for supplying data collected at ATL sites in Buffalo, New York.
OCR for page R7
FOREWORD
By Nanda Srinivasan
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
Lanes for through movements that begin upstream of a signalized intersection and end
downstream of the intersection--auxiliary through lanes (ATLs)--are recognized as a
moderate-cost approach to increase intersection and overall corridor capacity. NCHRP
Report 707 provides guidelines to use for justification, design, and analysis of ATLs at sig-
nalized intersections. The report is aimed to assist transportation professionals in the effec-
tive and safe use of intersection auxiliary through lanes.
Auxiliary through lanes (ATLs) at signalized intersections have been used throughout the
United States. An ATL is a limited-length through lane added upstream and downstream of
an intersection. Prior studies suggest that the length of auxiliary lanes beyond the intersec-
tion is a significant factor affecting upstream lane usage and, therefore, the intersection
capacity. However, the conditions for their effective use and their affect on operations,
safety, and the site location were yet to be documented. This research provides a technical
assessment for their use, documents their affect on operations and safety, and provides
guidelines including design criteria and placement.
The research was performed by Kittelson & Associates, Inc., in association with the Insti-
tute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE), Texas Transportation Institute
(TTI), Write Rhetoric, and Quality Counts. Information was gathered via literature review
and interviews with practitioners to inform the framework of the study. Data were collected
from 22 ATL approaches across the United States. Statistical models were developed using
field data to predict the amount of traffic expected to use the ATL. A safety study was con-
ducted by examining 16 ATL approaches from eight intersections across the United States
using a calibrated VISSIM model with FHWA's Surrogate Safety Assessment Model
(SSAM).
The guidelines are accompanied by a final report posted on the TRB website as NCHRP
Web-Only Document 178: Assessment of Auxiliary Through Lanes at Signalized Intersections
along with a spreadsheet-based computational engine posted on the project web page
(http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2492).
OCR for page R8
CONTENTS
1 Chapter 1 Introduction
2 Scope of the Guidelines
2 Limitations of the Guidelines
3 Organization of Guidelines
5 Recommended Resource Documents
7 Chapter 2 ATL Characteristics
7 Terminology
8 Application
8 Configuration Types
10 Traffic Operations
10 Safety
10 Geometric and Traffic Design
11 User Considerations
15 Chapter 3 Operational Analysis
16 Operational Principles
23 Data Collection Requirements
24 ATL Volume Estimation
27 Numerical Illustration of ATL Volume Prediction
29 Chapter 4 Safety
29 Safety Principles
30 Observed Safety Performance
35 Safety Evaluation Considerations
37 Chapter 5 Geometric and Traffic Design
37 Design Approach
43 Design Elements
55 Chapter 6 Sample Application
57 ATL Application Example Description
58 Operational Evaluation
62 Preliminary Horizontal Geometric Design
64 Summary
67 Chapter 7 References
A-1 Appendix A A Simulation-Based Approach to ATL Evaluation
B-1 Appendix B Computational Engine
C-1 Appendix C Estimation of Design Lengths of ATL Components
Note: Many of the photographs, figures, and tables in this report have been converted from color to grayscale
for printing. The electronic version of the report (posted on the Web at www.trb.org) retains the color versions.
