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  • 1.  Address Conflict Points in Roadway/Highway Design

    Posted 04-11-2022 06:14 PM
    Hi ASCE,

    I hope everyone is doing well.

    What are your opinions and experiences about roundabouts or rotaries? It seems like a reasonable approach to maintaining continuous traffic and reducing conflict points. 

    I had a short exposure to the profession and learned about most of the components that make it work, not listed in any particular order.

    1. Roadway Geometry
    2. Cost Efficiency
    3. Stormwater Management/BMPs
    4. Earthwork
    5. Traffic Management 
    6. Pedestrian Traffic
    7. Bike Lane Movement

    Questions:
    What do people like in their designs?
    What have you completed that were most commonly requested?
    Lastly, has anyone mastered roadway design/transportation engineering?

    Thank you!

    ------------------------------
    Oanh "Wan" Le, A.M.ASCE (She/Her)
    Rochdale, MA
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Address Conflict Points in Roadway/Highway Design

    Posted 03-26-2023 05:51 PM

    Hi Oanh (: 
    it seems to have been work quite very well here in "Brazil"... we tend to see in areas that don't have it many accidents and collisions, instead they use vehicular crossings between asphalt roads!! so you can imagine how it can be dangerous, at least in not so much urbanized cities (less than one hundred thousand inhabitants < 100.000population ) an some countryside areas!  

    To answer your question,  Yes it is a good solution... There is new innovation about that coming for the next years! 

     
    This image is from a facebook post by the: Federal Highway Administration

    Just by accessing the INNOVATOR: November/December 2022 | V16 | Issue 93 

    We can see a lot of improvement with this new technology for Retrofitting Roundabouts, that's include 
    Innovative intersection designs, proven safety countermeasures, community connections, crowdsourcing, and virtual public involvement. 

    You can confirm great ideas, there always positive feelings with the implementation of those structures.
    Sincerely yours. AN






    ------------------------------
    Andre Newinski S.E., M.ASCE
    Structural Engineer
    AN
    Santo Angelo
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Address Conflict Points in Roadway/Highway Design

    Posted 03-27-2023 08:02 AM

    I live in Waterloo Region about 1 hour to the west of Toronto in Canada.  The Transportation Association of Canada has publshed some decent guidelines for roundabout design.  We have 40 roundabouts here (constructed since 2004), mostly on arterial roads and they work very well.  There are hundreds all over Ontario and have been used alot for new road construction as well as retrofitted in for existing intersections.  

     

    They are not new to the area as I recall roundabouts on major highways in the 1960s.  

    I spend quite a bit of time in Europe and they are everywhere and work very efficiently.  Less maintenance and cost than for signalized intersections.  The only issue that I have seen is how to deal with long trucks and now they enter and exit the roundabout. 

    David Hein 



    ------------------------------
    David Hein P.Eng, M.ASCE
    Prinicpal Engineer,
    Retired
    Kitchener ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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