Operational performance analysis of the unconventional median u-turn intersection design

Abstract

The operational performance of the unconventional median U-turn (MUT), which has been implemented for several years in Cairo, Egypt, is analyzed and compared to baseline conventional four-leg and conventional MUT intersections. VISSIM was used to model the three designs under a wide range of balanced and unbalanced volume scenarios. The performance of the unconventional MUT intersection was shown to be poor in comparison to the other two designs. The overall capacity of the unconventional MUT intersection was lower than that of a conventional four-leg intersection by about 27%. Meanwhile, the capacity of conventional MUT intersections with signalized and unsignalized crossovers was about 10% and 8% higher than that of the conventional intersection, respectively. Despite the poor performance, the unconventional MUT is increasing in popularity among city officials in Cairo. Traffic regulations enforcement and policemen's safety gains might be the main incentives behind the implementation of the design in Cairo.