Guidelines for Operating Congested Traffic Signals (0-5998-1)

The objective of this project was to develop guidelines for mitigating congestion in traffic signal systems. As part of the project, researchers conducted a thorough review of literature and developed preliminary guidelines for combating congestion. Then, the researchers conducted a survey of selected practitioners in Texas to get feedback on their concerns about congestion and opinions about a list of strategies developed after literature review. Researchers also conducted simulation studies to analyze the impact of bay length, traffic distribution, and phasing sequence selection on the throughput capacity of left-turn bay and adjacent through lane under loaded traffic conditions. Researchers also conducted field and simulation studies to show the applications of preliminary guidelines. Finally, they modified guidelines to account for lessons learned through field studies.