Overground transport interchange. Intersections and junctions on highways and city streets at different levels. Promising Interchange Projects

transport interchange

Difficult interchange near Barcelona (Spain)

Transport interchange- a complex of road structures (bridges, tunnels, roads) designed to minimize the intersection of traffic flows and, as a result, to increase the capacity of roads. Mostly, interchanges mean traffic intersections at different levels, but the term is also used for special cases of traffic intersections at the same level.

The term is more often used in relation to complexes for one particular type of transport. In Russia, the most famous are road junctions located in Moscow (MKAD, Garden Ring, Third Transport Ring, etc.), as well as railway junctions.

Terms

Note. The article describes the terms for right-hand traffic. In the case of the left-hand side, the principle remains the same, only it is necessary to replace the left / right. This does not exclude sections with traffic in the other direction, as on Zvezdny Boulevard.

Types of traffic lights

traffic light

It is formed by crossing at an arbitrary angle (usually right) two or more roads. The term "interchange" is used only when there is a complex traffic light cycle, the presence of other roads for turning traffic, or the prohibition of following in one of the directions.

Advantages

1. Ease of traffic light cycles
2. Ability to allocate a separate cycle for pedestrians

disadvantages

1. Left turn problem with heavy traffic on one of the roads
2. With heavy traffic, the waiting time for green light can reach 10 minutes (For example, earlier on Kudrinskaya Square)
3. With heavy traffic, there is a high risk of traffic jams

Traffic light with a pocket for a U-turn and a left turn

Such a decoupling is arranged in cases where one of the streets already has a division of flows.

Advantages

1. Ease of traffic light cycles.
2. The existing space at the old intersection is being used.

disadvantages

1. Overloading a road with pockets can create traffic jams. For example, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe Profsoyuznaya terminal station, public transport after disembarking does not have time to immediately change lanes into 3 lanes, which leads to confusion
2. When turning left (and sometimes when turning), you must stand on at least two "reds" (to solve this problem, a right turn on red is usually allowed).
3. The situation of pedestrians is deteriorating due to the reduction of the cycle or the elimination of a virtually traffic-free crossing. Such an interchange is often built in conjunction with an underpass.
4. It is necessary to remove obstacles to the visibility of pedestrians, or there is a danger of a right turn.

Circular

It is based on the fact that instead of an intersection, a circle is being built, on which you can enter and exit anywhere.

Advantages

1. The number of traffic light cycles is reduced to a minimum of two (for a pedestrian crossing and the passage of cars), sometimes traffic lights are abolished altogether
2. No left turn problem (when driving right)
3. Possible branch and more than four roads

disadvantages

1. Cannot give priority to any (main) road; It is used, as a rule, on roads of similar congestion.
2. High emergency hazard
3. The need to clearly consider the flow of pedestrians
4. Requires a lot of extra space
5. Bandwidth limited by circumference
6. No more than 3 lanes

Atypical solutions

K-element

One of the roads necessarily consists of three segments, two of which are roads for movement each in their own direction, and the third is a dedicated lane, while at the intersection the central lane “changes” from one side. There are also special cases of leaving the selected lane to a secondary road (Vavilova Street) with the allocation of a boulevard (Nakhimovsky Prospekt)

Advantages

1. Dedicated cycle for OT is combined with a left turn of two lanes
2. The left turn passes with a delayed turn further through the central lane

disadvantages

1. It is necessary to take into account the structure of the surrounding streets

Types of interchanges for crossing a highway and a secondary road

Parclo (Incomplete Deployment)

An example of a "half daisy"

Or partial clover. Popular in Moscow. There, the most striking example is interchanges near the Kuntsevskaya metro station or at the entrance to Reutov/Ivanovskoye.

Advantages

1. More speed than typical clover due to longer stripes
2. Cheaper by building shorter bridges
3. All areas involved
4. Often designed specifically for the predominance of the left turn

Disadvantages:

1. Only a part of the lanes for the exit / exit is allocated. It is not possible to select all bands.
2. U-turn from a secondary road is impossible in principle.

Traffic lights and tunnel

On the main road, a tunnel (or overpass) is being built for traffic straight ahead, for the rest, traffic lights are kept

Advantages

1. Allows you to highlight the dominant flow without compromising the secondary road
2. Virtually no barriers to public transport
3. It is often possible to make the upper zone predominantly pedestrian (example - Triumfalnaya Square in Moscow)

disadvantages

1. The predominance of one of the streams over the other is necessary. If the flows are compared, then it becomes impossible for public transport to move through the traffic light zone (for example, on Mosfilmovskaya Street), with an increase in flow, the tunnel may also become clogged
2. Need more distance before next intersection compared to traffic lights

Roundabout with highlighting of the forward direction

Advantages:

1. compactness
2. Simple reversal on the ring
3. Possibility of rebuilding from the roundabout

Disadvantages:

1. The speed of movement on the ring is limited by its size.
2. Thread conflict on the ring can lead to congestion

diamond-shaped

diamond-shaped

At the approaches to the junction, the roads branch into right and left turns; the crossing of streams is bred by a bridge. Inside the rhombus formed by roads for left turns, a direct intersection is built as a branch from them; at the same time, the direction of movement changes (right-hand becomes left-hand).

Advantages:

1. High throughput and speed of movement;
2. Left turns have the same large radius as right turns;
3. There are no warring flows (entry after exit);
4. The left turn is intuitive.

Disadvantages:

1. It is necessary to build 5 bridges;
2. In the basic configuration, a turn is not possible.

Types of traffic light interchanges for highway junction

tubular

tubular

Two-level junction, one of the left turns is made as a right 270 degrees. U-turn in the basic configuration is not possible. During construction, the interchange requires the construction of only one direct intersection. This interchange is most popular, in particular, on the Moscow Ring Road.

T-shaped

T-shaped

In a T-junction, left turns are made at separate levels using

Semi-clover

Semi-clover

A two-level interchange in which both left turns are made as right 270 degrees. In the basic configuration, a U-turn on an adjoining road is possible. There may be a conflict of flows inherent in a clover interchange due to the location of the entrance before the exit. During construction, the interchange requires the construction of only one direct intersection; when the road is extended, it is possible to complete the construction to the clover.

Promising Interchange Projects

Interchange Petruk

Near the Shulyavska metro station in Kyiv there is a semi-clover interchange, which is extremely inconvenient for both motorists and pedestrians. From two corners of the four - buildings. After a nearby market burned down in 2007 and doubts arose about the reliability of the bridge, projects to rebuild such a difficult interchange followed. One of them was proposed by the Ukrainian engineer Viktor Petruk.

The Petruk interchange can be considered as a compromise implementation of the accumulative interchange, in which the left turns are not separated in height, but are on the same level, thus forming conflicting pairs of flows. A feature of the interchange is the organization of traffic on the ring part clockwise (for right-hand traffic). For example, the trajectory of the left turn is shown in the diagram with a green arrow.

Advantages

1. It is compact, implementation in dense building is possible.
2. Relatively easy to build.
3. Intuitive organization of turns. To go left you have to turn left, to go right you have to turn right. When driving, you must give way to the obstacle on the right.
4. Easy turn in basic configuration.
5. Fewer conflicting flows compared to a roundabout with direct passages at a comparable cost and similar design.
6. Entry after exit.

disadvantages

1. Four intersections of perpendicular flows compared to their absence at the "clover" or cumulative interchange - for intersecting pairs of left turns.
2. The roundabout is organized non-standard, clockwise (for right-hand traffic)
3. For the movement of pedestrians, the organization of a separate "pedestrian" level is required.
4. Low speed on left turns and U-turns.
- a complex of structures at the intersection of roads of two or more directions for turning vehicles from one direction to another. Transport interchanges are arranged mainly in two (for example, cloverleaf) or several levels ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

A complex of structures at the intersection of roads of two or more directions for turning vehicles from one direction to another. Interchanges are arranged mainly in two (for example, "cloverleaf") or several levels. * … encyclopedic Dictionary

The connection of highways (See Automobile road) at different levels with exits for the passage of cars and other vehicles from one road to another. T. r. arrange on highways of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd categories. ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

A complex of structures at the intersection of roads of several directions for turning transport from one direction to another. T. r. suit in one or several. levels. In system T. r. includes the arts. embankment structures, excavations, overpasses, tunnels. ... ... Big encyclopedic polytechnic dictionary

A structure (or complex of structures) at an intersection of roads that ensures the uninterrupted movement of traffic flows in various directions. Arranged in two or more levels. If the interchange scheme provides continuous ... ... Construction dictionary

1st class transport interchange- full multi-level decoupling with maximum parameters; is designed at the intersections of the main streets of citywide significance of class I...

Frankfurt, Germany

Arriving in Frankfurt, we advise you to sit at the portholes on the starboard side. This way you are more likely to see the Frankfurt Cross, the busiest interchange in Western Europe. Autobahns A3, A5, highway B43 converge on the "cross", and two railway tunnels are laid under the large "clover". The construction of the interchange began in 1933, but because of the war, it was completed only by 1957. Now 320,000 cars pass through here every day.

Los Angeles, USA

The interchange was built in 1993 and named after Harry Pregerson - in honor of the famous and oldest federal judge in the United States, who, among other things, led the process of building the interchange itself. Highways 105 and 110 intersect here at right angles. Like almost all roads in Los Angeles, one runs north-south, the other east-west, to the Pacific coast and Los Angeles International Airport. Dozens of kilometers around are the square-nested suburbs of one-story America.

Atlanta, USA

Crashing straight into Atlanta, highways 75 and 85 merge into one fourteen-lane road - Downtown Connector with daily traffic of more than 230-270 thousand cars. During its construction in the middle of the 20th century, a piece of the historical center of Atlanta was razed to the ground. And in the place where the connecting highway crosses Highway 20, the Labyrinth junction arose. We would rename it "The Framed Labyrinth": note how it is inscribed in the rectangle of ordinary streets typical of American cities.

Gravelly Hill, UK

In the suburb of Gravelly Hill near Birmingham, two rivers merge, two canals diverge, and a double-track railway runs past. When the engineers decided to connect the M6 ​​highway to the A38(M) highway here, the journalists dubbed the project "Spaghetti Interchange" - because you don't think of it on purpose. Until you figure out who goes where, you can move your mind or go in eighteen directions, counting the numerous local congresses. The interchange was built in 1968-1972, installing 559 reinforced concrete pillars, the highest of which reach 24.4 meters.

Atlanta, USA

The Tom Moland Interchange is named after the chief engineer of the local Department of Transportation. It was built in 1983-1987 twenty kilometers northeast of Atlanta at the intersection of the radial highway 85 and the ring road 285 - an analogue of the Bolshaya Concrete Road near Moscow. The interchange includes 14 bridges and overpasses, the highest of which rises 27 meters above the ground. Three hundred thousand cars pass through the interchange every day. And downstairs, some poor fellows also live.

Shanghai, China

The Huangpu River, which flows into the Yangtze a few kilometers from the sea, not only divides Shanghai in two. There are ten bridges across the river within the city, but for Shanghai of 24 million, this is not much. One of them, the Nanpu cable-stayed bridge, is interesting for its western approach design, the Puxi Viaduct. Three highways join here and rise thirty meters in a three-level spiral to reach the level of the bridge. The navigable span of the bridge can pass a sea vessel up to 48 meters high.

Putrajaya, Malaysia

The city, born to be the capital, has been built since 1995, two dozen kilometers from Kuala Lumpur. Like St. Petersburg during the time of Peter the Great, Putrajaya was specially designed to take away from the disgruntled electorate and place all fur coat stores and government residences in an elite village. The main difference between Putrajaya and St. Petersburg is that there are almost no straight streets here, all roads diligently follow the relief. And several streets around a 50-meter hill form an oval (0.85-1.29 km in diameter), which is considered the largest roundabout in the world.

Paris, France

Place Charles de Gaulle until 1970 bore a more appropriate name for it - Place de l'Etoile, or Place de l'Etoile. This place is known to hikers as the Arc de Triomphe square, to Parisian drivers as a place where the police do not come, to tourist drivers as the place where the navigator in a mocking tone commands: "Perform the ninth exit." The 40-meter roadway has never been marked, and at rush hour this circle looks like an anthill, where everyone drives along arbitrary trajectories. True, Paris is not Moscow, and if you are dull and don’t know where to turn, no one but Arabs, Parisians, motorcyclists and bus drivers will teach you about life.

Swindon, UK

Luckily, there are markings on the Magic Circle in Swindon, but even with that it's hard to figure out how to get there, because there are five small circles around one large circle. Six small streets converge to the junction, and the best option for a beginner is to turn left at the entrance. However, the British are already used to it: in the 1970s, the scheme was popular in the UK, and the same type of interchanges were built in several cities. There are also “light versions”, where there are not five small circles, but, for example, two.

Osaka, Japan

The coastline of Osaka - endless origami-shaped quay walls. The coastal areas are almost entirely artificial, there is no extra space on the lands reclaimed from the sea. Therefore, the Bayshore toll highway was laid on the “second floor” above the residential and port areas. And so that the bridges over the harbors were of sufficient height, spiral roads lead from the streets to the flyovers.

Newark, USA

Newark International Airport is the second of three airports serving New York City and the surrounding area. It opened back in 1928, but traffic grew rapidly, as did the motorization of the population in the state of New Jersey. In 1952, a complex junction of five highways was built here, which not only pass through the transit traffic, but also serve as entrances to the giant airport.

Kansas City, USA

A small six-kilometer ring connects nine highways and is called the Alphabet Loop. Inside is downtown Kansas City, and the 23 exits on both sides of the loop are numbered sequentially, starting at 2A and ending at 2Y. If the Americans build three more congresses, they will get the full Latin alphabet.

Unlike standard intersections, a road junction ensures the free flow of vehicles, allowing them to bypass intersections and traffic lights. But sometimes interchanges can be extremely complex and consist of several levels. Below is a list of the ten most difficult road junctions in the world.

South Bay Interchange is a massive road junction in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It was built in the late 90s as part of the Big Dig project.

A4 and E70 is a complex road transport hub located in Milan, Italy.

Eighth place in the list of the ten most difficult road junctions in the world is Xinzhuang interchange, located in Shanghai, China.

The seventh position is occupied by Higashiosaka Loop - a road transport hub located in Osaka, Japan.

The sixth line is occupied by the Interchange of I-695 and I-95 - a complex traffic intersection located in Baltimore County, Maryland, USA.

Kennedy Interchange is a road and transportation hub located on the northeastern outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Its construction began in the spring of 1962 and was completed in 1964.

Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange is a transportation hub in Los Angeles, California, USA. It was opened in 1993 and named after federal judge Harry Pregerson.

Tom Moreland Interchange is a road junction located northeast of Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It was built between 1983 and 1987 and named after Tom Moreland, one of the leading road builders in the United States. The hub currently services about 300,000 vehicles per day.

Gravelly Hill Interchange is a complex road junction in Birmingham, England, better known by the nickname Spaghetti Junction. It was opened on May 24, 1972. It covers 12 ha and includes 4 km of connecting roads.

Puxi Viaduct is a large, six-level road junction located in the historic center of Shanghai, China.

Traffic jams are the curse of any modern metropolis. In order to save time for city dwellers and distribute traffic flows, design engineers sometimes resort to amazing solutions, which we will discuss in our material.

Judge Harry Pregerson Name Interchange, Los Angeles

One of the most intricate road structures in the world, combining passenger transport routes, the Harbor Transit Road and the Los Angeles Metro Green Line railroad track, was opened in 1993. Located at the junction of I-105 from El Segundo to Norwalk and I-110 from San Pedro to Los Angeles, this tangle of roads bears the name of federal judge Harry Pregerson for a reason. Like a famous lawyer who managed to sort out the wilds of a legal dispute over the construction of I-105, an automobile interchange skillfully resolves endless streams of cars. In just one day, this labyrinth, which allows you to turn in any direction on all sections of the path, crosses more than 500,000 cars. There is only one problem - it is worth missing one, the very right turn, and the miracle of engineering will turn into an endless Möbius strip for you.

Cycle roundabout, Eindhoven

State support for cyclists, deployed in the Netherlands, has led to amazing results: in recent years, most of the country's population prefers to use eco-friendly and economical two-wheeled transport in everyday life. For the convenience of those who preferred to give up cars, special infrastructure began to be created - for example, the unique The Honvering road junction in Eindhoven. Suspended above a busy traffic junction, this circular steel bridge allows traffic to be bypassed. The amazing design is held on the central 70-meter pillar with metal cables, and for reliability, it is also reinforced with concrete columns. The creators of The Hovering claim that the future lies precisely with such technologies that nullify traffic accidents and decorate landscapes with unusual futuristic designs.

Gravelly Hill Interchange, Birmingham

The construction of a tangled, like a ball of thread, road junction in Birmingham took four years. Many technological and engineering hurdles stood in the way of the planners who were forced to combine two rail lines and 18 road routes into one network, from the A38 state highway leading from Cornwall to Northampshire, to narrow unnamed country roads, and throw it all over three canals and two rivers. To ensure better traffic and good stability, the builders had to re-lay almost 22 kilometers of road surface and install 59 columns, placing the highway at five different heights. With the light hand of a local newspaper reporter, the result of hard work, which appeared to the world in May 1972, received the playful nickname "Spaghetti Decoupling". Painfully, this frightening design resembles "a mixture of a plate of pasta and an unsuccessful attempt to tie a Staffordshire knot."

Traffic interchange on Taganskaya Square, Moscow

Even those who know the "rules of the game" and have been moving along the Taganka lanes for a long time often get lost on the Garden Ring. What can we say about those who for the first time found themselves at the intersection of the busiest roads in Moscow, spread out in the heart of the Central District of the capital. Where the Bolshoi Krasnokholmsky Bridge connects with Zemlyanoy Val Street, chaos always reigns. Several highways leading from the Lower and Upper Radishevsky, Goncharnaya, Marxistskaya, Vorontsovskaya, Taganskaya, Narodnaya streets and numbering six or more lanes are teeming with endless rows of cars. The incessant noise of passing traffic is cut through by sharp signals, and traffic jams at peak hours do not see any end or edge. A colorful picture of one of the most terrible road junctions in the world is completed by two Moscow metro stations, a bus stop and the almost complete absence of signs.

Interchange at Place Charles de Gaulle, Paris

The brilliant French urban planners who gave Paris the Place des Stars certainly did not have the gift of foresight. Over the past centuries, the “patch” near the famous Arc de Triomphe, lively even by the standards of the 19th century, has turned into a real hell for motorists. Despite the fact that 12 straight and wide avenues diverge from the central city parade ground like the rays of a star, and several metro lines, RER, bus routes and highways converge, there are no traffic lights or priority signs. No wonder that even Parisian taxi drivers, passing through the district a hundred times a day, sigh sadly when they receive an order for Charles de Gaulle Square. Neither intuition, nor a good knowledge of the rules of the road, nor many years of driving experience can save you from the horror that is happening here at rush hour: at the junction, which is ranked among the most difficult roads in the world, several accidents occur per hour.