TxDOT awards TSU researchers project to improve traffic safety

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has awarded a 2-year research project to Texas Southern for 2008-2010, on the Development of Guidelines for Triple Left and Dual Right-Turn Lanes. Researchers at TSU, led by Dr. Yi Qi and Dr. Lei Yu, in the Department of Transportation Studies, in collaboration with the researches at Texas Transportation Institute, will develop critical geometric designs and operational guidelines in order to improve the safety and operational efficiency of the triple left-turn and dual right-turn intersections.  

Dr. Qi and Dr. Yu are recognized experts in this field and have already completed three significant projects for TxDOT regarding the left-turn lanes design issues. Triple left turn lanes and dual right-turn lanes are still considered as relatively new design alternatives that have been implemented in a very limited number of intersections in Texas.

The guidelines to implement triple left-turn lanes or dual right-turn lanes are almost non-existent, leaving traffic engineers to rely on engineering judgment for their design. This particular project will develop geometric design and installation guidelines for triple left-turn and dual right-turn lanes. It will also evaluate the safety and operational performances of existing triple left-turn and dual right-turn lane sites in Texas. It is anticipated that the successful completion of this project will result in decreased accident rates, improved traffic progress and reduced traffic delays at the intersections with triple left-turn and dual right-turn lanes.

The researchers will use TSU’s state-of-the-art Mobile Traffic Van for the data collection of this project. This van can be used for collecting traffic data at selected intersections and roadway sections; this will allow additional research activities that would not have been possible in the past.