Description

• History of System interchange development in USA/Canada and lessons learned  
• Application of human factors to operational considerations for systems of interchanges
• Capacity Guidelines for System Interchange Ramps
• Types of and Geometric Design of System Interchange Ramps
• 3-Leg System Interchanges – design and operational characteristics
• 4-Leg System Interchanges – design and operational characteristics
• Projects/problems - The problems/projects demonstrate the interchange concept application of operational and design guidelines in the latest AASHTO Policy and the ITE Freeway and Interchange Geometric Design Handbook.

Through the lectures and projects/problems participants will understand the relationship between design, traffic operations, and safety. They will learn that designing a system interchange requires knowledge of planning, geometric design and traffic operational analysis. Participants will learn that every interchange has individual issues and opportunities which require sensitive application of the design criteria to respond to these issues and opportunities –system interchange design is not “cookbook.”

The course material is based on experiences and publications in the United States, Canada and other countries that began the development of their freeway and system interchanges more than 70 years ago.
 
The course is structured for 24-30 participants (students) for maximum participant/instructor interaction. The course materials, lectures and projects/problems are in US Customary units. Each participant in the course will receive a set of reference materials in a 3-ring binder for use during the course and after. The reference materials are approximately 100 pages of text, figures, tables, and photographs. Participants are required to supply pencils and note paper.” Total Hours – 7 hours.

Instructor: Joel P. Leisch, PE, MSCE, BSCE, LMITE, FASCE

Mr. Leisch has been engaged in transportation and traffic engineering with an emphasis on conceptual planning, functional design, geometric design, and traffic operational studies for urban freeway corridors and other high type urban facilities for more than 50 years. He has been responsible for the planning and design studies of more than 2,000 miles (3,000km) of freeways, toll facilities, and arterials including more than 900 interchanges and 2,000 intersections in major metropolitan areas in 28 states and four foreign countries. During the past 10 years a number of the freeway projects have incorporated high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) facilities, managed (HOT) lanes, surveillance and control, integration with public transportation (BRT or rail) and application of innovative interchange concepts as the Double Crossover Diamond (Diverging Diamond) and the Displaced Left Turn Interchange in environmentally and socially sensitive areas. Recent arterial Intersection projects have included application of the Crossover Displaced Left Turn Intersection, innovative two-level intersections and roundabouts.