Date of Award
Summer 2002
Document Type
Thesis - Restricted
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
Abstract
Throughout the United States, the condition of streets and highways is declining. In addition, the ease and efficiency of mobility is decreasing. Causes for the disrepair of the transportation system include: increased personal vehicle use, increased shipment of goods via highways and simply the advancing age of the infrastructure. Freeways are reaching the end of their original design life at a time when improvement and capacity expansion projects are more difficult to implement due to: cost, increased environmental awareness and abundant, adjacent development. This research paper describes a traffic operations study conducted as a part of a highway reconstruction project. The project involved a 2.1-mile segment of Interstate Highway 75, near Saginaw, Michigan. A service interchange with Michigan State Highway 46 and two ramps in the 1-675 system interchange will be reconstructed as a part of the project. The existing interchange at M-46 is a full cloverleaf. Traffic operations in the project area are heavily influenced by recreational traffic and a large Delphi manufacturing plant located near the interchange. The distance between the M-46 and I-675 interchange is approximately 2,500 feet and weaving on the freeway is a concern. Two new interchange configurations were considered at I-75 and M-46. The initial reconstruction proposal involved the construction of a Full Cloverleaf interchange at M-46 with two-lane Collector-Distributor roads the length of the project. In an effort to reduce total project cost, a Single Point Urban Interchange (SPUI) was analyzed at M-46. The comparison of a SPUI with a Full Cloverleaf interchange in a relatively rural setting, without severe right-of-way constraints is unique. A SPUI is typically used in urban settings as a means to reduce right-of-way needs associated with other interchange types...
Recommended Citation
Devery, Christopher A., "A Case Study : Interchange Type Selection at Interstate Highway 75 and Michigan State Highway 46 near Saginaw, Michigan" (2002). Master's Theses (1922-2009) Access restricted to Marquette Campus. 4558.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/theses/4558