What is a Highway Interchange and Their Types? 12 Important Points

Table of Contents

What is the Highway Interchange?

Service Interchanges:

Compact Grade Separated Junction

Dumbbell Roundabout Interchange

Diamond Interchanges

Half Cloverleaf or Partial Cloverleaf Interchanges

System Interchanges:

Full Cloverleaf Interchange

Three Level Roundabout

Cloverstack Interchanges

Turbine Interchanges:

Windmill Interchanges

 Direction Interchanges or Y Interchanges

Trumpet Interchange

What are the advantages of highway interchange?

Innovation in highway interchange design

How to perform Road Safety Audit of Highway Interchange design?

Driving along a motorway or freeway, you must have seen gigantic highway interchanges sprawled in a huge area. So, what is a highway interchange? What are the purpose and their types?

Please read this blog for details:

What is the Highway Interchange?

Highway Interchanges are basically road junctions, but they are constructed at grade-separated levels. This allows traffic to change the direction of travel through a junction and join the next motorway or freeway without compromising the driving speed. On the contrary, urban road junctions are designed to control the movements (via signal control of roundabouts) to allow a change in the direction of travel.

Highway Interchanges are only recommended when at least one road out of the two is a motorway or freeway. That’s why there are two types of highway interchanges based on their functionality.

1. Service Interchanges
2. System Interchanges

Service Interchanges:

As the name suggests, a service interchange connects a motorway or freeway to secondary roads such as national roads, local roads, etc. In service Interchanges, it is recommended to provide free flow traffic to the motorway traffic but traffic along the minor road are designed to move at a lower speed.

In some cases, when traffic exited the motorway and joins the secondary road, it would require controlling it by the signal control system or compact dumbbell roundabout design.

The following are key types of Service Interchanges:

• Compact Grade Separated Junction
• Dumbbell Roundabout Interchange
• Diamond Interchange
• Half Cloverleaf or Partial Cloverleaf Interchange

Compact Grade Separated Junction

A compact grade-separated junction provides a left-in left-out facility to and from a high-speed road and connects it to a low-speed road.  The compact grade-separated junction is not recommended to use for motorway junctions. It is preferable to provide a compact grade-separated junction on a high-speed road when the central reserve prohibits right-turn movement and so a junction is used to provide right-turn movement.

Dumbbell Roundabout Interchange

The Dumbbell Roundabout Interchange is a fusion of roundabout interchange and diamond interchange. It provides more or less the same capacity as a roundabout interchange, but it takes far less footprint than that. It is economical to build because it only needs one bridge and a lesser footprint means less land acquisition. It can easily be upgraded to a signal-controlled junction if needed.

Diamond Interchanges

Diamond Interchange is commonly used on Motorways or Freeways where minor roads are busy roads in the urban landscape. In the urban scenario, Diamond Interchange takes lakes far less land than other interchanges. Diamond Interchanges mostly come with a signal-controlled system to regulate traffic movement.

Half Cloverleaf or Partial Cloverleaf Interchanges

 As the name suggests, partial cloverleaf provides one or two or three loops as a diversion left lane from one motorway to the other. These interchanges are commonly used to accommodate very high traffic movements on two cross-directional motorways or freeways. In the urban landscape, where land availability is very restricted, Partial Cloverleaf is a preferred option.

System Interchanges:

System Interchanges connect two Motorways or Freeways in such a way that all the traffic movements continue without any obstruction or lowering the speed. As a result, the overall size of the interchanges is far bigger than a normal signal-controlled junction or service interchange. The following are key types of System Interchanges:

• Full Cloverleaf Interchange
• Three Level Roundabout
• Cloverstack Interchange
• Turbine Interchange
• Windmill Interchange
• Direction Interchange or Y Interchange
• Trumpet Interchange

Full Cloverleaf Interchange

Full Cloverleaf interchange allows a completely free-flow traffic movement between two motorways or freeways.  A full Cloverleaf needs significant land to provide all free-flow movement as a result, it is normally recommended in rural motorways to the motorway junction.

Although Full cloverleaf interchange provided free flow movement in all directions, if needed, it can easily be converted to a higher volume direction interchange. One of the very important disadvantages of a full cloverleaf is the “multiple weaving”. When the driver exit from one diverges, completes a loop and enters to next merge to diverge again to make a U-turn, it opens the significant risk of side by side vehicle collision.

It also induces a significant risk of traffic jams due to numerous mergers/diverges in a short span.

Three Level Roundabout

Three-level roundabout interchange is one of the oldest style highway interchanges. These interchanges are constructed using two bridges to complete a circulatory carriageway connecting all approaches at the grade-separated level. These interchanges provide comparatively a lower junction capacity than other interchanges. 

Also, entering and exiting from these roundabout interchanges are very confusing for drivers. In modern infrastructure design, this type of interchange is not considered a preferred option.

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Cloverstack Interchanges

Cloverstack Interchange is one of the most efficient free-flow interchanges that caters for all-direction movement between the motorway to the motorway junction. One of the main advantages of clover stack interchange is that it provides nearly a weaving free movement with minimum construction of the interchange. Three-level cloverstack interchange is one of the most efficient types of interchange to connect two high-speed motorways.

Turbine Interchanges:

Turbine Interchange is a customized version of Stack Interchange with three levels of traffic movement. Turbine interchange is very useful for hilly terrain topography as it comes with numerous merge/ diverge ramps and loops. As a result, the profile of those loops passes through various crests and valleys to suffice all free-flow movement.

The hilly terrain helps to minimise the excessive cutting or filling of alignment and reduce the construction cost.

Windmill Interchanges

A windmill interchange is very comparable to Turbine Interchange, but it comes with a reduced capacity and speed. As a result, it takes far less land take to compare to a Turbine Interchange. A very know Windmill Interchange is built-in Netherlands in the late seventies known as Vaanplein Interchange.

 Direction Interchanges or Y Interchanges

Directional Interchange or Y Interchange are very useful to propose when two motorways or three motorways join at one point at almost right angles. In this case, a two levels directional interchange, with multiple merges and diverge lanes is developed and there will be no need to provide any loop to suffice a traffic movement.

As a result, the land take will be significantly lower than other types of highway interchanges. Although, its shape does restrict the speed when the straight-ahead moment approaches to turn left or right direction with desirable minimum radii. Therefore, these types of interchanges are only recommended for a T- shape interchange situation.

Trumpet Interchange

Trumpet Interchanges are one of the oldest forms of highway interchange for a T-junction type situation where one motorway terminates by joining another motorway at a perpendicular angle. In this case, the merge and diverge of the terminating motorway, joins the other motorway via loops and creates a shape like a trumpet.

These types of junctions are commonly seen when a free-flow motorway is intended to join a toll road or motorway, which means when a non-toll motorway terminates, and a toll road motorway begins. Hope this blog helps you understand the definition of an Interchange and also helps you to see the difference between all forms of Highway Interchange.

What are the advantages of highway interchange?

Highway interchanges are designed to allow traffic to flow smoothly between two or more highways or roads, usually at different levels or with separate access points. Here are some advantages of highway interchanges:

1. Improved Traffic Flow: Highway interchanges provide access points that allow traffic to flow smoothly and quickly, without the need for stopping or slowing down at traffic signals or intersections. This can significantly reduce travel time and improve the efficiency of the transportation system.

2. Increased Safety: Interchanges are designed to separate traffic flows, which can reduce the risk of collisions and other accidents. By separating traffic flows, interchanges also eliminate the need for left turns, which are often associated with higher accident rates.

3. Better Connectivity: Interchanges allow highways and roads to be connected more efficiently, which can improve connectivity between different parts of the city or region. This can improve access to jobs, services, and other opportunities.

4. Reduced Congestion: Interchanges can reduce congestion by providing multiple access points to the highway, which can distribute traffic more evenly across the network. This can help to prevent bottlenecks and reduce delays.

5. Improved Fuel Efficiency: By allowing traffic to flow smoothly and reducing the number of stops and starts, interchanges can improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

Highway interchanges are an essential part of modern transportation systems and can provide numerous benefits, including improved traffic flow, increased safety, better connectivity, reduced congestion, and improved fuel efficiency.

Innovation in highway interchange design

In recent years, there have been several innovations in highway interchange design aimed at improving traffic flow, increasing safety, and reducing the environmental impact of highway infrastructure. Here are some examples:

1. Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI): A DDI is an innovative interchange design that eliminates left turns at intersections by temporarily crossing traffic to the opposite side of the road. This design allows traffic to flow more smoothly and reduces the risk of collisions.

2. Single-Point Urban Interchange (SPUI): A SPUI is an interchange design that consolidates multiple intersections into a single point, reducing the number of traffic signals and improving traffic flow.

3. Continuous Flow Intersection (CFI): A CFI is an interchange design that eliminates left turns across traffic by allowing vehicles to make a U-turn at a designated location before merging onto the highway.

4. Roundabout Interchange: A roundabout interchange is an innovative design that replaces traditional highway interchanges with roundabouts, which can improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, and increase safety.

5. Smart Interchange: A smart interchange is an innovative design that incorporates advanced technologies such as sensors and intelligent transportation systems to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, and increase safety.

These innovative highway interchange designs demonstrate the potential for new technologies and creative thinking to improve transportation infrastructure and enhance the safety and efficiency of the transportation system.

How to perform Road Safety Audit of Highway Interchange design?

Performing a road safety audit (RSA) of highway interchange design involves assessing the safety of the design, identifying potential safety hazards, and making recommendations to improve safety for all road users. Here are the general steps for performing an RSA of highway interchange design:

1. Review the Design: Review the design plans and specifications to gain an understanding of the interchange layout, traffic control devices, and signage.

2. Identify Potential Hazards: Conduct a site visit and identify potential hazards such as geometric design deficiencies, inadequate signage, sight distance issues, and other safety concerns.

3. Conduct a Crash Analysis: Review the crash history of the interchange and surrounding roadway segments to identify any trends or patterns in crash types, severity, and frequency.

4. Conduct a Safety Assessment: Conduct a detailed safety assessment using a standardized RSA methodology, such as the FHWA RSA guidelines. This involves evaluating the interchange design against established safety criteria and identifying any deficiencies or hazards that need to be addressed.

5. Make Recommendations: Based on the findings of the RSA, make recommendations to address any identified safety hazards or deficiencies. This may include changes to the geometric design, traffic control devices, signage, and other features of the interchange.

6. Follow-up: Monitor the implementation of the recommendations and conduct a follow-up RSA to ensure that the recommended changes have been made and are effective in improving safety.

Performing an RSA of highway interchange design is an important step in ensuring the safety of all road users and reducing the risk of accidents and fatalities. It is essential to involve qualified professionals, such as transportation engineers and safety experts, in this process to ensure that the RSA is comprehensive and effective in identifying and addressing potential safety hazards.

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