Feasibility of using a single traffic signal controller to accommodate adjacent intersections

Abstract The operation cost of signalized intersections is usually higher than unsignalized intersections, not only because of the expenses on hardware devices but also due to the device maintenance as well as software upgrading. Moreover, at a signalized corridor, the coordination between signals is also considered to be necessary, which requires additional labor and maintenance costs. With these considerations, this paper aimed to investigate the feasibility of using a single signal controller to control two or multiple adjacent intersections. This study developed a procedure to decide when to use one-controller strategy and evaluated the operation of two real-world cases in Reno, Nevada, where the previous two-controller strategy has just replaced by a one-controller strategy. Based on microsimulation study, it was concluded that the Level-of-Service (LOS), delay, and the average number of stops under one-controller strategy maintained a similar condition in comparison with the previous two-controller strategy, indicating that the proposed one-controller strategy would be a feasible alternative to reduce the operation costs of adjacent intersections. It is expected that reducing the number of signal controllers will not only reduce the infrastructure cost, but also lead to notable operation benefits, such as it facilitates the development of signal coordination plans, and the implementation of future adaptive signal control in a connected vehicle environment, since it reduced the number of communication nodes within the arterial system.