Safety Performance Evaluation of Continuous Flow Intersections in the Era of Connected Vehicles: A Microsimulation Modelling Approach
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Summary
This study addresses the safety performance of Continuous Flow Intersections (CFIs) in the presence of Connected Vehicles (CVs), a combination previously unexamined in depth. While CFIs are unconventional designs that reduce conflict points by displacing left-turn movements, and CVs offer potential safety benefits through vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, their coupled impact remains a knowledge gap. The research aims to quantify safety improvements using surrogate measures of safety (SMoS) across varying CV market penetration rates (MPRs). The methodology employed a microsimulation approach using VISSIM software to model a 6.6-mile section of Bangerter Highway in Salt Lake County, Utah, which features multiple partial and full CFIs. The simulation network included 21 signalized intersections and was calibrated and validated against 2019 field data, achieving a GEH statistic of 2.71 and an R² of 0.99 for travel times. To simulate CV behavior, Python-programmed V2I communication protocols were embedded in VISSIM, utilizing the Haversine formula to calculate distances between vehicles and intersections within a 1,000-foot detection range. Econolite’s ASC/3 Software-in-the-Loop controllers managed signal timing. The study evaluated five MPR scenarios (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) for both 2019 and projected 2029 traffic conditions. Safety outcomes were processed using the Federal Highway Administration’s Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM), analyzing metrics such as time-to-collision, rear-end conflicts, and lane-change conflicts. The results indicate that CV deployment significantly reduces crash likelihoods and severities at both full and partial CFIs. At full CFIs with 100% MPR, total conflicts decreased by 23.8%, rear-end conflicts by 23.6%, and lane-change conflicts by 24.4%. Partial CFIs showed more modest reductions at 100% MPR, with drops of 6.4%, 4.8%, and 17.9% for total, rear-end, and lane-change conflicts, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed that safety improvements became influential only when the CV MPR reached at least 50%. Below this threshold, reductions in conflicts were often statistically insignificant. The study also noted that while CFIs generally outperform conventional intersections operationally, the integration of CVs provides substantial additional safety benefits, particularly at higher penetration rates. The significance of this research lies in its demonstration that the joint implementation of CVs and CFIs offers notable safety advantages, validating the use of unconventional intersection designs in the era of connected transportation. The finding that a 50% MPR is required for meaningful safety gains provides critical guidance for practitioners and policymakers regarding the deployment thresholds for CV technologies. This study complements existing literature on operational performance by providing empirical evidence on safety, suggesting that as CV adoption grows, CFIs will become increasingly safer and efficient components of urban arterial networks.
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | Crossref | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| archive | success | canonical_url | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-26 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 6 | 2026-06-20 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.
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- Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes