At-grade intersection

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An at-grade intersection is a junction at which two or more transport axes cross at the same level (or grade).

Contents

Traffic managment

With areas of high or fast traffic, an at-grade intersection normally requires a traffic control device such as a stop sign or traffic light or railway signal to manage conflicting traffic.

Examples

The various types of at-grade intersections have different names. Examples are intersection (roads) and level junction (railways). Some of them can also mix transportation modalities. An example of this is the railway grade crossing (American English) or Level crossing (British English) where a roads cross railways at grade.

At-grade intersections on freeways

An at-grade intersection on Interstate 40 west of Amarillo
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An at-grade intersection on Interstate 40 west of Amarillo

Freeways, as limited access highways, normally have grade-separated interchanges. In particular, this is required of freeways in the United States Interstate Highway System.

Nonetheless, there are exceptions. Interchange structures and frontage roads are expensive, and are hard to justify for a ranch road that sees a few vehicles a week. Several Interstate highways in the Southwestern United States have at-grade intersections in remote areas.

See also


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