ARTERIAL ROADWAYS:
Average Peak-Period Delays at Intersections

The discussion below refers to the tables Delay at Signalized Intersections.

(Click here for Average Peak-Period Travel Speeds on Arterial Roadways)

As expected, observed delay was greater in the evening peak period than in the morning peak period. During the morning peak period, there are 42 intersections on the CMS network with average approach delays higher than 80 seconds per vehicle; in the evening peak period, 78 intersections on the CMS network have approaches with average delays higher than 80 seconds per vehicle, nearly twice the morning peak period’s number. In the evening peak period, 15 percent of the signalized intersections on the CMS roadway network have approaches that experience 55 seconds or more of delay ; 6 percent of the signalized intersections experience 80 seconds or more of delay .

Most of the high-delay intersections are located in the Boston and inner suburbs subregion.

The two tables below present the top high-delay signalized intersections in the region, in the morning and in the evening peak period. (The links open pdf files.)

Delay at Signalized Intersections, Morning Peak Period:
Approaches with Delays of 80 Seconds or More, Regionwide

Delay at Signalized Intersections, Evening Peak Period:
Approaches with Delays of 80 Seconds or More, Regionwide

The intersections are sorted by the magnitude of the average delay on the “worst” approach—the more congested of the two approaches of the monitored intersection. The delay measure represents the average time a vehicle is expected to spend in a queue on the approach to the intersection.

Please note that the list is not an exhaustive inventory of the intersections along the Boston region’s roadways: even though most of the numbered roadways and major arterials are monitored, collectors and most minor arterial roadways are not.

For a map of the top high-delay signalized intersections in a particular subregion, please refer to the links to pdf files below.

Innercore (Boston and Inner suburbs)
Innercore (Upper Inner suburbs)
Innercore (Lower Inner suburbs)
MAGIC (Northwest suburbs)
Metrowest (West suburbs)
NSTF (North Shore suburbs)
NSPC (North suburbs)
SSC (South Shore suburbs)
SWAP (Southwest suburbs)
TRIC (South suburbs)