An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below freeways/motorways on the road hierarchy in terms of traffic flow and speed.[1][2] The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways or expressways, and between urban centres at the highest level of service possible. Therefore, many arteries are limited-access roads, or feature restrictions on private access. Because of their relatively high accessibility, many major roads face large amounts of land use and urban development, making them significant urban places.[3]
In traffic engineering hierarchy, an arterial road delivers traffic between collector roads and freeways. For new arterial roads, intersections are often reduced to increase traffic flow. In California, arterial roads are usually spaced every half mile, and have intersecting collector(s) and streets.
- ^ Road Function Classifications (PDF) (Report). U.S. Federal Highway Administration. November 2000.
- ^ "Mobility and transport: Road classification". European Commission.
- ^ McLeod, Sam; Curtis, Carey (2019). "Contested urban streets: Place, traffic and governance conflicts of potential activity corridors". Cities. 88: 222–234. doi:10.1016/j.cities.2018.11.002. S2CID 159002874.