Urban Intersection Design

Metra Consultation provides engineering services for the planning, design, modification, and rehabilitation of urban intersections throughout Québec.

Urban intersections must safely accommodate vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, public transit, emergency services, and adjacent properties within a limited and often complex space. Our civil engineering team develops coordinated solutions that improve safety, accessibility, traffic operations, drainage, and constructability while responding to municipal and community needs.

Our Services

Our urban intersection design services may include:

  • Existing-condition and site assessment

  • Intersection geometric design

  • Traffic-operation and capacity coordination

  • Turning-movement and vehicle-path analysis

  • Lane configuration and channelization

  • Curb-return and corner-radius design

  • Pedestrian crossing and sidewalk design

  • Universal accessibility and curb-ramp coordination

  • Cycling-facility integration

  • Public-transit and bus-stop coordination

  • Traffic-signal and signage coordination

  • Pavement-marking plans

  • Road grading and surface-drainage design

  • Catch-basin and storm sewer coordination

  • Pavement structure design

  • Utility-conflict identification and coordination

  • Construction staging and temporary-access planning

  • Preparation of engineering plans, details, and specifications

  • Tender and construction support when included in the mandate

Intersection Geometry

Intersection geometry directly affects safety, vehicle speed, visibility, accessibility, and traffic flow.

Our designs may consider:

  • Number and width of traffic lanes

  • Dedicated turning lanes

  • Curb radii and corner geometry

  • Median and traffic-island configuration

  • Vehicle swept paths

  • Design vehicles, including buses and emergency vehicles

  • Approach grades and cross slopes

  • Sight distance and visibility

  • Access to neighbouring properties

  • Existing right-of-way limitations

  • Future development and traffic demands

The geometry is developed to balance operational needs with pedestrian safety, cycling comfort, available space, and the surrounding urban context.

Pedestrian Safety and Accessibility

Pedestrians are among the most vulnerable intersection users. Our designs aim to provide clear, direct, and accessible routes through the intersection.

Design considerations may include:

  • Crossing locations and distances

  • Sidewalk continuity

  • Accessible curb ramps

  • Tactile warning surfaces

  • Refuge islands

  • Pedestrian waiting areas

  • Visibility between drivers and pedestrians

  • Coordination with traffic signals

  • Drainage around curb ramps and crossings

  • Winter maintenance and snow-storage requirements

Accessibility features are integrated with the road geometry and grading to provide functional routes for users of all abilities.

Cycling and Active Transportation

Where cycling infrastructure is present or planned, intersection design must clearly manage interactions between cyclists, pedestrians, and motor vehicles.

Our services may include coordination of:

  • Bicycle lanes and protected cycling facilities

  • Intersection crossing treatments

  • Setback crossings

  • Bicycle waiting and storage areas

  • Conflict-zone identification

  • Pavement markings and signage

  • Connections to existing active-transportation networks

  • Drainage and maintenance requirements

The proposed solution is adapted to the street classification, available right-of-way, traffic conditions, and municipal objectives.

Traffic Operations and Vehicle Movement

Intersection design must provide adequate capacity while maintaining safe and predictable movements.

Our team can coordinate or incorporate:

  • Turning-movement requirements

  • Queue-storage needs

  • Lane assignments

  • Signalized and unsignalized operations

  • Stop-control configurations

  • Roundabout feasibility and geometry

  • Bus and truck movements

  • Emergency-vehicle access

  • Driveway and property-access interactions

  • Future traffic growth and planned development

Vehicle-path analysis may be used to confirm that the selected design vehicles can safely complete required movements without creating unnecessary pavement areas or compromising pedestrian space.

Grading, Drainage, and Pavement

Urban intersections require careful grading to maintain vehicle control, pedestrian accessibility, and effective drainage.

Our civil and geotechnical teams coordinate:

  • Road profiles and cross slopes

  • Intersection surface grading

  • Drainage paths and low points

  • Catch-basin locations

  • Storm sewer connections

  • Ponding prevention at crossings and curb ramps

  • Pavement structure and rehabilitation

  • Frost susceptibility and subgrade conditions

  • Transitions to existing streets and sidewalks

  • Utility trenches and pavement restoration

This coordination supports reliable year-round performance under Québec’s freeze-thaw and winter-maintenance conditions.

Utility and Infrastructure Coordination

Urban intersections often contain dense networks of underground and overhead infrastructure.

Our designs may require coordination with:

  • Water mains

  • Sanitary and storm sewers

  • Gas systems

  • Electrical and telecommunications infrastructure

  • Traffic-signal equipment

  • Street lighting

  • Fire hydrants and valves

  • Existing foundations and structures

Identifying conflicts early helps reduce construction delays, redesign, and unexpected costs.

Construction Staging

Intersection work must often be completed while maintaining traffic, pedestrian access, public transit, emergency response, and access to nearby properties.

Our construction-staging support may address:

  • Temporary lane configurations

  • Phased construction

  • Pedestrian and cyclist detours

  • Temporary traffic control

  • Access to businesses and residences

  • Coordination with public transit

  • Utility installation sequencing

  • Temporary drainage

  • Restoration limits

A constructible staging strategy can reduce disruption and improve safety throughout the work.

Integrated Engineering Coordination

Metra Consultation brings together civil, geotechnical, structural, and BIM expertise to coordinate intersection projects involving:

  • Road and pavement design

  • Underground infrastructure

  • Retaining walls and structural elements

  • Difficult soil or groundwater conditions

  • Traffic-signal foundations

  • Complex grading and drainage

  • Utility relocations

  • Three-dimensional infrastructure conflicts

  • Construction staging and sequencing

This multidisciplinary approach supports coordinated, practical, and buildable designs.

Our Process

Our typical process includes:

  1. Reviewing existing plans, surveys, traffic information, and municipal requirements

  2. Assessing site conditions, user needs, and project constraints

  3. Developing and comparing preliminary design alternatives

  4. Completing geometric and vehicle-movement analyses

  5. Coordinating pedestrian, cycling, transit, and accessibility requirements

  6. Designing grading, drainage, pavement, and related infrastructure

  7. Coordinating utilities and other engineering disciplines

  8. Preparing plans, details, specifications, and cost information

  9. Responding to municipal and stakeholder comments

  10. Issuing final documents for tender or construction

  11. Providing construction support and site review when required

Information Typically Required

To begin, we may request:

  • Topographic and legal survey information

  • Existing road and utility plans

  • Traffic counts or transportation studies

  • Municipal design criteria

  • Planned developments and future road requirements

  • Public-transit and cycling-network information

  • Geotechnical investigation results

  • Existing drainage and sewer information

  • Property-access requirements

  • Previous engineering studies or concepts

If information is unavailable, our team can identify the surveys, investigations, and supporting studies required.

Why Choose Metra Consultation?

We provide coordinated intersection solutions that consider safety, mobility, accessibility, drainage, infrastructure, and construction together.

Our team is committed to:

  • Safe and functional designs for all road users

  • Practical solutions adapted to the urban context

  • Effective multidisciplinary coordination

  • Clear engineering plans and specifications

  • Early identification of utility and construction constraints

  • Responsive communication with clients and municipalities

  • Support throughout design, tender, and construction

Contact Us

Planning a new intersection, road modification, redevelopment, or municipal infrastructure improvement?

Contact Metra Consultation to discuss your project and develop a coordinated urban intersection design based on safety, mobility, site conditions, and long-term performance.