Continuous Flow

A CFI shifts left-turning traffic to the outside edges of the road, which allows for through traffic to proceed at the same time vehicles are turning left. That means more vehicles can travel through the intersection during a green light.

Right-hand turns are a little different, too. They are offset, functioning more like a highway ramp, and exiting cars merge into the flow of traffic.

CFIs can be designed to serve motorists coming from two sides of an intersection or four, if necessary.

CFIs are also known as:

• Displaced left-turns

• high and increasing traffic volume,
  
• an above-average incidence of crashes, and
  
• ​motorists who must wait through several signal phases to turn.

• Safety —CFIs eliminate 90-degree left turns, which reduces the number of crashes such as head-on collisions or T-bones.

• Efficiency —When compared to a conventional intersection, the CFI reduces queue wait time times by up to 26 percent and overall delays by up to 40 percent.
  
  
• Capacity – CFIs accommodate more vehicles and so a higher volume can travel through the intersection. This is especially effective at intersections with high volumes of left-turning vehicles during daily commutes.