Harmonizing Efficiency and Resilience in Road Intersection Performance: A Novel Heuristic for Mobility Infrastructure Assessment

Climate change and urbanization increasingly threaten urban infrastructure, necessitating resilience-based approaches to transportation planning. Road networks, crucial for economic stability and mobility, must evolve from traditional resistance-based designs to predictive, adaptable frameworks. This study integrates resilience into urban intersection efficiency by analyzing various intersection types (roundabouts, signalized intersections, and two-way stop-controlled intersections) under both normal and post-storm conditions, examining how intersection design influences performance and resilience, particularly in cases of traffic signal failures. Traffic resilience, defined as a system’s ability to recover from disruptions while minimizing delays, is assessed using control delay and level of service (LOS). The research applies a novel heuristic methodology to evaluate operational performance before and after disruptions, with microsimulations validating results across case studies in Palermo, Italy, and Poland. A comparative analysis of intersection geometries and layouts highlights the impact of design on efficiency and resilience, while further examination considers the influence of connected, cooperative, and automated vehicle (CCAV) penetration on traffic performance. Additionally, this study explores resilient infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians, reinforcing its broader relevance. The findings emphasize the importance of integrating resilience into urban mobility planning to ensure adaptable and efficient road networks. This research provides critical insights for policymakers and engineers, fostering sustainable and resilience-oriented infrastructure development to withstand evolving environmental and urban challenges.