Intersection Control Evaluation (ICE)
Innovative Intersections
What is ICE?
Intersection Control Evaluation (ICE) is a transparent process for evaluating and selecting intersection and interchange control. The ICE process is being adopted to make sure that intersection investments across the Texas highway system are evaluated, selected, prioritized, and implemented with defensible benefits for safety and congestion relief.
According to the TxDOT 2022-2027 Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), 32 percent of fatal and serious injury crashes are intersection related. ICE promotes the consideration of under-utilized intersections, such as roundabouts and restricted crossing u-turns (RCUTs), that reduce the number and severity of conflict points, which directly results in significant reductions in fatal and serious injury crashes.
The ICE process produces a selection of intersection types with various tradeoffs between performance measures such as operations, safety, cost, and impacts. Among the viable intersection and interchange types, the chosen control should be one with the highest expected safety performance that reduces fatal and serious injury crashes.
The ICE process and TxDOT commitments
The ICE process aligns with TxDOT's policies and commitments, emphasizing that every project is a safety project. Below are the relevant correlations between ICE and key TxDOT documents:
Vision: Texas envisions a future with zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries.
Mission: Texans will work together on the road to zero traffic fatalities and serious
Emphasis area: Intersections, Strategy 6.4.1, “use ICE and other appropriate evaluation processes in project development by TxDOT and local agencies”
Reduce fatalities and serious injuries.
Eliminate conflicts between modes wherever possible.
Goal #1: Promote safety
Goal #3: Deliver the right projects
Goal #6: Optimize system performance
Plan: The highest priority for TxDOT is to achieve the goal of zero fatalities on TGoal: Safety-Plan, build, and maintain a safe and secure transportation system for all users.
Objective: Reduce frequency of crashes and associated impacts for all modes. Eliminate fatalities and reduce serious injuries on the roadway system.
A data-driven, performance-based framework and approach to objectively screen intersection alternatives and identify an optimal geometric and control solution for an intersection.
View Roadway Design Manual
Additional considerations for ICE
Scalability
ICE is scalable, meaning the corresponding level of effort for screening and analysis should be proportional to the magnitude and nature of the project, i.e., less effort for simple projects, more effort for complex projects. Refer to the TxDOT Traffic and Safety Analysis Procedures (TSAP) Manual for examples of single location and corridor ICE reports and outlines.
Relationship to the Safer by Design Scoring Tool
The ICE process does NOT supersede, change, or impact the requirements of the Safer by Design Scoring Tool. The purpose of the scoring tool is to maximize the safety of the chosen intersection configuration and should therefore be used immediately after the ICE is complete, and before the project advances into detailed design, to provide maximum flexibility for incorporating safer design elements.
Reporting and documentation
Form 1002 will be updated to include a yes/no check on ICE and will require that ICE documentation be attached to Form 1002 submittals. The Design Summary Report (DSR) will be updated to include a section on intersection control selections and justifications.
Learn more about ICE
Upcoming ICE workshops
Design Division, in partnership with FHWA, will be providing ICE workshops from August through November 2024. Workshops will be available both virtually and in-person at various locations throughout the state. On-demand, district-specific training is available upon request.
Sign-ups for workshops will be distributed to districts. Please fill out this form to express interest in workshops dates and locations.