The study aims to evaluate sustainable traffic management strategies for congested intersections in medium-sized Iraqi cities, with a focus on Al-Sa’a Intersection and Al-Jari Street in Hit City. These nodes face severe traffic congestion, delays, and infrastructure limitations that compromise urban mobility and sustainability. A multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) framework was employed to analyze three categories of interventions—engineering, planning, and administrative—based on five weighted criteria: traffic efficiency (40%), delay reduction (25%), cost (20%), environmental impact (10%), and social acceptance (5%). The methodology combined field data collection (traffic counts, travel time, and delays), GIS-based spatial analysis, and stakeholder consultation to prioritize solutions and evaluate performance. The findings indicated that all proposed solutions improved traffic performance, but varied in scope and impact. Engineering solutions, such as street widening and grade separation, reduced congestion by up to 40%. Planning measures, including public transport enhancement and alternative routes, scored the highest (8.2/10) due to their long-term sustainability and balanced environmental impact. Administrative actions—optimized signal timing and truck regulation—offered low-cost, short-term improvements. The study demonstrates the value of integrated, GIS-supported, multi-criteria approaches in diagnosing and addressing urban traffic challenges in secondary cities. A phased implementation strategy is recommended: initiate with administrative measures, transition to planning-based interventions, and apply engineering upgrades where necessary. The framework can support future transport planning in similar urban contexts across Iraq. © 2025 The authors. This article is published by IIETA and is licensed under the CC BY 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).