Transportation Engineering

Anderson G. Gonzales
CSU Carig Campus
College of Engineering

What is
TRANSPORTATION?

Transportation
A

Movement of persons
and goods over space

Transportation
Control System
Users /
Content

Infrastructure

Engineering

Education

Vehicle / Service

Environment

Enforcement

Users / Content

Share of total passengers or

tons-km

People Passenger Transportation

Goods Freight Transportation
Commuting
Shopping
Recreation

Trade
Energy & Raw Materials

Waste disposal
Local distribution

Business
Tourism
Migration

Distance
Source: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, Dept. of Economics & Geography, Hofstra University.

Users / Content
Passengers

Freight

Board, get off and transfer Must be loaded, unloaded

without assistance
and transferred
Process information and
The information must be
act on it without assistance processed through logistics
managers
Make choices between
Logistics managers make
means of transport often choices between means of
irrationally
transport rationally

Source: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, Dept. of Economics & Geography, Hofstra University.

TRANSPORTATION MODES

Road
Rail
Air
Maritime

Pipeline

TRANSPORTATION MODES

Urban People Transportation Systems

Automobile
Taxi/For-Hire Vehicles
Local Bus Transit
Express Bus Transit
Para-transit
Light Rail
Heavy Rail
Ferry

TRANSPORTATION MODES

Intercity People-Transportation Systems

Automobile
Intercity Bus
Railroad
Air
Water
Urban and Intercity Freight Transportation
Long-Haul Trucks
Local Trucks
Railroad
Water
Air Freight
Pipelines

Infrastructure

Control System

Evolution of Transportation

1950

2000

Hydrogen
car
Container
ships
Super
tankers

Electric
car

Maglev
TGV

Airfoils
Highways

1900

Liners

Helicopters

1800

Iron
hulls

Docks

Trucks
Automobile

Jet Plane
Jet engine

Buses
Bulk ships

Jumbo Jet

Planes
Tramway

Internal combustion engine

Metro
Dirigibles
Bicycles
Electric motor

Balloons

Steam engine

Locks

Maritime

Omnibus

Rails

Road

Rail

Air

Evolution of Transportation

1500-1840 Average speed of wagon and sail

ships: 16 km/hr

1850-1930 Average speed of trains: 100 km/hr.

Average speed of steamships: 25 km/hr
1950 Average speed of airplanes: 480-640 km/hr
1970 Average speed of jet planes: 800-1120 km/hr
1990 Numeric transmission: instantaneous

Source: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, Dept. of Economics & Geography, Hofstra University.

Evolution of Transportation
1000
750
500

Jet Plane

Road
Rail
Maritime
Air

HST

Propeller Plane

250

Automobile

100
50

Rail

Stage Coach

Liner

Clipper Ship
1800

1850

1900

Containership
1950

2000

0
2006

2004

2002

2000

1998

1996

1994

1992

1990

1988

1986

1984

1982

1980

1978

1976

1974

1972

1970

1968

1966

1964

1962

1960

35

1958

40

1956

45

1954

1952

1950

Contemporary Challenges

50

Germany
Japan
United States
World

30

25

20

15

10

Transportation

Multi-User
Multi-Scale
Multi-Modal
Multi-Impacts

What is
TRANSPORTATION
ENGINEERING?

Transportation Engineering
One of the specialty areas of civil
engineering
Development of facilities for the movement of
goods and people
Planning, design, operation and maintenance

Multidisciplinary study

Transportation Engineering

Transportation Engineering
For millions of Americans, girding for gridlock is a
teeth teeth-grinding daily ritual. And with more
cars on the road every day, engineers and other
professionals trained to reduce traffic congestion
are finding plenty of job opportunities
PAY AND PERKS: $45,000 to $150,000. Producing
tangible change is a source of job satisfaction
for many.
U.S. News and World Report, February 18, 2002

Traffic Engineering Profession

Relationship with General Public

More than any other engineer.

Relationship with Elected Official

A wide range of officials

Professional Ethics

According to outcomes it produces

great responsibility

The Primary Objective: Safety

The principal goal of the traffic engineer
remains the provision of a safe system for
highway traffic.
26000 fatalities in Iran on 2007.
40000 to 43000 in U.S
Something like a civil war.
The objective of safe travel is always
number one and is never finished for the
traffic engineer.

Other Objectives of Traffic

Engineer

Speed
Comfort
Convenience
Economy
Environmental compatibility

Other Objectives of Traffic

Engineer
While speed of travel is much to be desired, it is limited
by transportation technology, human characteristics, and
the need to provide safety.
Comfort and convenience are generic terms and mean
different things to different people. Comfort involves the
physical characteristics of vehicles and roadways, and is
influenced by our perception of safety.
Convenience relates more to the ease with which trips
are made and the ability of transport systems to
accommodate all of our travel needs at appropriate
times.

Other Objectives of Traffic

Engineer
Economy is also relative. There is little in modern
transportation systems that can be termed cheap.
Highway and other transportation systems involve
massive construction, maintenance, and operating
expenditures, most of which are provided through
general and user taxes and fees. Nevertheless, every
engineer, regardless of discipline, is called upon to
provide the best possible systems for the money.
Harmony with the environment is a complex issue that
has become more important over time. All transportation
systems have some negative impacts on the
environment. All produce air and noise pollution in some
forms, and all utilize valuable land resources.

Elements of Transportation
Systems

Facilities
Vehicles
Control systems
Users
Environment

Elements of Traffic Engineering

Traffic studies and characteristics
Performance evaluation
Facility design
Traffic control
Traffic operations
Transportation systems management
Integration of intelligent transportation
system technologies (ITS)

Elements of Traffic Engineering

Traffic studies and characteristic
involve measuring and quantifying
various aspect of highway traffic. Studies
focus on data collection and analysis that is
used to characterize traffic, including (but
not limited to) traffic volumes and demands,
speed and travel time, delay, accidents,
origins and destinations, modal use, and
other variables.

Elements of Traffic Engineering

Performance evaluation
is a means by which traffic engineers
can rate the operating characteristics of
individual sections of facilities and facilities
as a whole in relative terms. Such evaluation
relies on measures of performance quality
and is often stated in terms of levels of
service.

Elements of Traffic Engineering

Facility design
involves traffic engineers in the
functional and geometric design of highways
and other traffic facilities. Traffic engineers,
per se, are not involved in the structural
design of highway facilities but should have
some
appreciation
for
structural
characteristics of their facilities.

Elements of Traffic Engineering

Traffic control
is a central function of traffic engineers
and involves the establishment of traffic
regulations and their communication to the
driver through the use of traffic control
devices, such as signs, markings, and
signals.

Elements of Traffic Engineering

Traffic operations
involves measures that influence
overall operation of traffic facilities, such as
one-way street systems, transit operations,
curb management, and surveillance and
network control systems.

Elements of Traffic Engineering

Transportation systems management (TSM)
Involves virtually all aspects of traffic
engineering in a focus on optimizing system
capacity and operations. Specific aspects of
TSM include high-occupancy vehicle priority
systems, car-pooling programs, pricing
strategies to manage demand, and similar
functions.

Elements of Traffic Engineering

Intelligent transportation systems (ITS)
refers to the application of modern
telecommunications technology to the operation
and control of transportation systems. Such
systems include automated highways, automated
toll-collection systems, vehicle-tracking systems,
in-vehicle GPS and mapping systems, automated
enforcement of traffic lights and speed laws, smart
control devices, and others.

Transportation Demand
Transportation demand is directly
related to land-use patterns and to available
transportation systems and facilities.

Transportation Demand
Transportation planners and traffic engineers
attempt to provide capacity for observed or
predicted travel demand by building transportation
systems. The improvement of transportation
systems, however, makes the adjacent and nearby
lands more accessible and, therefore, more
attractive for development. Thus, building new
transportation facilities leads to further increases
in lan-duse development, which (in turn) results in
even higher transportation demands.

Transportation Demand

Mobility vs. Accessibility

Mobility refers to the ability to travel to many
different destinations, while accessibility refers to

the ability to gain entry to a particular site or area.

Mobility gives travelers a wide range of
choices as to where to go to satisfy particular
needs. Mobility allows shoppers to choose
from among many competing shopping
centers and stores.

Mobility vs. Accessibility

Accessibility is a major factor in the value of
land. When land can be accessed by many
travelers from many potential origins, it is
more desirable for development and,
therefore, more valuable. Thus, proximity of
land to major highways and public
transportation facilities is a major factor
determining its value.

Mobility vs. Accessibility

In highway systems, mobility is provided
by high type facilities, such as freeways,
expressways, and primary and secondary
arterials. Accessibility is generally provided
by local street networks. Except for
limited-access facilities, which serve only
through vehicles (mobility), most other
classes of highway serve both functions to
some degree.

Mobility vs. Accessibility

A good transportation system must
provide for both mobility and accessibility
and should be designed to separate the
functions to the extent possible to ensure
both safety and efficiency.

People & Goods OR vehicles?

The most common unit used by the traffic
engineer is vehicles.
Highway systems are planned, designed,
and operated to move vehicles safely and
efficiently from place to place.
Yet the movement of vehicles is not the
objective; the goal is the movement of the
people and goods that occupy vehicles.

Traffic Engineering History

TSM & TDM

TSM: How much new capacity can be added?

TDM: How much capacity can be allowed?

Transportation System
Management (TSM)

Transportation Demand Management

(TDM)

Highways and Highway

Components

Highway Transportation Characteristics

Outline
Functional classification of roads
Road functions
Hierarchical structure of road networks
Mobility vs. accessibility
Mobility vs. transportation mode
Highway components
Cross-sections
Highway plan and profile
Interchanges
Rural and urban intersections

Transportation System
Definition of Transportation Modes
A transportation system is an infrastructure that
serves to move people and goods efficiently.
The transportation system consists of fixed
facilities, flow entities, and a control component.
Efficient = safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient,
economical, environmentally compatible.

Transportation System
Major transportation subsystems
Land transportation: highway, rail
Air transportation: domestic, international
Water transportation: inland, coastal, ocean
Pipelines: oil, gas, other

Highway Transportation
System
Fixed facilities: roads, intersections,
interchanges, service stations, etc.
Flow entities: passenger cars, buses,
trucks, pedestrians, etc.
Control component: highway
administration, local transportation
agencies, transportation engineering.

Highway Transportation
Engineering
Definition
The application of technology and scientific principles to the
planning, functional design, operation, and management of
roads, streets and highways, their networks, terminals,
abutting lands, and relationships with other modes of
transportation.
Areas of highway transportation engineering:
Planning of streets and highways
Geometric design of road facilities
Traffic operations and control
Traffic safety
Maintenance of road facilities and controls

Road
Functions

Mobility

Accessibility

Hierarchical
Structure of Road
Networks

Rural

Urban

Mobility vs. Accessibility

Mobility refers to the ability to travel to many
different destinations, while accessibility refers to
the ability to gain entry to a particular site or area.
Mobility gives travelers a wide range of choices as to where to go to
satisfy particular needs. Mobility allows shoppers to choose from among
many competing shopping centers and stores.
Accessibility is a major factor in the value of land. When land can be
accessed by many travelers from many potential origins, it is more
desirable for development and, therefore, more valuable.
Thus, proximity of land to major highways and public transportation
facilities is a major factor determining its value.

Mobility vs. Accessibility

In highway systems, mobility is provided by high type
facilities, such as freeways, expressways, and primary
and secondary arterials. Accessibility is generally
provided by local street networks. Except for limitedaccess facilities, which serve only through vehicles
(mobility), most other classes of highway serve both
functions to some degree.
A good transportation system must provide for both
mobility and accessibility and should be designed to
separate the functions to the extent possible to ensure
both safety and efficiency.

Mobility vs. Accessibility

Road Class

Road Function

Freeways

Through movement exclusively

Surface Arterials

Through movement primary and

some land access

Collectors
Local Roads

Traffic movement to higher rank

roads, access to abutting properties
Access to abutting land and local
traffic movement

Hierarchical
Structure of
Road
Networks

Mobility vs.
Accessibility

Mobility vs. Transportation

Mode

Mobility vs. Transportation Mode

Capacity
capacity in veh/h =
capacity in veh/h/lane x number of lanes
capacity in persons/h =
capacity in veh/h x average vehicle occupancy

Mobility vs. Transportation Mode

Capacity
Facility
Three-lane urban
freeway
Three-lane urban arterial
One lane of buses

Vehicles/hr

Persons/hr

2,000 x 3 = 6,000

6,000 x 1.7 =
10,200
800 x 3 = 2,400 2,400 x 1.7 = 4,080
100 x 1 =100

100 x 80 = 8,000

One track of light rail

19,000

One track of heavy rail

40,000

Highway
Components
Cross-section

Highway Components
Highway plan and profile

Highway
Components
Urban
Intersections

Highway
Components
Rural
Intersections

Highway
Components
Interchanges

Fundamentals of
Transportation/
Geography and Networks

ANDERSON G. GONZALES,RCE
CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
CSU-CARIG CAMPUS
CARIG, TUGUEGARAO CITY

Fundamentals of Transportation/
Geography and Networks
Transportation systems have specific structure. Roads
have length, width, and depth. The characteristics of
roads depends on their purpose.
Roads
A road is a path connecting two points. The English
word road comes from the same root as the word ride
the Middle English rood and Old English rad
meaning the act of riding. Thus a road refers foremost
to the right of way between an origin and destination.

 Modern roads are generally paved, and unpaved routes

are considered trails. The pavement of roads began early
in history. Approximately 2600 BCE, the Egyptians
constructed a paved road out of sandstone and
limestone slabs to assist with the movement of stones
on rollers between the quarry and the site of
construction of the pyramids. The Romans and others
used brick or stone pavers to provide a more level, and
smoother surface, especially in urban areas, which
allows faster travel, especially of wheeled vehicles.

 The first good roads in the twentieth century were

constructed of Portland cement concrete (PCC). The
material is stiffer than asphalt (or asphalt concrete) and
provides a smoother ride. Concrete lasts slightly longer
than asphalt between major repairs, and can carry a
heavier load, but is more expensive to build and repair.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION OF
ROADS
Roads are generally classified into a hierarchy. At the top
of the hierarchy are freeways, which serve entirely a
function of moving vehicles between other roads.
Freeways are grade-separated and limited access, have
high speeds and carry heavy flows.
Below freeways are arterials. These may not be gradeseparated, and while access is still generally limited, it is
not limited to the same extent as freeways, particularly
on older roads. These serve both a movement and an
access function.

 Next are collector/distributor roads. These serve more of

an access function, allowing vehicles to access the
network from origins and destinations, as well as
connecting with smaller, local roads, that have only an
access function, and are not intended for the movement
of vehicles with neither a local origin nor destination.
Local roads are designed to be low speed and carry
relatively little traffic.

Freeways
A motorway or freeway (sometimes called an
expressway or thruway) is a multi-lane divided road that
is designed to be high-speed free flowing, accesscontrolled, built to high standards, with no traffic lights
on the mainline. Some motorways or freeways are
financed with tolls, and so may have tollbooths, either
across the entrance ramp or across the mainline.
However in the United States and Great Britain, most are
financed with gas or other tax revenue.

Freeways
As mature systems in the developed countries,
improvements in todays freeways are not so much
widening segments or constructing new facilities, but
better managing the road-space that exists. That
improved management, takes a variety of forms. For
instance, Japan has advanced its highways with
application of Intelligent Transportation Systems, in
particular traveler information systems, both in and out
of vehicles, as well as traffic control systems. The US
and Great Britain also have traffic management centers
in most major cities that assess traffic conditions on
motorways, deploy emergency vehicles, and control
systems like ramp meters and variable message signs.

Layers of Networks
The road is itself part of a layer of sub-systems of which
the pavement surface is only one part. We can think of a
hierarchy of systems.

Places
Trip Ends
End to End Trip
Driver/Passenger
Service (Vehicle & Schedule)
Signs and Signals
Markings
Pavement Surface
Structure (Earth & Pavement and Bridges)
Alignment (Vertical and Horizontal)
Right-Of-Way
Space

 At the base is space. On space, a specific right-of-way is

designated, which is property where the road goes.
Originally right-of-way simply meant legal permission for
travelers to cross someone's property. Prior to the
construction of roads, this might simply be a well-worn
dirt path.
On top of the right-of-way is the alignment, the specific
path a transportation facility takes within the right-ofway. The path has both vertical and horizontal elements,
as the road rises or falls with the topography and turns
as needed.

 Structures are built on the alignment. These include the

roadbed as well as bridges or tunnels that carry the
road.
Pavement surface is the gravel or asphalt or concrete
surface that vehicles actually ride upon and is the top
layer of the structure. That surface may have markings
to help guide drivers to stay to the right (or left),
delineate lanes, regulate which vehicles can use which
lanes (bicycles-only, high occupancy vehicles, buses,
trucks) and provide additional information. In addition to
marking, signs and signals to the side or above the road
provide additional regulatory and navigation information.

 Services use roads. Buses may provide scheduled

services between points with stops along the way.
Coaches provide scheduled point-to-point without stops.
Taxis handle irregular passenger trips.
Drivers and passengers use services or drive their own
vehicle (producing their own transportation services) to
create an end-to-end trip, between an origin and
destination. Each origin and destination comprises a trip
end and those trip ends are only important because of
the places at the ends and the activity that can be
engaged in. As transportation is a derived demand, if not
for those activities, essentially no passenger travel would
be undertaken.

History of Railroads: Timeline

First Railway?
600 BC: Rutway Diolkos in ancient Greek and Roman
times
Trackway Diolkos across the Isthmus of Corinth
Granite road with grooved tracks in which large
wooden flatbed cars carrying ships and their cargo were
pulled by slaves or animals
Length: 6 and 8.5 km
Width: 1.5 m (current: 1.435 m)
Regular and frequent service till 900 AD

RUTWAY

History of Railroads: Timeline

Manual/ horse drawn railways
1550: Hand propelled tubs known as "hunds in
Germany
1603/4: first recorded above ground early
railway/wagonway
1798: Lake Lock Railroad, the world's first public
railway (carried only coal)
1803: The first public passenger railway, the Surrey
Iron Railway opens in south London

St. Catharines Street Railway,

Canada

Steam Engines
1804: First steam locomotive railway - Penydarren built by Trevithick, used to haul iron in Wales
1814: George Stephenson constructs his first
locomotive, Blcher
1829: George and Robert Stephenson's locomotive,
The Rocket, sets a speed record of 47 km/h (29 mph),
Liverpool
1857: First steel rails used in Britain
1863: First underground railway, the 4 mile (6.2 km)
Metropolitan Railway opened in London. It was powered
by adapted steam engines

1833-34 : Stevensons Steam

Engine

1833-34 : Built by Cherepanov and his son,

total distance of about 3.2 Km (two miles)

 Electricity propelled
1879 First electric railway demonstrated at the Berlin Trades Fair
1890 First electric London Underground railway (subway) opened
in Londonall other subway systems soon followed suit

Diesel locomotives
1913 First diesel powered railcar enters service in Sweden

Diesel Electric locomotive

1924 First diesel-electric locomotive built in Soviet Union (USSR
Dominant type of locomotive in the world today

The Quest for Speed

1957 Japan sets narrow gauge world speed record of 145 km/h (90
mph) with Odakyu 3000 series SE Romancecar
1964 Bullet Train service introduced in Japan, between Tokyo and
Osaka. Trains average speeds of 160 km/h (100 mph) due to
congested shared urban tracks, with top speeds of 210 km/h
2003 Heavily modified train set of France's TGV had beaten its
original world record when it travelled 320 km/h

The Quest for Speed

TGV at Paris Station

The Quest for Speed

The Shanghai Maglev Train or Shanghai Transrapid
being the first commercial high-speed maglev line in the
world the top operational commercial speed of this
train is 431 km/h (268 mph), making it the world's
fastest train in regular commercial services since its
opening in 2004

The Quest for Speed

Is it a Bird? A
Plane?
Nope, only
Shanghai's

Maglev,
the world's fastest
train !

Maglev Principle
Opposite poles on magnets keep train above track
Train is propelled by electro-magnetic system in the
sides of the "guideway" instead of onboard engine
Trains float over a guideway without any contact
between train and rail resulting zero frictional loss

Maglev Principle

Classification of Railway
System
Intercity
Long distance
Generally not very frequent
Every 20/30 mins to once a day
Urban
Short haul
Frequent
Frequency as high as every 3 mins
Sub-urban
Suburb to main city
Mostly caters to commuting traffic

Forms of Urban Rails

At grade
Elevated
Underground
(Subway)

Comparison with Roadway

Load handling capacity
Railway can handle heavier loads at higher speeds
Construction, maintenance and operating cost
Railway has higher construction and maintenance cost
but lower operations cost
Speed
High speed rails are much faster than roadway
Degree of freedom
Railway movements are restricted to be in one
direction

Comparison with Roadway

Length of haul (Distance)
Railways are much more convenient for long haul
(>500km trips)
Topography
Railway less suitable in hilly terrains with curves
Energy consumption
Energy required in railway per ton is less than
roadway
Is very environment friendly if clean electricity is
used

Advantages - RAILWAYS

High capacity
Lower operating cost
High speed
Fixed route and easier operation

Transportation Systems
Definition of Transportation Modes
A transportation system is an infrastructure
that serves to move people and goods
efficiently. The transportation system
consists of fixed facilities, flow entities, and a
control component.
Efficient = safe, rapid, comfortable,
convenient, economical, environmentally
compatible.

Major transportation subsystems

Land transportation: highway, rail
Air transportation: domestic, international
Water transportation: inland, coastal, ocean
Pipelines: oil, gas, other

 Fixed facilities: roads, intersections, interchanges,

service stations, etc.
Flow entities: passenger cars, buses, trucks,
pedestrians, etc.
Control component: highway administration, local
transportation agencies, transportation engineering.

Highway Transportation
Engineering
Definition
The application of technology and scientific principles to
the planning, functional design, operation, and
management of roads, streets and highways, their
networks, terminals, abutting lands, and relationships
with other modes of transportation.
Areas of highway transportation engineering:
Planning of streets and highways
Geometric design of road facilities
Traffic operations and control
Traffic safety
Maintenance of road facilities and controls

REFERENCES