Highway Engineering I

Dr. Nahla Hussein

nahla.alaswadko@uod.ac

Third Year Students

1st semester, 2018 - 2019
1 Lecture 1
 Highway Engineering I

 Time per week: 4 hours (Theory: 2hrs, Tutorial: 1hr and

Practical: 1hr)

 Student's responsibility and assessment pattern:

– Quizzes, Class attendance, class works and home works (20%)

– Mid-Semester exam (20%)

– Final Exam (40%)

– Practical (20%)

2
 Topics to be covered
 Introduction/general
 Cross section elements
 Route surveying and planning
 Earthworks estimation
 Geometric design
 Sight distance on horizontal curve
 Sight distance on vertical curve: Sag and creast vertical curves
 Vertical curve alignment: Symmetrical and unsymmetrical curves
 Horizontal curve alignment: Simple circular, compound, reverse and
transition curves
 Superelevation and widening
 Intersections and interchanges
3
 Recommended References

 A policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, by

American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials (AASHTO), 1990.
 Highway Engineering, by Paul H. Wright and others, sixth
edition, 1996.
 Transportation Engineering and Planning, by C. S. Papacostas
and P. D. Prevedouros, third edition, 2001.
 Highway Capacity Manual (HCM), Transportation Research
Board (TRB), BY ITE, 2000.
 Transportation Engineering, by C. Jotin Khisty and B. Kent
4 Lall, second edition, 1990.
 Introduction

 Transportation engineering: is the application of technology and

scientific principles to the planning, functional design, operation, and
management of facilities for any mode of transportation in order to provide
for the safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and
environmentally well-suited movement of people and goods.
Transportation modes are:
 Highway transport
 Railway transport
 Airway transport
 Waterway transport
5  Pipe transport
 What does highway design involve?
 Geometric design:
– Cross-section elements: number and width of lanes, divided (with
median) or not, drainage structures, overtaking lanes etc.
– Horizontal and vertical alignments
– Design of intersections and interchanges
 Pavement and surfacing design
 Road furniture: lighting, landscaping, guide posts, guard rails,
traffic islands, traffic signals, signs
 Road delineation: line marking, raised pavement markers etc.

6
 Highway Geometric Design
Road geometric design is the selection of road features and
dimensions.
Cross-section elements Horizontal alignment
(straights and curves)

Vertical alignment
(grades and vertical
Interchange curves)
7
 Objectives of Highway Design

 Safety for all users; geometric parameters

 Efficiency; operational and economic

 Sustainability; social, environmental, natural

and economic

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 Objectives of Highway Design
Safety: Geometric parameters

 Users’ expectations (no surprises)

– Related to operating speed (e.g. flat vs.
mountainous terrain i.e. large vs. small
curves)
 Consistency in design standards
– Along same route and within the whole
network
 Consider all possible users when
selecting design parameters;
– cars, trucks, motorcyclists, cyclists,
9 pedestrians
 Objectives of Highway Design-
Efficiency (operation and economics)

Design standards must be related to traffic

volumes and route importance
Widest Avenue in the world (100m) in
Argentina

Monash Freeway/Australia

10 http://weburbanist.com/2007/12/03/7-urban-wonders-of-the-world-amazing-and-record-setting-city-roads-and-streets/
 World’s most curved road- San Francisco, USA

http://weburbanist.com/2007/12/03/7-urban-wonders-of-the-world-amazing-and-record-setting-city-roads-and-streets/
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 Objectives of Highway Design-
Sustainability (environmental, social, natural and economic)
 Optimize route selection Sound barriers
– Minimise earthworks
– Minimise impacts on water streams and habitat
– Protection of tradition sites
 Provide sustainable drainage systems
– Collect storm water
– Waste traps and waste separators
 Aesthetics
 Use of surface materials that minimise noise
 Providing smooth travel and reducing
congestion and delay
 Minimise energy consumption; e.g. using
digital signs

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 Highway Design Elements

 Overall location of a route

 Road Classification / standards
 Design vehicles and traffic volumes
 Operating speed & terrain
 Adequate cross section
 Drainage requirements
 Horizontal and Vertical alignments and their coordination
 Earthworks
 Provision of overtaking opportunities

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 Functional Classification of Highway

• Freeway or expressway: full

control of access, long distances and
high design speeds.
• Arterial (distribution): moderate
design speeds.
• Sub-arterial (transition roadways
or ramps)
• Collector : intermediate design
speeds, serving border areas and
shorter trips.
• Local (access roads or streets):
property access (main aim) and
lower design speeds
14
 Geometric Design Input Parameters

 Traffic volumes and types

 Design vehicle
 Operating speed and Design speed
 Sight distance

15
 Traffic Volumes

 Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) =veh/day

for road geometric design.
 Peak hour volume for intersection design.

Traffic counter/classifier

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 Traffic Types

 Cars Registered 2008 2013

Average annual
growth 08/13
 Trucks no. no. %
Passenger vehicles 11,803,536 13,000,021 2.0
 Buses Campervans
Light commercial
44,790 54,101 4.0

2,288,216 2,717,673 3.6

 Bicycles vehicles
Light rigid trucks 105,726 131,147 4.6
Heavy rigid trucks 305,184 325,998 1.4
 Motorcycles Articulated trucks 79,132 90,904 2.9
Non-freight
 Pedestrians carrying vehicles
21,808 22,986 1.1

Buses 80,581 93,034 3.0

 Scooters Motor cycles 567,569 744,732 5.8

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 Design Vehicles

 Horizontal and Vertical Alignment

– Cars
– Check for truck needs < 2m wide

 Intersections
– Cars, number of lanes
– Trucks turning templates 2.5m wide, 12.5m long 2.5m wide, 19m long

 Pavement design
– Trucks

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 Operating Speed

 Operating Speed is the measured 85th percentile

speed of cars, on a particular geometric element or
length of road, at a time when traffic volumes are low
i.e. when drivers are free to choose the speed at
which they travel. 85% of car drivers will travel at
or below this speed and 15% travel faster.

19
 Design Speed

 Design Speed is the speed that is used to determine

and coordinate the safe dimensions of road geometric
elements (horizontal curves radii, vertical curves lengths, cross-
section elements).

 Design Speed must be > Operating speed which

must be > posted speed limit

20
 Highway Design Elements

Cross-section Elements

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 Types of road cross-sections
 Rural and urban
 Carriageway:
– Dual carriageway (Divided by a median)
– Single carriageway (undivided) 2-lane 2-way
4-lane 2-way divided
undivided urban road
 Number of lanes urban road

– Two-lane Two-way
 One lane in each direction
– Four-lane Two-way
 Two lanes in each direction
4-lane 2-way divided
rural road

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 Types of road cross-sections

4-lane 2-way divided 2-lane 2-way

urban road undivided urban road

4-lane 2-way divided 2-lane 2-way

rural road undivided rural road

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 Six lane two way divided urban road with 2 single lane service roads.

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 Typical road cross-section in rural
highway

Flat on a left hand curve

Straight and flat

25 Flat on a right hand curve

Wire rope safety barrier, both sides Wire rope barrier, one side

Guardrail safety barrier, both sides Guide posts

 Median: Functions and dimensions

27
 Right of Way

Right of Way (R.O.W) or Road Reserve

=
Land available for building the road

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 Elements of an Urban Road
Single carriageway (Two-lane Two-way)

Traffic lane Traffic lane

Pavement

Cross Section

29
 Divided Urban Road
Dual Carriageway (Four-lane Two-way or Six-lane Two-way)

Cross Section

30 Plan
 Divided Urban Road
Dual Carriageway & service roads
Six-lane Two-way with 2 service roads (single lane)

Cross Section

Plan

31
 Elements of a Rural road cross-section

Single carriageway (Two-lane Two-way Rural Road)

Cut

Fill

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 Rural road cross-section
Divided Rural Roads (Dual Carriageway)

Rural road cross-section

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 Cut (road below natural surface)
Fill (road above natural surface)

Road in fill- on embankment

Road in cut

Road in fill

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 Cut & Fill Batters

• Batter slopes depend on slope stability, safety, appearance,

maintenance considerations, landscaping requirements and
need to reduce erosion.
• Defined as the ratio of horizontal distance to unit height in
the vertical direction e.g. 4 to 1 (4:1).

35 Fill slope/Batter Cut slope/Batter

 Drains Details

1) Table Drain: is a v, trapezoidal or parabolic shaped

surface drain located immediately adjacent to the edge of a road. The
side slope of a table drain should be 6 to 1 where possible, but can be as
steep as 4 to 1.

36
 Drains Details

2) Catch Drain (Ditch): is a small to moderate depression created

along side roadways to channel water or fields. A ditch can be used
for drainage, to drain water from low-lying areas, or to channel water
from a more distant source for plant irrigation.

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 Elements of Urban cross-sections
Purposes and Functions
 Traffic lanes: Provide for vehicular movement, through, turn and
service
 Pavement: carry traffic load and protect the subgrade
 Crossfall (normal crossfall on straight): directs surface water into
drains
 Pit: collect surface/rain water from pavement and footway
 Nature strip: separates pedestrian from vehicles and provides
aesthetics and easy access to underground utilities
 Footpath: provide for easy and comfortable pedestrian movement
 Footway: footpath + nature strip
 Median (depressed or raised): separates opposing traffic
movements, accommodates elevation variation between the two
38 carriageways
 Elements of rural cross-section-
purposes and functions
 Traffic lanes: Provide for vehicular movement,through,turn and service
 Pavement: carry traffic load and protect the subgrade
 Median (depressed) (with median shoulders and verges)
 Crossfall: directs surface water into drains
 Shoulder: side support for the pavement, a clear space for broken
down vehicle and for improved sight distance
 Verge: space for installing signs and guide posts
 Batter (cut or fill):the slope of earthworks embankment or cuttings and
controlled by type of material, safety and maintenance requirements
 Table drain: captures surface and subsurface water and from batters
and catch drains
 Catch drain: captures surface water and from high ground water to
39 prevent batter erosion.