HIGHWAY ENGINEERING (ECG304)

CHAPTER 3 GEOMETRIC DESIGN

Chapter 3
Content: 1. Sight distance stopping & overtaking sight distance 2. Horizontal alignment curves & superelevation 3. Road cross sectional elements road furnishes & drainage

Lesson Learning Outcomes

At the end of this chapter, students should be able to: Calculate stopping and passing sight distance Calculate horizontal alignment Sketch and describe road cross section elements

OVERVIEW
Geometric design dimensions & arrangements of highway features affect to h/way operation, safety and capacity
Goal to provide safe, efficient & economical system

Topography Design vehicles

Access control

Features to be considered in geometric design

Environmental Design hourly volume

Design speed

Horizontal Curve
Design speed, V 4 criteria for curve design Lateral friction, f Superelevation, e Centrifugal ratio, P/W

Centrifugal force, P
Acts horizontally outwards through the center of gravity of the vehicle P = Wv2/gR Centrifugal ratio, P/W 2 effects overturns and skidding laterally
80
Km/j

Moving on track by turning the steering

Tendency to overturn
Moment = P x h resisted by restoring moment = W(b/2) Thus, Ph = W(b/2) P/W = b/2h
P/W b/2h Danger of overturning

Tendency to skid laterally

Avoid o/turning & skidding
h

G W

Ra

Rb

- P/W < b - P/W < f

P = f (Ra+Rb) = fW

Superelevation, e
To counteract the effect of P outer edge of pavement is raised with the respect to the inner edge

G W

 e + f = v2/gR e = tan e design not for mixed traffic complex

Practical consideration: e provided due to 75% design speed (neglect f) limit e to 0.06 Remember!!

Transition Curve
Place between tangent and the circular curve - adjoin the straight road and circular curve may omit if:
short length small shift small external angle superelevation, e is not needed

Reason for transition curve to be made:

Allow gradual built up to P until max as enter circular curve allow gradual intro for e allow gradual alteration of steering provide smooth transition from straight to curve road - facilitate reasonable deceleration

L
R R

Total road alignment, T = 2L + C

1) Transition length, L = v3/qR v in m/s Or L = V3/46.7qR in kph 2) Curve, C = R(-2)rad = L/2R

Hand-off Speed
Where speed is balanced by superelevation maintains course without steering no f and C R is balanced by e only Normally, hand-off speed, VHO = 0.63V due to 40% balances of P/W If not 40% derivation should be made first to get the new equation for VHO

Exercise 3.1
A simple circular curve of a single carriageway is to be designed with a design speed of 90 km/hr. The super elevation on the circular curve is 0.05, the balances 40% of the centrifugal ratio, the angle of intersection is 35o, and the radial acceleration is 0.43m/s2. If radius of the curve is 510 m, calculate i.Length of transition curve ii.Total length of the road alignment iii.Hand-off speed

Sight distance
Length of highway visibility ahead to the driver of a vehicle OSD SSD
Min distance required to stop the vehicle at or near the design speed before it reaches and object in its path - SSD = d1+ d2
Passing sight distance when the distance is long enough to enable the vehicle to overtake and pass another vehicle in front, w/out interference OSD = d1+ d2 + d3+ d4

SSD
Based on total reaction time
perception reaction time
distance traveled from the time the object is sighted to the brakes applied, d1 d1 = 0.278Vt

breaking reaction time

distance required for stopping vehicle after the brakes applied, d2 ** unit for V is km/h d2 = V2/254f

Exercise 3.2
Minimum stopping sight distance depends on the total perception-reaction distance and breaking distance. Given design speed of 110 km/hr, coefficient of the friction between tires and pavement is 0.28 and perception-reaction time of 2.5 seconds. Calculate the minimum stopping sight distance.

OSD
d1 = distance based on time taken while driver decide whether to pass the vehicle in front or not d2 = distance based on time taken to carry out the actual passing movement d3 = safety dimension between o/taking vehicle and on coming vehicle d4 = distance based on time taken by o/taking vehicle to move at design speed while actual o/taking take place

 OSD = d1 + d2 + d3 + d4 = vbt + vbT + 2S + vtT

where S = (0.7vb) + 6 and T = (4S/a)

in meters

** for OSD, unit for speeds, vb and vt should be in m/s

Exercise 3.3
A taxi traveling at a speed of 100 km/hr overtakes a bus traveling at 70 km/hr. If the acceleration of the taxi is 2.3 m/s2 and the time taken, t = 3 sec, determine the safe overtaking sight distance.

Cross-Sectional Elements
Undivided highway travel lanes & shoulders Divided highway travel lanes, shoulders &
medians. Other elements roadside barriers, curbs (US), gutters, guardrails & sidewalks depends on road type.

Curb, gutter, and storm drain

1. Width of travel lanes

* vary between 10 and 13 ft, usually 12 ft (3.66 m) * two lane, two way rural road 10 & 11 ft * traffic volume low 9 ft
2. Width of shoulders

* function stopping facility for vehicles - lateral support for the pavement structure * widths at least 10 ft & 12 ft (high trucks, volume & speed) * minimum width 6-8 ft may be used

TRAVEL LANES AND SHOULDERS

3. Medians

* the section of divided highway that separates traffic moving in opposite directions * measured from edge to edge * functions provide recovery area for out-ofcontrol vehicles - separating opposing traffic - provide stopping areas (emergencies) - provide storage area for right & U turn vehicles - provide refuge for pedestrians - reducing the effect of headlight glare

* medians can be raised, flush or depressed. * widths generally range from 2 ft to 80 ft or more.
4. Median & Roadside barriers

* median barriers provide protection for vehicle enter the opposite direction. * roadside barriers protect vehicles from crashing onto hazards along the side of the road.

Median

5. Curbs & gutters

* curbs are used to delineate pavement edges & pedestrian walkways, also to control drainage. * Constructed of PCC or bituminous concrete * classified either barrier or mountable curbs. * barrier curbs prevent vehs from leaving highway (height:6-8) * mountable curbs permit vehs to cross over (height:4-6) * gutters/ditches drainage facility for the road. * located at the pavement side of the curb * usually 1-6 ft wide.

6. Guardrails

* used to prevent errant vehicles from leaving the roadbed at sharp horizontal curves & at high embankments. * placed at embankments with heights greater than 8 ft.
7.

Sidewalks * provided mainly on urban streets to facilitate the safe movement of pedestrians. * particularly at areas adjacent to schools, transit stops, parks & shopping centers * minimum width 4 ft in residential areas (range: 4 8 ft)

Cable barriers

Guardrails

8. Cross Slopes/ Camber

* facilitate the drainage of surface water. * Two lane & multilane highway without medians are sloped from middle downward to both sides. * Divided highway by either crowning the pavement in each direction or by sloping the entire pavement in one direction. * AASHTO recommends: a) 1.5-2% for high-type pavements b) 1.5-3% for intermediate-type pavements c) 2.0-6% for low type pavements

Direction of water flow

Cross slopes/ crown/ camber

Sidewalks

Grades
Max grades are based on the design speed &

design vehicle.

Type of Topography Flat Rolling Mountainous

Design Speed

50 km/h
8 9 11

65 km/h
7 8 10

80 km/h
6 7 9

A dual carriageway or divided highway is a road or highway in which the two directions of traffic are separated by a central barrier or strip of land, known as median.

Single carriageway is the British designation for the most common type of road; one with no physical separation (median) between opposing flows of traffic. It usually has two or more marked traffic lanes, one in each direction, although narrow rural roads and residential streets may have no markings.

Drainage
Adequate drainage is important in the

location & geometric design of highways. Inadequate drainage will results: 1. serious damage to the highway structure 2. traffic may be slowed by accumulated water on the pavement. 3. accidents occur as a result of hydroplanning & loss of visibility from splash & spray. 4. erosion of soil/slopes of embankment.

 Highway engineer is concerned primarily with two

sources of water. a) Surface water occurs as rain or snow drainage referred as surface drainage b) Ground water flows in underground stream. important in highway cuts or locations where high water table exists near the pavement structure. drainage is referred as subsurface drainage

Surface drainage
All means by which surface water is removed from the

pavement. A properly designed should effectively intercept all surface & watershed runoff & direct this water into adequately designed channels & gutters for discharge into natural waterways. Consists of: a) transverse & longitudinal slopes positive runoff b) longitudinal channel collect the surface water c) curbs & gutters control street runoff

Transverse grooving to improve surface drainage and friction.

Subsurface drainage
Provided to drain water from

a) permeated through cracks & joints in the pavement to the underlying strata. b) moved upward through the underlying soil strata as a results of capillary action. c) exists in the natural ground below the water table, referred as ground water. Effect of inadequate subdrainage: a) Pavement performance b) Slope stability

 Subsurface drainage system are usually

classified into five general categories:a) Longitudinal drains b) Transverse drains c) Horizontal drains d) Drainage blankets e) Well systems