Geometric Design of

Highway Facilities
Osman Ali Mohamed. ID=456
Abdirahman Mohamed Nur. ID= 441
Aisha Hassan Mohamed. ID= 456
Abdullah Osman Mohamud. ID= 456
Khalid Ahmed Mohamud. ID= 456
Bilal Abdi Ahmed. ID= 456
 Overview
• The geometric design of highways deals with the
dimensions and layout of visible features of the
highway
• The emphasis of the geometric design is to
address the requirement of the driver and the
vehicle such as safety, comfort, efficiency, etc.
• The features normally considered are the cross
section elements, sight distance consideration,
horizontal curvature, gradients, and intersection
 Continuous
• The design of these features is to a great
extend influenced by driver behavior and
psychology, vehicle characteristics, traffic
characteristics such as speed and volume.
• Proper geometric design will help in the
reduction of accidents and their severity.
• Therefore, the objective of geometric design is to
provide optimum efficiency in traffic operation
and maximum safety at reasonable cost.
• The engineer has to consider the following
points when selecting design standards:
‾ Volume and composition of traffic in the design year
should basis the design
‾ Faulty geometries are costly rectify at a later date
‾ The design should be consistent and standards used for
the different elements should be compatible with another
‾ The design should embrace all aspects of design
including signs, markings, lighting, etc.
‾ The design should minimize the total transportation cost
‾ Safety should be built in the design
‾ The design should be enable all road users to use facility
 Objectives
 Maximize
 Comfort
 Safety
 Economy

 Minimize
 Environmental impacts
 Design a safe and efficient system
that addresses community and
environmental needs
 ROAD CLASSIFICATION
• The roads can be classified in many ways.

• The classification based on speed and

accessibility is the most generic one.

• Note that as the accessibility of road

increases, the speed reduces.
The roads can be classified as follows in
the order of increased accessibility and
reduced speeds.
• Freeways
• Expressways
• Arterials
• Collectors
• Local streets
 Freeways
• Freeways are access-controlled divided
highways. Most freeways are four lanes,
two lanes each direction, but many
freeways widen to incorporate more lanes
as they enter urban areas. Access is
controlled through the use of interchanges,
and the type of interchange depends upon
the kind of intersecting road way (rural
roads, another freeway etc.)
 Expressways
• They are superior type of highways and
are designed for high speeds ( 120 km/hr
is common), high traffic volume and
safety. They are generally provided with
grade separations at intersections.
Parking, loading and unloading of goods
and pedestrian traffic is not allowed on
expressways.
 Arterials
• It is a general term denoting a street primarily
meant for through traffic usually on a
continuous route. They are generally divided
highways with fully or partially controlled
access. Parking, loading and unloading
activities are usually restricted and regulated.
Pedestrians are allowed to cross only at
intersections/designated pedestrian
crossings.
 Collectors
• These are streets intended for collecting
and distributing traffic to and from local
streets and also for providing access to
arterial streets. Normally full access is
provided on these streets . There are few
parking restrictions except during peak
hours.
 Local streets
• A local street is the one which is primarily
intended for access to residence, business
or abutting property. It does not normally
carry large volume of traffic and also it
allows unrestricted parking and pedestrian
movements.
 Based on usage
• All-weather roads
• Fair-weather roads
Based on carriage way
• Paved roads with hard surface
• Unpaved roads
Based on pavement surface
• Surfaced roads
• Un-surfaced roads
Based on the traffic volume
• Heavy traffic roads.
• Medium traffic roads.
• light traffic roads.
 FACTORS INFLUENCING
HIGHWAY DESIGN
• Highway design is based on specified design
standards and controls which depend on the
following roadway system factors:
 Functional classification
 Design hourly traffic volume and vehicle mix
 Design speed AND Design vehicle
 Cross section of the highway, such as lanes,
shoulders, and medians
 Presence of heavy vehicles on steep grades
 Topography of the area that the highway traverses
 Level of service to be provided
 Available funds
 Safety
 Social and environmental factors
 Traffic capacity
 Nature of terrain
 Density and character of adjoining land use
 Highway Design Standards
• Design hourly volume
• Design speed
• Design vehicle
• Cross-section elements
– Width of travel lane
– Shoulders
– Median barriers and Roadside
– Curbs and Gutters.
– Sidewalks
– Guard rails
– Cross slopes and Side slopes
– Camber
 Design Hourly Volume
• Is the projected hourly volume used for design.
• This volume is usually taken as a percentage
of the expected ADT on the highway.
• For rural highways it is usually between 12%
and 18% of the ADT (15% as Avg.)
• The highest hourly volume should not be used
for highways with unusual or high seasonal
fluctuation in the traffic flow.( use 50% of the
volume that occur for only few peak hours
during the design year as the DHV)
 Speed and Design
• Speed reduces the visual field, restricts the
peripheral vision and limits time to receive and
process information
• Higher speeds must have better design features (i.e.,
freeways versus two-lane roads) (lower information
processing demands)
• May create problems:
– Nighttime condition: headlights not far enough for
a driver to stop safely (e.g., lower speed limits)
– Driver fatigue caused by lack of visual stimulation
 Design Speed
• Design speed is defined as a selected speed
to determine the various geometric features of
the roadway.
• Design speed depends on the functional
classification of the highway, the topography of
the area in which the highway is located, and
the land use of the adjacent area.
• For highway design, topography is generally
classified into three groups: level, rolling, and
mountainous terrain.
• It depends on:
– Functional classification of the highway.
– Land use of the adjacent area.
– Topography of the area:
• Level terrain: flat, horizontal and vertical sight
distances are long or can be achieved without much
construction difficulties.
• Rolling terrain: has natural slopes above & below the
highway grade, with occasional steep slopes that
restrict the normal vertical and horizontal alignment.
• Mountainous terrain: has sudden changes in ground
elevation in both longitudinal and transverse direction,
requires excavation to achieve acceptable alignment.
• Design speed selected should not be
significantly different from the speed at which
motorists will expect to drive.
• The average trip length on the highway also
should be considered in selecting the design
speed (highways with longer trips should be
designed for higher speeds).
• Design speeds range from 20 mi/h to 70 mi/h
with intermediate values at 10 mi/h.
• Freeways (60-70 mi/h)
• Arterial roads ( 30-60 mi/h).
 Design features influencing speed:
– sight distance.
– Super elevation or Horizontal Alignment.
– Curvature.
• It should fit the travel desires and habits of nearly all
drivers
• Drivers do not adjust their speeds to the importance of the
highway, but to their perception of the physical limitations.
• Running speed should be lower than design speed
• It is desirable to use design speeds in increments of 5 mph
• Posted speed should be set at the 85th percentile (speed
limits should be in 10 mph increments)
 Stopping Sight Distance (SSD)
• Objective -
• To provide sufficient length of road to
driver to observe the object and stop the
vehicle before colliding with object.
Concept-

t=2.5 sec

a= 11.2 ft./sec2
 Passing Sight Distance
• Objective –
• To provide the sufficient distance to the driver
to overtake the slow moving vehicle ahead
safely against the traffic in opposite direction.
Phase 1 = safe distance between overtaking and overtaken vehicle before
overtaking operation.
Phase 2 = overtaking operation distance, considering time
taken by overtaking vehicle and overtaken vehicle is same.
Phase 3 = safe distance between overtaking and overtaken vehicle after
overtaking operation.
 Decision Sight Distance
• Decision sight distance is required at complex locations to enable drivers
to maneuver their vehicles safely rather than stop.
• Examples of complex locations where provision of DSD is desirable
include complex interchanges and intersections, toll plazas, lane drops,
and areas where sources of information (such as signs, signals, and
traffic control devices) compete.
INTERCHANGE

toll plazas

lane drops
 Intersection Sight Distance
• Intersection sight distance is the distance
provided at an intersection to allow
approaching vehicles (at an uncontrolled or
yield-controlled intersection) to see any
potentially conflicting vehicles in sufficient time
to slow or stop safely and to allow stopped
vehicles (at a stop or signal controlled
intersection) to enter or cross the intersection
safely
Intersection Sight Distance
Horizontal Alignment
1. Super Elevation
2. Transition Curve
Super Elevation

Extra widening
Super Elevation
Vertical Alignment
1. Sag Curve or
summit curve
2. Valley Curve
 Design Vehicle
• A design vehicle is selected to represent all
vehicles on the highway. Its weight,
dimensions, and operating characteristics are
used to establish the design standards of the
highway.
• The vehicle type selected as the design
vehicle is the largest that is likely to use the
highway with considerable frequency.
• The selected design vehicle is used to determine critical
design features such as radii at intersections and turning
roadways as well as highway grades.
• The following guidelines apply when selecting a design
vehicle.
• • For the design of intersections at local streets and park roads, a
single-unit truck may be used.
• • At intersections of state highways and city streets that serve buses
with relatively few large trucks, a city transit bus may be used.
• • At intersections of highways and low-volume county highways or
township/local roads with less than 400 ADT, either an 84-
passenger large school bus 40 ft long or a 65-passenger
conventional bus 36 ft long may be used. The selection of either of
these will depend on the expected usage of the facility.
 Cross-section elements
–Width of travel lane
–Shoulders
–Median barriers and Roadside
–Curbs and Gutters.
–Sidewalks
–Guard rails
–Cross slopes and Side slopes
–Camber
–Etc.
 Width of Travel Lanes.

• The Width of pavement way on which vehicles

travel is called carriage way.
• Width of the carriage way or the width of the
pavement depends on the width of the traffic
lane and number of lanes. Width of a traffic lane
depends on the width of the vehicle and the
clearance. Side clearance improves operating
speed and safety.
• This require minimum of lane width of 3.75 m
for a single lane road. However, the side
clearance required is about 0.53 m, on either
side and 1.06 m in the center. Therefore, a
two lane road require minimum of 3.5 meter
for each lane.
 Shoulders
• Shoulders are provided along the road edge to
serve as an emergency lane for vehicles.
• Shoulder surfaces range in width from 0.61m
on minor roads to 3.75m on major arterials.
Shoulders are also used to laterally support
the pavement structure.
• The shoulder width is known as either graded
or usable, depending on the section of the
shoulder being considered.
 Median

• A median is the section of a divided highway

that separates the lanes in opposing
directions. The width of a median is the
distance between the edges of the inside
lanes, including the median shoulders.
 Medians Types
• Can either be:
1. Raised
2. Flush
3. Depressed

1- Raised Medians
– used in urban arterial streets as they facilitate the control of
left turning traffic at intersections by using part of the
median width for left-turn only lanes.
– Disadvantages:
• possible loss of control of the vehicle if the median is
accidentally struck.
• casting of shadow from oncoming headlights which
results in drivers having difficulty seeing the curb
 Medians Types Cont.
2- Flush Medians
– Commonly used on urban arterials
– Can be used on free-ways but with a median barrier.
– Should be crowned to facilitate drainage of surface water.
– The practice of in urban areas to convert flush medians into
two-way left-turn lanes is popular as it increases the capacity
of the highway.
3- Depressed medians
– Used on freeways.
– More effective in draining surface water.
– Side slopes of 6:1 and 4:1 can be adequate.
 The functions of a median include:
Providing a recovery area for out-of-control
vehicles
 Separating opposing traffic.
 Providing stopping areas during emergencies
 Providing storage areas for left-turning and
U-turning vehicles.
Providing temporary lanes and cross-overs
during maintenance operations.
Roadside
 Curbs and Gutters.

• Curbs are raised structures made of either

Portland cement concrete or bituminous
concrete (rolled asphalt curbs) that are used
mainly on urban highways to delineate
pavement edges and pedestrian walkways.
Curbs are also used to control drainage,
improve aesthetics, and reduce right of way.
• Gutters or drainage ditches are usually located
on the pavement side of a curb to provide the
principal drainage facility for the highway.
 Sidewalks
Sidewalks are usually provided on roads in urban
areas, but are uncommon in rural areas.
Nevertheless, the provision of sidewalks in rural areas
should be evaluated during the planning process to
determine sections of the road where they are
required. For example, rural principal arterials may
require sidewalks in areas with high pedestrian
concentrations, such as adjacent to schools, industrial
plants, and local businesses.
 Guard rails
• Guard rails are longitudinal barriers placed on
the outside of sharp curves and at sections
with high fills.
• Their main function is to prevent vehicles from
leaving the roadway.
• They are installed at embankments higher
than 8 ft and when shoulder slopes are greater
than 4:1. Shapes commonly used include the
W beam and the box beam.
 Side slopes

• Side slopes are provided on embankments and

fills to provide stability for earthworks. They also
serve as a safety feature by providing a
recovery area for out-of-control vehicles.
 Camber
• Camber or cant is the cross slope provided to raise middle of
the road surface in the transverse direction to drain off rain
water from road surface.
• The objectives of providing camber are:
• Surface protection especially for gravel an bituminous roads
• Sub-grade protection by proper drainage
• Quick drying of pavement which in turn increases safety
• Too steep slope is undesirable for it will erode the surface.
Camber is measured in 1 in n or n% (E.g.. 1 in 50 or 2%) and
the value depends on the type of pavement surface