CE 411: DESIGNING THE HIGHWAY - WRITTEN REPORT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 3
AASHTO........................................................................................................................ 3
ROADS AND HIGHWAYS ..................................................................................................... 3
CONTROL OF ACCESS ....................................................................................................... 3
FULL CONTROL OF ACCESS .................................................................................................... 3
PARTIAL CONTROL OF ACCESS................................................................................................. 3
HIERARCHY OF ROADS ...................................................................................................... 3
ROAD ......................................................................................................................... 4
HIGHWAY ..................................................................................................................... 4
EXPRESSWAY .................................................................................................................. 4
FREEWAY ..................................................................................................................... 4
THROUGH STREET/THROUGH HIGHWAY ...................................................................................... 4
PARKWAY ..................................................................................................................... 4
ARTERIAL STREET ............................................................................................................. 4
COLLECTOR STREET ........................................................................................................... 4
LOCAL ROADS ................................................................................................................. 5
BASIC CONSIDERATIONS IN PLANNING ROADWAYS .................................................................... 5
HIGHWAY CAPACITY......................................................................................................... 5
AADT/ADT (ANNUAL AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC) ........................................................................ 5
DESIGN SPEED ................................................................................................................ 5
CROSS SECTION OF A TYPICAL HIGHWAY ............................................................................... 6
STANDARDS FOR WIDTH OF ROAD ........................................................................................ 6
TWO LANE RURAL HIGHWAYS ................................................................................................. 6
COLLECTOR ROADWAY ........................................................................................................ 6
LOCAL RURAL ROADWAY ...................................................................................................... 6
URBAN ROADWAY ............................................................................................................. 6
ROAD SHOULDER............................................................................................................. 6
IMPORTANCE OF ROAD SHOULDER ....................................................................................... 7
POLICIES ON GEOMETRIC DESIGN OF ROAD SHOULDER ............................................................... 7
CROSS SLOPE ................................................................................................................. 7
TYPES OF CROSS SLOPE ....................................................................................................... 7
CUT OR FILL SLOPE ......................................................................................................... 7
ADVANTAGES OF FLAT SLIDE OR BACK SLOPE .................................................................................. 7
POLICIES ON GEOMETRIC DESIGN IN CROSS SLOPE .................................................................... 8
MATERIALS USED IN EMBANKMENTS (DEPENDING UPON NATURAL CONDITIONS) ................................................ 8
NUMBER OF LANES .......................................................................................................... 8

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HIGHWAY MEDIAN ........................................................................................................... 8
CE 411: DESIGNING THE HIGHWAY - WRITTEN REPORT
ADVANTAGES OF HAVING A MEDIAN ........................................................................................... 8
FOUR MEANS OF REDUCING CROSS MEDIAN ACCIDENTS: ....................................................................... 9
GRADE LINE ................................................................................................................... 9
VERTICAL CURVE OVER CREST ............................................................................................ 9
RIGHT OF WAY ............................................................................................................... 9
STOPPING SIGHT DISTANCE .............................................................................................. 10
TWO ELEMENTS OF STOPPING DISTANCE ..................................................................................... 10
PASSING SIGHT DISTANCE ................................................................................................ 10
ROAD ALIGNMENT ......................................................................................................... 10
THE CIRCULAR CURVES ................................................................................................... 10
POLICY ON GEOMETRIC DESIGN: ............................................................................................. 10
SUPER ELEVATION – RUNOFF........................................................................................... 10
WIDENING OF CURVES .................................................................................................... 11
ISLAND ....................................................................................................................... 11
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TYPES OF INTERCHANGE ................................................................................................. 11
FUNCTIONS OF FREEWAY INTERCHANGES: .................................................................................... 11
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HIGHWAY INTERSECTION AT GRADE ................................................................................... 11
DESIGNING THE HIGHWAY: ................................................................................................... 12
FREEWAY ENTRANCE AND EXIT ......................................................................................... 12
RAILROAD – HIGHWAY SEPARATION ................................................................................. 12
BICYCLE LANE .............................................................................................................. 12

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Introduction
CE 411: DESIGNING THE HIGHWAY - WRITTEN REPORT
Consistency is the most important single rule in highway. Drivers expect the highway agency to provide
them with the following:
i. Clear information and guidance through a variety of road signs.
ii. Avoiding abrupt changes in the traffic as well as the road standards.

AASHTO
 American Society of State Highway and Transportation Officials
 Established in 1914 and was expanded in 1973
 Their task was to prepare specification manuals and standards, representing the current highway
engineering practice.
 Their publication includes
o Transportation Materials and Specification and Tests
o Specification for Highway Bridges
o Geometric Design Standards
o Numerous Policy Statements and Guides

Roads and Highways

 Strips of land that have been cleared and further improved for the movement of people and
goods.

Control of Access
 Condition where the rights of owners or occupants of adjoining land or other people’s access to
light, air or view in connection with a highway is fully or partially controlled by public authority.

Full Control of Access

o It gives preferences to through traffic by providing access connections to selected public
roads only. Crossing at grade or direct private driveway connections is not permitted.
Partial Control of Access
o The authority to control access is exercised to give preference to through traffic.
Therefore, access to connections with selected public roads and crossings at grade and
some private driveway connections are allowed.

Hierarchy of Roads
 It categorizes roads according to their functions and capacities.
 The related concept of access management aims to provide access to land development, while
ensuring traffic flows freely and safely on surrounding roads.

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 CE 411: DESIGNING THE HIGHWAY - WRITTEN REPORT

Road
 Generally used to describe a public thoroughfare
 Also refers to railways
Highway
 A higher state of development than road.
Expressway
 Is a divided arterial highway for through traffic with full or partial access and generally
provided with grade separation at major intersections.

Freeway
 Expressway with full control of access

Through Street/Through Highway

 A highway or a portion of a highway at the entrances to which vehicular traffic from
intersecting highways is required by law to stop before entering or crossing and when stop
signs are erected.
Parkway
 Is an arterial highway for non-commercial traffic, with full or partial control of access
usually located within a park or ribbon park-like development.
Arterial Street
 Are major through roads that are expected to carry large volumes of traffic.

Collector Street
 Collect traffic from local roads and distribute it to arterials. Traffic using a collector is
usually going to or coming from somewhere nearby.

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 Local CE
Roads
411: DESIGNING THE HIGHWAY - WRITTEN REPORT
 They have the lowest limit and carry low volumes of traffic.
 Some of these roads may be unpaved.

Basic Considerations in Planning Roadways

 Selection of the routes.
 Studies of the traffic volume
 Origin and Destination
 Accident Experienced
 Must carry at least one lane of traffic in each direction

Highway Capacity
 Defined as the maximum number of vehicles that are reasonably expected to pass at a given
point over a given period of time.
 Expressed as Vehicles per Hour.
 As the volume of traffic approaches capacity, the average speed is markedly reduced.

AADT/ADT (Annual Average Daily Traffic)

 Refers to the traffic volume or flow on a highway as measured by the number of vehicles
passing a partial station during a give interval of time.

Design Speed
 “It is the maximum speed that can be maintained over a specified section of the highway when
weather and traffic conditions are s favorable that the design features of the highway govern”

MINIMUM RECOMMENDED DESIGN SPEED

DESIGN SPEED
FACILITY
URBAN KM/hr. RURAL KM/hr.
Freeway
80-95 preferred
Arterials 64-95 but 48 in built up areas 80-110
Collector 48 See next table
Local 32-48 See next table

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 Class/Terrain Average
CE 411: DESIGNING THE HIGHWAY Daily Traffic
- WRITTEN REPORT
Collector 0-400 400-750 750-2000 2000-4000 Over 4000

Level 60 75 75 75 90

Rolling 45 60 60 75 75

Mountainous 30 45 45 60 60

Local 0-400 400-750 750-2000 2000-4000 Over 4000

Level 45 45 60 75

Rolling 30 45 45 60

Mountainous 30 30 30 45

AASHTO MINIMUM DESIGN SPEED FOR RURAL COLLECTOR AND LOCAL ROADS
Cross Section of a Typical Highway
 Cross section of a typical highway has latitude of variables to consider such as:
o The volume of traffic
o Character of the Traffic
o Speed of the Traffic
o Characteristics of Motor Vehicles and of the driver.

Standards for Width of Road

Two Lane Rural Highways
 7.20 m
Collector Roadway
 6.00 m
Local Rural Roadway
 4.80m for a 30 km/hr design speed
Urban Roadway
 3.60 m

Road Shoulder
 Portion of the roadway between the edge of the traffic lane and the edge of the ditch, gutter, curb
or side slope.
 AASHTO requires that its usable pavement width shall be strong enough to support vehicles.

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Importance
CEof Road
411: Shoulder THE HIGHWAY - WRITTEN REPORT
DESIGNING
 Serves a place for vehicles to stop when disabled or for some other purposes.
 It reduces road accidents
 It adds structural strength to the road pavement

Policies on Geometric Design of Road Shoulder

 If truck volume is more than 350, outside shoulder should be paved for at least 3.00 m to 3.60 m.
 Width of the left median shoulder is 1.20 – 2.40 m with at least 1.20 m paved.
 If there are 6 or more lanes, median shoulder should be 3.00 m wide or 3.60 m if the truck
volume in the design hour exceeds 250.
 For arterials with ADT less than 400, width of shoulder should be 1.20 m (minimum).
 When ADT is more than 400, the width of the shoulder should be 2.40 m
 The width of the median shoulder on four lanes divided arterials is fixed at 90 cm as minimum.
 For 6 or more lanes, 2.40 m to 3.00 m shoulder width is recommended.
 For ADT’s over 2000, 2.40 m shoulder width is recommended.

Cross Slope
 Is provided in all tangent sections of the roadway.
 Usually falls in both directions from the centerline of the two lane highway except where super
elevation of curves directs all water towards inside.
 Cross Slope in one direction of multi-lane highways makes driving comfortable, but with heavy
rainfall, the water depth increases on the roadway.

Types of Cross Slope

 Paved Shoulder – ranges from 3% to 6% although 4% is the most common.
 Gravel Shoulder – 4% to 6% slope is satisfactory.
 7% Slope – effective drainage for turf (grass) surfaces.

Cut or Fill Slope

 Slope is 1:2 ratios. Meaning 1 represents the horizontal distance and 2 represents the vertical
distance.
 Undisturbed Earth fills remain in place with a ratio of 1:1 while rock cuts could be as steep as
1:2 ratios.

Advantages of Flat Slide or Back Slope

 With back slope of 3:1 or even flatter, cars could be directed back into the road and will come to
stop or continue down the slope with no risk of overturning.
 Flat fill slopes are visible from the vehicles at full extent giving the roadway safer appearance.
 With visible slope for being low and flat, vehicles could be positioned or parked closer to the
edge, and on two lane roadway facilities parking would be farther from the opposing traffic.

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Policies onCEGeometric Design in
411: DESIGNING Cross
THE Slope - WRITTEN REPORT
HIGHWAY
 The 6:1 slope ratio could be adopted on embankment less than 1.20 meters high and 4:1 ratio on
a higher fill.
 The 2:1 slope is allowed to heights greater than 6.00 meters.
 Cut slope should not be steeper than 2:1 ratio except on solid rock or special kind of soil.

Materials Used in Embankments (Depending Upon Natural Conditions)

 Hand placed stones

 Cement rubbles masonry
 Concrete blocks
 Conventional reinforced concrete
 T or counter forted designs
 Cribs assembled from timber
 Precast concrete
 Metal Elements
 Tied Back Piling
 Earth Reinforced with Metal or Plastic Bands

Number of Lanes
 Determined from the estimated traffic volume for the design year and highway lane capacity at
expected level of service.
 AASHTO policies accept a dually 16 lanes roadway with four lanes in each direction on the
outside.

Highway Median
Advantages of Having a Median

 It is an effective means of reducing headlight glares, conflicts, and accident between opposing steams of
traffic.
 The Meridian offers refuge between opposing traffic stream of cross traffic, and pedestrian could
traverse each stream at separate maneuvers.
 Meridian provides available space for left turn lanes.
 It makes turning of vehicles smooth and safe operation.
 Where space and cost permit, wide meridian is highly recommended. For rural sections of freeway, the
18 to 27 meters wide median is being adopted.
 The Policy on Geometric Design states that, 3.60 to 9.00 meters median width is appropriate in suburban
or mountainous situations.
 For rural and urban arterials, 18.00 meters or wider is preferred because it allows the use of independent
profiles and at the same time minimizes cross over accident.
 Medians with 6 to 18 meters wide allow drivers to cross each roadway separately. A 4.20 to 6.60 meters
median width provides protection for turning vehicles.

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  CurvedCEmedian
411: withDESIGNING
1.20 to 1.80 meters
THE width serves as partition
HIGHWAY – separation
- WRITTEN of opposite traffic
REPORT
control devices.
 The width of a traversable median should be wide enough to prevent vehicles running out of control
from reaching the opposite traffic.
 The 15 to 24 meters distance between landed edges is favored, but specific value is not stipulated.
 Cross slope of the median should not be greater than 6.1 but preferably 10.1
 Dense planting of rose hedges serves as safety crash barriers.

Four Means of Reducing Cross Median Accidents:

 Provide deterring devices.

 Provide non-traversable energy absorbing barriers.
 Provide non-traversable rigid barriers.
 Provide G.M. barriers.

Grade Line

RURAL URBAN
WIDTH RESTRICTED NORMAL NORMAL
NUMBER OF NO. OF
FRONTAGE NO. WITH NO.
LANES FRONTAGE
ROAD FRONTAGE FROTAGE FRONTAGE
ROAD
RD. ROAD ROAD
2 60 45 - - -
4 68 53 41 - -
6 75 60 51 89 53
8 83 68 59 96 60
 Defined as the longitudinal profile of the highway as a measure how the centerline of the highway rises
and fall.
 Appears on a profile taken along the road centerline. It is a series of straight lines connected by
parabolic vertical curves to which straight grades are tangent.

Vertical Curve Over Crest

- All vertical curves should not be shorter than the established minimum over crest.
- No vertical curve shorter than 300 meters.
- AASHTO suggested that the minimum curve length varies with the design speed in meters distance
equal to 8 times the velocity in kilometers per hour.
- The rate at which the curve departs vertically from both tangent grade line is proportional to the square
of the horizontal distance from the end of the curve.

Right of Way

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Stopping Sight Distance
CE 411: DESIGNING THE HIGHWAY - WRITTEN REPORT
 Is defined as the longest distance that a driver could see the top of an object 15 centimeters (6”) above
the road surface where the design height of the drivers’ eye above the pavement is 105
centimeters.

Two Elements of Stopping Distance

 The distance traveled after the obstruction or object is seen and before the driver applies the brakes.
 The second distance is consumed while the driver applies brakes for the vehicle to stop.

Passing Sight Distance

 Is the longest distance that a driver can see the top of an oncoming vehicle where the driver’s eye level
is 1.05 meters above the pavement surface.

Road Alignment
 Should be consistent
 Should be provided with tangent because there are drivers who hesitate to pass on curves.
 A short curve appears like kinks.
 A long flat curve is preferred for small changes in direction.

The Circular Curves

 The sharpness of a curve is dependent on its radius.
 Sharpness is expressed in terms of the curve degrees, and the degree of curve is inversely proportional
with the radius.

Policy on Geometric Design:

 For design speed of 50 kilometers per hour, the normal cross slope is 1 degree – 21 degrees or even
flatter curves.
 For a 120 kilometer per hour design speed road, the normal cross slope is 0 degree – 15 degrees or
flatter curves without super elevation.

Super Elevation – Runoff

 The centerline of each individual roadway at profile grade is maintained while rising the outer edge and
lowering the inner edge to attain the desired super elevation. It is done by rising-up the outside edge of
the pavement with relation to the centerline until the cross section is flat. Then, the outer edge is raised
until the cross section is straight. Finally, the entire cross section is rotated as a whole until full super
elevation is reached.
 AASHTO recommended the run off length to vary both with the super elevation rate and design speed
but with minimum set for appearance and comfort to riders.

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Widening CE
of Curves
411: DESIGNING THE HIGHWAY - WRITTEN REPORT
A Provision for a wider roadway is necessary on sharp curve for two lanes pavement under the
following reasons:

 To force the drivers to shy away from the pavement edge.

 To increase the effective transverse vehicle width for non-tracking of front and rear wheels.
 To give additional width due to the slanted position of the front wheel to the roadway centerline.
 For a 7.20 meters wide roadway, an additional width of 30 centimeters is necessary on an open curve
highway.
 AASHTO recommends that the radius of the flatter curve for rural highways should never be more than
50% greater than that of the sharper one.

Island
 Is a defined area between traffic lanes for control of vehicle movement and for pedestrian refuge
 Within an intersection, median is considered an island.
 An island is no single physical type.

Island is included in the design of intersections for the following purposes:

 Separation of vehicular flows.

 Separation of conflicts.
 Reduction in excessive pavement areas.
 Reduction of traffic and indications of proper use of intersections.
 Arrangement to favor a prominent turning movement.
 Location of traffic control devices.

Types Of Interchange

Functions Of Freeway Interchanges:

 To provide separation between two or more traffic arteries.

 To facilitate the easy transfer of vehicles from one entry to the other or between local roadway and
freeway.
 The simplest and low cost form of interchange is the diamond type. It is recommended where the
freeway crosses non-freeway arterial.
 The cloverleaf type interchange is recommended for freeway and arterial intersections.
 Intersecting arteries are separated and free of intersections.

Highway Intersection At Grade

 All highways except freeways have intersections at grade.

 Intersection area is considered part of every connecting road.

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 CE 411: DESIGNING THE HIGHWAY - WRITTEN REPORT
Designing the Highway:

 For right angle intersections with little traffic, the use of street sigh is more than sufficient.
 For Y intersection of other related conformation where vehicles meet at unfavorable angles may
require channelization.
 The flared design will involve the following:
a. Widening the entering traffic lane to allow declaration of the car and clear of through traffic.
b. Widening the leaving lanes to provide acceleration and merging from the traffic streams.
 Intersection must accommodate large trucks and the radius of all curves must be sufficient
enough to accommodate them.

Freeway Entrance and Exit

 The overall effectiveness of the individual freeway systems is governed by the flow characteristics of
vehicles, and the driver’s behavior near on and off the channel.
 Vehicles leaving the freeway need distance to accelerate and clear of the flow of ongoing traffic.
 In case that one lane could not meet the traffic demand, two lane exits is necessary. In that situation, an
auxiliary lane must be added to the freeway at least 800 meters before the point of exit.

Railroad – Highway Separation

 If the highway is to go over the railroad, the structure itself is lighter and the highway load is much
smaller than the railroad loads.
 With regards to vertical clearance height, the railroad requires minimum of 7.00 meters as against 4.80
meters clear distance above the highway.

Bicycle Lane
 Requires separate road for the riders that is entirely separate from the vehicular traffic.
 The design speed is 20 to 30 kilometers per hour for flat section. The width is 2.00 meters minimum for
a 2-way travel. The grade of the lane is 5% maximum on short distance.

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