HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

WEEK 7 – Solutions
 Designing a Curve to Pass Through a Fixed Point
EXERCISE 1:
Design a equal-tangent vertical curve to meet a railroad crossing
which exists at STA 5+350.00 and elevation 1271.20m. The back
grade of -4% meets the forward grade of +3.8% at PVI STA 5+200.00
with elevation 1261.50.

L/2+150
PVC
R.R= 5+350.00 PVT
Elev. 1271.20

PVI = 5+200.00
Elev. 1261.50
Solution Exercise 1:
Solve and get L = 911.52 meters & 98.73 meters
EXERCISE 2:
An existing vertical curve on a highway joins a +4 percent
grade with a -4 percent grade. If the length of the curve is
100 m, what is the maximum safe speed on the curve.
Assume f = 0.4 and PRT = 2.5 sec. Also S < L

Assume h = 1.1m
1

h = 0.6m
2
Solution Exercise 2:
First determine the safe Stopping Sight Distance “S” (SSD) using the length of the curve.

𝐴𝑆 2 8 ∗ 𝑆2
𝐿= 100 =
200( ℎ1 + ℎ2 )2 200( 1.1 + 0.6)2

𝑆 = 91.17 𝑚

Now determine the maximum safe speed for this SSD.

𝑣2 𝑣2
𝑆 = 𝑑𝑠 = 0.278𝑡𝑟 𝑣 + 91.17 = 0.278 ∗ 2.5 ∗ 𝑣 +
254(𝑓 ± 𝐺) 254(0.4 − 0.04)

91.17 = 0.69𝑣 + 0.010936𝑣 2

𝑣 2 + 63.5𝑣 − 8332 = 0
𝑣 ≈ 65 𝑘𝑝ℎ
EXERCISE 3:
A crest vertical curve joining a +4 percent and -3 percent grade
is designed for 120 km/hr. If the tangents intersect at metric
station 20 + 050.00 and at an elevation of 150 meters,
determine the stations and elevations for the PVC and PVT.

Assume h1 = 1.1, h2 = 0.15m

f = 0.28
 Solution
Exercise 3:
EXERCISE 4:
For a horizontal curve on a two lane (3.6 m per lane) road with
a radius of 500 m to the centerline, what is the distance of the
line of sight when an obstruction is located 10 m from the
centerline of the road? Assume the grade of the road is level
Solution Exercise 4:
 3.6
m  Robj (1  cos )  m  10   8.2
2 2
  8.2
8.2  (500  1.8)(1  cos )  cos  1 
2 2 500  1.8

 10.41
2

L  2 Robj sin  2 * 498.2 sin(10.41)
2
L  180m