Highway Design and

Traffic Safety
GEOMETRIC DESIGN
OF HIGHWAY
 Introduction
* Design of Highway necessitates specific design elements :
- Number of Lanes
- Lane width
- Median type and width
- Length for acceleration and deceleration for on and off ramps
- Need for truck climbing lanes for roadways with steep grades
- Curve radii requires for vehicle turning
- Roadway alignment to provide adequate stopping and passing sight
distance
*Many of these design elements are influenced by the performance
characteristics of vehicles.

Factors that affect the design process :

- Vehicle performance
- Physical dimensions

*When one considers the diversity of vehicles, in terms of performance and

physical dimensions, and the interaction of these characteristics with the many
elements comprising the design of a roadway, it is clear that proper highway
design is a complex procedure that requires numerous compromises
 Principles of Highway Alignment
* The alignment of a highway is a three-dimensional problem measured in x, y,
and z dimensions.

Highway Alignment in three dimension

 Principles of Highway Alignment
* Elements of surveying are converted from 3-D problems into 2-D problems.

Horizontal Alignment
- Plan view ; x and z coordinates
- aerial photo of the highway

Vertical Alignment
- Profile view ;
- gives the elevation of all points measured along the length of the highway
Principles of Highway Alignment

Plan and Profile

View
 Principles of Highway Alignment
* Aside from considering the alignment problem as two two-dimensional
problems, one further simplification made. Instead of using x nd z coordinates,
highway positioning and length are defined as the distance along the highway
from the specified point.
- usualy measured along the centerline of the highway, on a horizontal
constant elevation plane
* Instead, distance is measured in terms of stations, with each station consisting
of 1000 m of highway alignment distance.
0 + 000.000 1 station = 1000 m, then
2258.50 m

2 + 258.500

i..e., 2 stations and 258.500 m

Not to scale

* This stationing concept, when combined with the highway's alignment

direction given in the plan view (horizontal alignment) and the elevation
corresponding to stations given in the profile view (vertical alignment), gives a
unique identification of all highway points in a manner that is virtually
equivalent to using true x, y, and z coordiantes.
 Vertical Alignment
* Specifies the elevation of points along a roadway
* The elevation of a road has to be determined for:
- Drivers Safety
- Drivers Comfort
- Proper Drainage
* A primary concern in vertical alignement is establishing the transition of
roadway elevations between two grades. (VERTICAL CURVE)

Classification of vertical curve :

- Crest Curves

- Sag Curves
 Vertical Alignment
G1 = initial roadway grade in percent or m/m ; this grade is also referred to as
the initial tangent grade
G2 = final roadway (tangent) grade in percent or m/m
A = absolute value of the difference in grades, inital minus final, usually
expressed in percent
PVC = Point of Vertical Curve; initial point of the curve
PVI = Point of Vertical Intersection; intersection of initial and final grades
PVT = Point of Vertical Tangent; final point of the vertical curve, the point
where the curve returns to the final grade or, equivalently, the final tangent
L = Length of the curve in stations measured in a constant - elevation in a
horizontal plane

Equal Tangent Vertical Curves

- half of the curve length is positioned before the PVI and half after.
 Vertical Curve Fundamentals
* In connecting roadway grades (tangents) with an appropriate vertical curve,
a mathematical relationship defining roadway elevations at all points along
the verticall curve is needed.
* A parabolic function is the best fit for this scenario since it provides a
constant rate of change of slope and implies equal curve tangents
2
y  ax  bx  c Eq 1

y = roadway elevation at distance x from the beginning of the vertical curve

(the PVC) in stations or m
x = distance from the beginning of the vertical curve in stations or m
c = elevation of the PVC (because x = 0 corresponds to the PVC) in m
 Vertical Curve Fundamentals
In defining a and b, note
that the first derivative of
Eq 1 (parabolic equation)
gives the slope and is
dy
 2 ax  b Eq 2
dx
However, the average rate of change
At PVC, x = 0, so using Eq 2,
of slope, by observation of Figure, can
dy also be written as
b   G1 Eq 3
dx d 2 y G 2  G1
2
 Eq 5
G1 = initial grade in m/m dx L
Also note that the second Equating Eqs 4 and 5 gives
derivative of Eq. 1 is the rate of
change of slope and is G 2  G1 Eq 6
a
d2y Eq 4
2L
2
 2a
dx L = curve length in meters
G2 = final grade in m/m
Example 1:
A 200 m equal tangent sag vertical curve has the PVC at station 3+700.000 and
elevation 321 m. The initial grade is -3.5% and the final grade is 0.5%.
Determine the elevation and stationing of the PVI, PVT and lowest point on
the curve.
*The lowest point on the vertical curve will occur when the first derivative of the
parabolic function is ZERO because the initial and final grades are opposite sign.
*When initial and final grades are not opposite in sign, the low (or high) point on the
curve WILL NEVER BE ZERO.
*For example, a sag curve with an initial grade of -2.0 percent and a final grade of 1.0
percent will have its lowest elevation at the PVT, and the first derivaative of parabolic
equation will not be zero at any point along the curve.
Curve-through-a-point problem
- the curve must be designed so that the elevation of a specific location is met.
- An example might be to have the roadway connect with another (at the same
elevation), or to have the roadway at some specified elevation pass another
roadway
Example 2:
An equal tangent vertical curve is to be constructed between grades of -2.0%
(initial) and 1.0% (final). The PVI is at station 11 + 000.000 and at elevation 420
m. Due to a street crossing the roadway, the elevation of the roadway at
station 11 + 071.000 must be at 421.5 m. Design the curve.
 Vertical Curve Fundamentals
Additional properties of vertical curves:
1. Offset
- vertical distances from the initial tangent to the curve

Offsets for equal tangent vertical curves

Y = offset at any distance x from the PVC
Ym = midcurve offset
Yf = offset at the end of the vertical curve
 Vertical Curve Fundamentals
Fr o m t h e pr o pe r t i e s o f a n e q u a l A = absolute value of the difference in
tangent parabola, grades (/G1 - G2/) expressed in %
A AL
Y x2 Eq 7 Ym 
200 L 800 Eq 8
AL
Y f  Eq 9
200

2. K - value
- The horizontal distance required to - used directly to compute the high /
change the slope by 1% low points for crest/sag vertical
curves
L
K  Eq 10
A Eq 11
x hl  K  G 1
- simplifies the computation of the
high and low points of crest and X h l = distancce from the PV to the
sag vertical curves high/low point in m
Example 3:
A vertical curve crosses a 1-m diameter pipe at right angles. The pipe is
located at station 11+025.000 and its centerline is at elevation 1091.60 m. The
PVI of the vertical curve is at station 11+000.000 and elevation 1095.20 m. The
vertical curve is equal tangent, 150 m long, and connects an initial grade of
+1.20% and a final grade of -1.08%. Using offsets, determine the depth, below
the surface of the curve, to the top of the pipe, and determine the station of
the highest point on the curve.