Chapter 8

Freeways

We will look at application of geometric design criteria

regarding facilities functionally classified as freeways.

Freeways are arterial highways with full control of access;

preference is given to through traffic by providing access
connections with selected public roads only and by prohibiting
at-grade crossings and direct private driveway connections.

Freeways are intended to provide for high levels of safety and

efficiency in the movement of large volumes of traffic at high
speeds.

Essential freeway elements include:

• Medians

• Grade-separations at crossroads

• Ramps

• In some cases, Frontage Roads

pg. 1
General Design Considerations

Design Speed

Design speed should be consistent with the anticipated operating

speed of the freeway during both peak and non-peak hours, but
the design speed should not be so high as to exceed the limits of
prudent construction, right-of-way, or socioeconomic costs.

Design speeds for a freeway should not be less than 50 mph. Mobility

• On urban freeways, a design speed of 60 mph or higher can

be provided with little additional cost.

• If freeway corridor is relatively straight, a higher speed (70

mph) can be used

• On rural freeways, a design speed of 70 mph should be

used

• In mountainous terrain, a design speed of 50 to 60 mph

may be used to be consistent with driver expectancy

pg. 2
Design Traffic Volumes

Both urban and rural freeways should be designed to

accommodate traffic projections 20 years into the future,
particularly for new construction.

Reconstructed freeways may base their design on less than 20

years in the future

Levels of Service

Designers should strive to provide the highest level of service

practical and consistent with anticipated conditions.

Freeways, including ramps, mainline weaving sections, and

collector-distributor roads, should generally be designed for
LOS C. In heavily developed sections (urban areas), LOS D may
be appropriate. In rural areas, LOS B is desirable for through
lanes, and LOS C may be acceptable.

Traveled Way and Shoulders

Freeways should have a minimum of two through traffic lanes

for EACH direction of travel.

Through traffic lanes should be 12 feet wide. Pavement cross

slopes should range between 1.5 and 2 percent on tangent
sections. In areas of HEAVY rainfall, pavement cross slope of
2.5 percent may be needed to provide adequate drainage

pg. 3
On elevated freeways (on structure), two-lane pavements
typically are sloped to drain the full roadway width toward one
side of the freeway. On facilities with wider than two lanes in
each direction, the pavement crown may be located on the lane
line at one-third or one-half the total width from one edge

On four-lane freeways, the median (left) shoulder is normally 4

to 8 feet wide, with a minimum 4 feet paved and the remaining
shoulder width stabilized. The right shoulder should have a
minimum paved width of 10 feet; where the DDHV for truck
traffic exceeds 250 veh/h, a paved shoulder of 12 feet should be
considered.

One six-lane or larger freeways, the median (left) shoulder

should match the right shoulder with a minimum paved shoulder
width of 10 feet; where the DDHV for truck traffic exceeds
250 veh/h, a paved shoulder of 12 feet should be considered.

Shoulder cross slopes should range between 2 and 6 percent on

tangent sections.

pg. 4
Medians

Median width is defined as the dimension between edges of

traveled way for the roadways in opposing directions of travel.
Median widths include the shoulder widths.

• Rural freeways – Common median widths are 50 to 100

feet. Refer to Figure 8-2 for typical rural medians.
• Urban freeways – Minimum median widths for four-lane
urban freeways should be 10 feet, which provides for two
4-foot shoulders and a 2-foot median barrier. For urban
freeways of six or more lanes, minimum median widths
should be 22 feet, and preferably 26 feet when DDHV for
truck traffic exceeds 250 veh/h.

Median crossovers for emergency or maintenance purposes

are generally not warranted on urban freeways due to close
spacing of interchange facilities.

Curbs

The use of curbs are not preferred on freeways. In very limited

situations where curbs must be used (to control drainage or
reduce erosion), they should be set no closer to the edge of
traveled way than the outer edge of paved shoulder and should
be easily traversable.
Curbs can cause
vaulting at high speeds

pg. 5
Superelevation

A superelevation rate compatible with the design speed should

be used. Superelevation should not exceed 12%. Where snow
and ice conditions are a factor, the superelevation rate should
not exceed 8%. On viaducts, maximum superelevation rate
should not exceed 8%.

Grades

Maximum grades for freeways are shown in Table 8-1. Steeper

grades may be provided in urban areas, the closer spacing of
interchange facilities and the need for frequent speed changes
make it desirable to use flat grades where practical. Investigation
of climbing lanes should be done on sustained upgrades, as
discussed in Section 3.4.3.

Structures

Design of bridges, culverts, walls, tunnel, and other structures

should be in accordance with current AASHTO Specifications

Minimum design loading for bridges on freeways should be the

HL-93 design vehicle live loads.

Clear width on bridges carrying freeway traffic should be as

wide as the approach roadway.

pg. 6
Vertical Clearance

Clearance at underpasses should be at least 16 feet over the

entire roadway width, including auxiliary lanes and shoulders,
with considerations for future resurfacing. In highly developed
urban areas, attainment of 16 feet vertical clearance may be
unreasonably costly; 14 feet vertical clearance may be used if
there is an alternative freeway facility with a minimum 16 feet
vertical clearance provided.

Sign trusses and pedestrian overpasses should have minimum 17

feet vertical clearance over freeways. In urban areas where less
than 16 feet vertical clearance is provided, the vertical clearance
to sign trusses should be 1 foot more than the minimum vertical
clearance for other structures.

pg. 7
Roadway Design

Urban freeways at ground level and rural freeways should have

clear zone widths consistent with their operating speed, traffic
volume, and side slopes. Refer to Section 4.6 “Roadside Design”
and AASHTO Roadside Design Guide for detailed discussions
of clear zones and lateral offsets.

Elevated freeways on embankment generally utilize roadside

barriers where slopes are steeper than 3:1 or where something
beyond the toe of slope within the clear zone is not traversable.

If retaining walls are necessary, they should be located no closer

to the roadway than the outer edge of the shoulder, and a
concrete barrier safety shape should be used along the face of
the wall or on topo of the wall adjacent to the shoulder.

pg. 8