Highway Capacity and Performance

Transportation and Highways Engineering Department/Fourth Stage

Second Course / Highway Capacity Analysis / Lecture Three + Four
 Multilane Highway LOS
It is the main road, which connects two or more destinations. This highway has at
least more than one lane for the separate use of traffic flow in both the directions.
It also has limited access to merging vehicles, has periodical pauses to streamline
traffic at signalized intersections with interval not closer than 3.0 km.
They are normally situated outside urban areas leading to important towns or
through rural centers with heavy demand. This will connect primary business
centers, from where the travelers make a considerable number of everyday journey.

Multilane highways commonly require posted speed limits to be between 60 miles/h

and 80 miles/h. They usually have six lanes, with physical medians separating the
three lanes of opposite directions of traffic. The same direction traffic lanes will be
undivided. The traffic capacity usually varies from 15,000 to 40,000 vehicles per
day.
A multilane highway contributes to economic development and brings important
social benefits. Providing employment opportunities and access to communal, health
and education services makes a road network important in fighting against poverty.

Free flow speed is an average speed of vehicles on a given segment it is measured

under low-volume circumstances. Flow capacity is one of the important parameters
in multi lane highway and a quantitative representation of ability to handle traffic.
Provided level of service will give a qualitative representation about the condition of
traffic situation.
Find Level of Service
Intended for analysis of uninterrupted-flow
highway segments
Signal spacing > 2.0 miles
No on-street parking
No significant bus stops
No significant pedestrian activities
Chapter 21 of the Highway Capacity Manual
For rural and suburban multilane highways
https://sjnavarro.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/highway_capacital_manual.pdf

Assumptions (Ideal Conditions, all other conditions

reduce capacity):
- Only passenger cars
- No direct access points
- A divided highway
- FFS > 60 mph
- Represents highest level of multilane rural and suburban
highways
Lane Width
 Base Conditions: 12 foot lanes
Lateral Clearance
 Distance to fixed objects
 Assumes
- More or equal 6 feet from right edge of travel lanes to
obstruction
- More or equal 6 feet from left edge of travel lane to
object in median
TLC = LCR + LCL
TLC = total lateral clearance in feet
LCR = lateral clearance from right edge of travel lane
LCL= lateral clearance from left edge of travel lane
- fm: Accounts for friction between opposing directions
of traffic in adjacent lanes for undivided

- No adjustment for divided, fM =1

Fa accounts for interruption due to access points along
the facility
Estimate Free flow Speed

 BFFS = free flow speed under ideal conditions = 60 mph

 FFS = free flow adjusted for actual conditions fLW, fLC, fM, and fA, for divided multilane
highway

10-foot lane width: fLw = 6.6 mph

lateral clearance adjustment for a 4-lane divided highway with milepost markers located 4
feet to the right of the travel lane.
TLC = LCR + LCL = 6 + 4 = 10: flc = 0.4 mph

No adjustment for divided, fM = 1

There are 20 access points per mile: fA = 5.0 mph

FFS = 60 mph – 6.6 mph - 0.4 mph – 0 – 5.0 mph = 48 mph ( reduction of 12 mph)