CIVL 4530: Geometric Design

Unit 6: Horizontal Alignment - Superelevation

Horizontal Alignment: Superelevation

Objectives:
–Identify factors that influence superelevation
–Determine criteria for design of the superelevation
transition
–Design superelevation transition and determine
critical stations

Superelevation Transition

• Superelevation / Attainment of superelevation / Transition to

superelevation:

Length of highway required to transition from normal crown

to full superelevation

• Length of runoff is a function of:

– Design Speed
– Rate of Superelevation
– Pavement Width
– Number of Lanes

CIVL 4530 – Fall 2020
Unit 6: Superelevation 1
 Superelevation Transition

• After a horizontal curve has been designed

(radius and rate of superelevation determined)

• The next question is…

How do we transition from normal crown section to

full superelevation?

 Calculate the superelevation transition length (STL)

Superelevation Transition

CIVL 4530 – Fall 2020
Unit 6: Superelevation 2
 Superelevation Transition:
ALDOT Terminology
• Terminology depends on each state & agency
– Superelevation runoff
– Tangent runout

ALDOT
Superelevation runoff
Tangent runoff
Superelevation Transition Length (STL)

Superelevation Transition:
VDOT Terminology
• Terminology depends on each state & agency

VDOT - The entire superelevation transition length is broken

into:

Tangent runout: Length from end normal crown to zero crown (or
crown remove) [when the outside lane is level]

Superelevation runoff: Length from zero crown condition to full

superelevation

Superelevation Transition: Terminology

• Terminology depends on each state & agency

Tangent runout:
portion of the total transition from the beginning of
cross-slope rotation in the outside lane (away from
normal crown condition) to the station at which level
cross-slope (“zero crown” or “crown remove”)
occurs in the outside lane

CIVL 4530 – Fall 2020
Unit 6: Superelevation 3
 Superelevation Transition: Terminology

• Terminology depends on each state & agency

Superelevation runoff: portion of the total transition

from the station at which level cross-slope occurs in
the outside lane to the station at which the full
superelevation rate is achieved

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Placement of the Transition

• Some of the rotation into full superelevation should occur on

the tangent and some on the curve itself

• AASHTO (Green Book) recommends placing the PC at

between 60% and 80% of the transition length

ALDOT: 80/20 split (of the entire STL)

Many states, including Virginia, use 2:1 (66.7%/33.3%) split
VDOT: this split is of the superelevation runoff portion only, not the
entire STL

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Superelevation Diagram
(Profile View)

Tangent Superelevation
runout runoff
Source:
ALDOT Standard Drawings
2019 Edition
SSEC-1 (Sheet 3 of 14)

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CIVL 4530 – Fall 2020
Unit 6: Superelevation 4
 Superelevation Diagram
(Section View)

Source: ALDOT Standard Drawings 2019 Edition SSEC-1 (Sheet 1 of 14)

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Superelevation Diagram

Source:
VDOT Road and
Bridge Standards
2016 Edition
Page 803.06

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Definition of STL

• Superelevation transition length (STL):

The length of roadway over which the cross-slope is rotated from
normal crown (NC) to full superelevation (which is the calculated value
of e for the curve)

• What should STL be a function of?

– Number of lanes
– Pavement width
– Design speed
– Rate of superelevation (e)
– Relative gradient (related to design speed)
– Gradient adjustment (related to number of lanes)

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CIVL 4530 – Fall 2020
Unit 6: Superelevation 5
 Horizontal curve design (cont.):
Radius and superelevation: ALDOT current practice

Source:
ALDOT Standard
Drawing SSEC-1
(2014)

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Horizontal curve design: ALDOT

Relative gradient and gradient adjustment

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Superelevation transition:
ALDOT procedure for undivided highways
Determine STL (length)

Determine stations at:

– Beginning of transition [end of normal crown (NC) section]
– Station at which the outside lane is level [zero crown (ZC)]
– Station at which the entire width reaches a uniform cross-slope
[reverse crown (RC)]
– End of transition (beginning of full super)

Use ALDOT special drawing SSEC-1

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CIVL 4530 – Fall 2020
Unit 6: Superelevation 6
 ALDOT procedure for undivided highways:
Determination of STL
1. Collect input information
– Number of lanes
– Pavement width
– Design speed
– Rate of superelevation (e)

2. Calculate the pavement gradient, g

(acceptable rate of cross-slope change for a specified design
speed and number of lanes)

g=dxf Find d and f from tables ALDOT SSEC-1

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ALDOT Procedure for Undivided Highways:

Determination of STL
3. Calculate the total change in the elevation of the outer
edge of pavement (with respect to the centerline), z

z = w x n x (e + 0.02)

Where: w = lane width

n = number of lanes to be rotated
e + 0.02 = total change in cross-slope from Normal
crown to full super (if normal cross-slope is 2%)

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ALDOT Procedure for Undivided Highways:

Determination of STL
4. Calculate STL
STL = z x g

STL is simply the product of:

z = The change in the elevation of the outer edge of pavement

(with respect to the centerline)

g = The acceptable rate of cross-slope change for a specified

design speed and number of lanes

** Round the calculated value up to the next 10 ft multiple**

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CIVL 4530 – Fall 2020
Unit 6: Superelevation 7
 Superelevation transition:
Determination of critical stations

• Determine stations at:

– Beginning of transition (end of NC section)
– Station at which the outside lane reaches a level
condition “zero crown (ZC)” or crown removed
(CR)”
– Station of reverse crown (RC)
– End of transition (beginning of full super)

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ALDOT Procedure for Undivided Highways:

Determination of Critical Stations
• Find station at beginning of transition (end NC)
– Remember the 80:20 split!
– Multiply STL by 0.80 and subtract from PC

• Find station of zero crown (ZC) [on outside lane]

– Multiply STL by the ratio of the change in cross-slope from NC to ZC
(typically 0.02, from -0.02 to 0) to the total change from NC to e
(typically 0.02 + e)
– Add this product to the station at end NC

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ALDOT Procedure For Undivided Highways:

Determination of Critical Stations
• Find station of reverse crown (RC)
– Multiply STL by the ratio of the change in cross-slope from NC to RC
(typically 0.04, from -0.02 to +0.02) to the total change from NC to e
(typically 0.02 + e)
– Add this product to the station at end NC

• Find station at end of transition

– Add STL to the station at end NC
– Should be the same as multiplying STL by 0.20 and adding to the PC

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CIVL 4530 – Fall 2020
Unit 6: Superelevation 8
 Superelevation transition:
Determination of critical stations

Formulas to determine critical stations:

• Station of beginning of transition (end normal crown)
= Sta PC – 0.80 STL
• Station of zero crown (or crown removed)
= Sta Begin STL + (STL)[(NCS)/(NCS+e)]
• Station of reverse crown
= Sta Begin STL + (STL)[(2)(NCS)/(NCS+e)]
• Station at end of transition (begin full super)
= Sta Begin STL + STL

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Superelevation on Low-Speed Subdivision Streets

• Streets that are intended for low speed residential traffic

(e.g., streets in subdivisions that would be posted at 25 mph)
typically do not have horizontal curves superelevated

– Normal crown section is carried through such curves

– Such streets would typically be functionally classified as urban local
streets
– This is often addressed in design standards of cities, counties, or states
that have responsibility for county roads

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CIVL 4530 – Fall 2020
Unit 6: Superelevation 9