BITS Pilani

Hyderabad Campus

Geometric Design
IRC:73-1980
CLASSIFICATION OF NON-URBAN ROADS

• Expressways

• National Highways (NH)

• State Highways (SH)

• Major District Roads (MDR)

• Other District Roads (ODR)

• Village Roads (VR)

 TERRAIN CLASSIFICATION

Terrain Classification Cross Slope of the Country

Plain 0 – 10 percent < 1 in 10

Rolling 10 – 25 percent 1 in 10 to 1 in 4

Mountainous 25 – 60 percent 1 in 4 to 1 in 1.67

Steep > 60 percent > 1 in 1.67

 Rural Roads Urban Roads

 Expressways
 Principal Arterials
PRIMARY  National Highways
 Sub Arterials
 State Highways

 Distributors
SECONDARY  Major District Roads
 Collector Streets

 Other District Roads

TERTIARY  Local Streets
 Village Roads
SUGGESTED DESIGN SPEEDS FOR INDIAN TRAFFIC

Type of Highway Plain Rolling Mountainous Steep

Expressways 120 100 80 80

National and State Highways 100 80 50 40

Major District Roads 80 65 40 30

Other District Roads 65 50 30 25

Village Roads 50 40 25 25
 DESIGN SPEED FOR URBAN ROADS

Type of Road Design Speed, Kmph

Arterial 80

Sub arterial 60

Collector Street 50

Local Street 30
 RECOMMENDED CAMBER

Range of Camber
Type of the Road Surface Heavy
Low Rainfall
Rainfall
CC Roads of High Type of BT 2.0% 1.7%
Thin BT Surfaces 2.5% 2.0%
WBM/WMM/Gravel 3.0% 2.5%
Earthen Roads 3.5% 3.0%
Width of Carriageway

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Width of Formation

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 Overall width between Control Lines

Overall width between Building Lines

Set Set
Back
Road land width Back
Road way

Carriageway
HIGHWAY ELEMENTS

• MEDIANS, TRAFFIC SEPERATORS

• SIGHT DISTANCES

•HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL ALIGNMENT

• INTERSECTION
PAVEMENT SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS

LIGHT REFLECTING CHARACTERISTICS

• White surface - Day Glare and Night Visibility

• Dark / Black Surface - No glare during day &

Poor Visibility during night

DRAINAGE OF SURFACE AREA

• Most Important and Neglected area too

 Right of Way width in meters

Class of the Road vs Right of Plain and Rolling Terrain Mountainous and Steep
way details Terrain
Rural Areas Urban Rural Urban
Areas Areas Areas
National and State Highways 45 30 24 20

Major District Roads 25 20 18 15

Other District Roads 15 15 15 12

Village Roads 12 10 9 9
MEDIANS AND TRAFFIC SEPARATORS
Stopping Site Distance (SSD)

SSD = Lag distance + Braking distance

v = Design speed (m/s)

t = Reaction time of driver (s) (2.5 seconds as per IRC guidelines)
f = Design longitudinal friction coefficient
g = Acceleration due to gravity = 9.8 m/s2
n = Gradient of road (%) (+ for ascending and – for descending)

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 STOPPING SIGHT DISTANCE

Lag Distance Braking Distance

Distance Travelled during Distance Travelled after

Reaction Time application of brakes
Recommended longitudinal friction coefficient for providing SSD

Recommended Stopping Sight Distance for different speeds

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Horizontal Alignment

Super elevation (e)

e= Rate of super elevation

ft= Design value of lateral friction coefficient (0.15 as per IRC)
v = Design speed vehicle (m/s)
R = Radius of the horizontal curve (m)
g = Acceleration due to gravity = 9.8 m/s2

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Maximum Super elevation

In order to account for mixed traffic conditions in India, IRC has

defined the maximum limit of super elevation (emax)

Recommended maximum limit of super elevation

7 % - Plain and rolling terrains and in snow bound areas
10 % - Hill roads not bound by snow
4 % - Urban road stretches with frequent intersections

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Recommended radii beyond which super
elevation is not required

2600

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

METHODS OF ATTAINING SUPERELEVETION

II. Rotation of the pavement cross section to attain full super elevation

Rotating the pavement about the center line :

The pavement is rotated such that the inner edge is depressed and the outer edge is
raised both by half the total amount of super elevation, i.e., by E/2 with respect to
the center.

Rotation about the inner edge:

Here the pavement is rotated raising the outer edge as well as the center such that
the outer edge is raised by the full amount of super elevation with respect to the
inner edge.
Design of Super elevation
(as per IRC guidelines)
The super elevation is calculated for 75% of design speed neglecting
the friction

If the calculated value of e is less tha the specified axi u

limit of super elevation (emax) the value so obtained is considered
as design value of super elevation.

If the calculated value of e exceeds emax then emax is considered as

design value of Super elevation and developed lateral friction
coefficient is verified at the full value of design speed.

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Design of Super elevation
(as per IRC guidelines)

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Extra Widening

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

EXTRA WIDENING ON CURVES
OFF TRACKING PROCESS

Mechanical Widening plus Psychological

Widening
ATTAINING EXTRA WIDENING ON CURVES
ATTAINING EXTRA WIDENING ON SHARP CURVES
Recommended Extra Width of pavement
at horizontal curves

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

TRANSITION CURVES
• To introduce the centrifugal force between the
tangent point and beginning of the circular curve
Gradually
• To enable the driver turn the steering gradually for
his own comfort
• To Enable the gradual introduction of design super
elevation
• To Enable the gradual introduction Extra Widening
of the Curve
• To improve the aesthetics of the road
 Extra Widening
A Transition curve

Circular Curve

B B
Normal section

Transition Curve

Section with
Super elevation
Straight Portion
CONCEPT OF SHIFT IN A TRANSITION CURVE
TYPES OF TRANSITION CURVES
VERTICAL ALIGNMENT

• GRADIENTS
• SUMMIT CURVES
• VALLEY CURVES
TYPES OF GRADIENTS

RULING GRADIENT
LIMITING GRADIENT
EXCEPTIONAL GRADIENT
MINIMUM GRADIENT
Vertical Alignment

Gradients for roads in different terrains

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Length of Summit Curve (L)

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Length of Valley Curve

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 BITS Pilani
Hyderabad Campus

Thank You