GEOMETRIC

DESIGN OF
HIGHWAYS
ENGR. PAOLO T. MANUEL
02 OCTOBER 2021
 Session Objectives
At the end of the session, the students will be able to:
• Determine the functional classification of Philippine highways;
• Identify the elements of geometric highway design;
• Identify the various types of sight distance; and
• Calculate the minimum sight distance based on different assumptions.

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Highway
is a main road, especially one connecting major towns or cities

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 Highway Classification
2-lane Highways
Functional classification groups highways According to Number of
4-Lane Undivided Highways
Lanes
by the character of service they provide and
Divided Highways
is primarily based on motor vehicle travel
National Roads
characteristics and the degree of access to
adjacent properties. Provincial Roads

City Roads

Functional Classification According to system Municipal Roads

Barangay Roads

Tourism Road

Farm to Market Road

Expressways
According to primary function
Parkways

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 Highway Classification
According to Number of Lanes
2-Lane Highways 4-Lane Undivided Highways Divided Highways

Lane widths = 3.00 m to 3.65 m

Lane widths = 3.00 m to 3.65 m
Efficient lane width = 3.35 m
Efficient lane width = 3.35 m
Shoulder width = 1.20 to 3.00 m
Shoulder width = 1.20 to 3.00 m
Median = 1.20 to 1.80 m / 4.50 to
Speed limit = 60 kph
18.50 m
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Highway Classification
According to System
Width of
Classification RROW Grade
lane
National Road 20.00 m 6.70 m 6.0 %
Provincial
15.00 m 6.10 m 6.0 %
Road
City Road 15.00 m 6.10 m 6.0 %
Municipal Road 15.00 m 6.10 m 6.0 %
Barangay
10.00 m 4.00 m 10.0 %
Road

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 Highway Classification
According to Primary Function
Expressways Parkways

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 Road Hierarchy
Primary Arterials
• Expressways
• National Roads
Secondary Arterials
• National Roads
• Provincial Roads
Collector Roads
• Municipality Roads
• City Roads
Local Roads
• Barangay Roads
Pedestrian Areas/Routes
• Parkways PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA
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 Geometric Design of Highways
Geometric design of highways deals with the dimensions and layout of visible features of
the highway such as horizontal and vertical alignments, sight distances, and intersections.
The following are the basic considerations when designing the geometry of a highway:
• Environment – minimum effect to the environment
• Safety – provided with necessary roadside treatment and road safety control devices
• Construction methodology – as simple as possible from the standpoint of the builder
• Maintenance – least and reasonable cost
• Motorists’ convenience – suitable to traffic volume and safe for driving
• Minimum hazard – must avoid surprise changes in alignment, grade line, and sight
distance
• Aesthetics – pleasing to the users and to those who live along it
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 Geometric Design of Highways
Geometric design of highways deals with the following elements:
Horizontal Alignment

Cross-section

Sight Distance Intersection Vertical Alignment

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Sight Distance
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 Sight Distance
This is the distance at which a driver of a vehicle can see an object ahead of time.
Adequate sight distances should be available along the full length of a road for
vehicles to be able to stop or overtake safely. Listed below are the types of sight
distance:
• Stopping sight distance – is the available distance on a roadway to enable a
vehicle travelling at the design speed to stop before reaching a stationary object
• Passing sight distance – is the shortest distance required for a vehicle to safely pull
out of a traffic lane, pass a vehicle travelling in the same direction, and return to the
correct lane without interfering either with the overtaken vehicle or opposing traffic
• Decision sight distance – is the distance required for a driver to initiate and
complete safely and efficiently the maneuver of an unexpected or otherwise difficult-
to-perceive information source or hazard.
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 Stopping Sight Distance
Brake Reaction Time
• This is the amount of time that elapses
between the recognition of an object or
hazard in the roadway and the application
of the brakes.
• Extensive research has shown that 90% of
the driving population can react in 2.5
seconds or less.
• To get the brake reaction distance can be
computed by:
Brake Reaction Distance (BRD) = Vt
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 Stopping Sight Distance
Braking Distance
• This is the distance that a vehicle travels
while slowing to a complete stop.
• There are three (3) factors that affects the
braking distance:
✓Slope/grade of the roadway
✓Frictional resistance
✓Initial velocity
• The general equation for calculating the
distance of a moving body is:
𝑽𝟐𝒇 = 𝑽𝟐𝒊 + 𝟐𝒂𝒅
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 Stopping Sight Distance
Braking Distance
Velocity Grade of the road and frictional resistance
𝑉𝑓2 = 𝑉𝑖2 + 2𝑎𝑑 • Acceleration due to friction can be calculated by
When we calculate the multiplying the coefficient of friction by the
braking distance, we assume acceleration due to gravity.
that the final velocity will be • Acceleration due to gravity multiplied by the grade
zero. by the grade of the road will give us an estimate of
0 = 𝑉𝑖2 + 2𝑎𝑑 the acceleration caused by the slope
𝑽𝟐𝒊 • The combined formula for braking distance will be:
𝒅=−
𝟐𝒂 𝑽𝟐𝒊
𝒅=
𝟐𝒈(𝒇 + 𝑮)
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 Stopping Sight Distance
Coefficient of Friction and Stopping Sight Distance
Design Speed
120 100 80 60 50 40 30 20
(kph)
Running Speed
102 85 68 54 45 36 30 20
(kph)
% of v 85 85 85 90 90 90 100 100
f-value 0.29 0.30 0.31 0.33 0.38 0.38 0.44 0.44
SSD (m) 210 160 110 75 55 40 30 20
[DPWH Manual] [250] [185] [130] [85] [65] [50] [35] [20]

Hence, the general equation for computing the overall stopping distance will be:
𝑽𝟐
𝑺𝑺𝑫 = 𝑽𝒕 +
𝟐𝒈(𝒇 ± 𝑮)
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 Stopping Sight Distance
Example
An alert driver, with a reaction time of 1.2 seconds, is driving downhill on a grade of
3.5% at 60 kph. It is a sunny day and the pavement condition during that time was dry
(f=0.7) when suddenly a child steps from behind a parked vehicle in the path of the
driver, at a distance of 40 m.
(a) Can the driver stop in time?
(b) Can the driver stop in time on a rainy day (f=0.4)?

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 Stopping Sight Distance
Solution
Reaction time = 1.2 secs, G = 3.5%, V = 60 kph, f=0.7
1000 2
1000 60
3600
𝑆𝑆𝐷 = 60 1.2 +
3600 2 9.81 0.7 + 3.5%
277.78
𝑆𝑆𝐷 = 20 +
14.42
𝑆𝑆𝐷 = 20 + 15.80
𝑆𝑆𝐷 = 35.8 𝑚
35.8 𝑚 < 40 𝑚
If the child is located at 40 m, the driver will be able to stop in time.

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 Stopping Sight Distance
Solution
Reaction time = 1.2 secs, G = 3.5%, V = 60 kph, f=0.4
1000 2
1000 60
3600
𝑆𝑆𝐷 = 60 1.2 +
3600 2 9.81 0.4 + 3.5%
277.78
𝑆𝑆𝐷 = 20 +
8.53
𝑆𝑆𝐷 = 20 + 32.57
𝑆𝑆𝐷 = 52.57 𝑚
52.57 𝑚 > 40 𝑚
If the child is located at 40 m during a rainy day, the driver will not be able to stop in
time.
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 Passing Sight Distance
• The capacity of a two-lane roadway is greatly increased if a large percentage of the
roadway’s length can be used for passing.
• Our goal as a designer is to provide most drivers with a sight distance that gives them
a feeling of safety and that encourages them to pass slower vehicle.

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 Passing Sight Distance
Calculating the passing sight distance can be accomplished by analyzing three vehicles based
on six assumptions:
1. The vehicle being passed travels at a constant speed throughout the passing maneuver.
2. The passing vehicle follows the slow vehicle into the passing section.
3. Upon entering the passing section, the passing vehicle requires some time to perceive that
the opposing lane is clear and to begin accelerating.

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 Passing Sight Distance
Calculating the passing sight distance can be accomplished by analyzing three vehicles based
on six assumptions:
4. While in the left lane, the passing vehicle travels at an average speed that is 16.1 kph faster
than the vehicle being passed.
5. An opposing vehicle is coming toward the passing vehicle.
6. There is an adequate clearance distance between the passing vehicle and the opposing
vehicle when the passing vehicle returns to the right lane.

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 Passing Sight Distance
With the assumptions stated from the previous slide, the passing sight distance can be
quantified into four (4) portions:

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 Passing Sight Distance
Total Passing Sight Distance
Speed group (kph) 50 - 65 66 - 80 81 - 95 96 - 110
Average passing speed (kph) 56.2 70.0 84.5 99.8
a (𝐦/𝒔𝟐 ) 2.25 2.30 2.37 2.41
Initial
𝒕𝟏 (sec) 3.6 4.0 4.3 4.5
maneuver
𝒅𝟏 (m) 45 65 90 110
Occupation of 𝒕𝟐 (sec) 9.3 10.0 10.7 11.3
the left lane 𝒅𝟐 (m) 145 195 250 315
Clearance
𝒅𝟑 (m) 30 55 75 90
length
Opposing
𝒅𝟒 (m) 95 130 165 210
vehicle
Total PSD 315 445 580 725
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 Passing Sight Distance
Example
Compute the passing sight distance for the following data:
Speed of the passing car = 96 kph
Speed of the overtaken vehicle = 88 kph
Perception-reaction time = 1.6 secs
Average acceleration = 2.37 kph/sec
Time passing vehicle occupies the left lane = 10.4 secs
Distance between the passing vehicle at the end of its maneuver and the opposing
vehicle = 76 m

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 Passing Sight Distance
Solution:
𝑑1 includes the distance traveled during the perception/reaction time and the distance traveled while
accelerating to the passing speed.
For perception reaction time:
𝑑 = 𝑉𝑡
1000
𝑑 = 88 1.6 = 39.11 𝑚
3600
For distance traveled while accelerating to the passing speed:
𝑉𝑓2 = 𝑉𝑖2 + 2𝑎𝑑
𝑉𝑖 = 88 𝑘𝑝ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑉𝑓 = 96 𝑘𝑝ℎ
2 2
1000 1000 1000
96 = 88 + 2 2.37 𝑑1
3600 3600 3600
𝑑 = 86.26 𝑚
𝑑1 = 39.11 + 86.26 = 125.37𝑚
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 Passing Sight Distance
Solution:
For 𝑑2 :
𝑑2 = 𝑉𝑡
1000
𝑑2 = 96 10.4 = 277.33 𝑚
3600
For 𝑑3 :
𝑑3 = 76 𝑚
For 𝑑4 :
2 2
𝑑4 = 𝑑2 = 277.33 = 184.89 𝑚
3 3
𝑃𝑆𝐷 = 𝑑1 + 𝑑2 + 𝑑3 + 𝑑4
𝑃𝑆𝐷 = 125.37 + 277.33 + 76 + 184.89
𝑃𝑆𝐷 = 663.59 𝑚
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 Decision Sight Distance
In areas where information about navigation or hazards must be observed by the
driver, or where the driver’s visual field is cluttered, the stopping sight distance may
not be adequate

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 Decision Sight Distance
The decision sight distance is the control for many access management situations
where:
1. The driver workload is heavy, driver expectations vary, or drivers are likely to be
misled, such as in the vicinity of interchange ramp terminals or where continuous
two-way left turn lanes are present.
2. Complex operations or design features exist, such as unsignalized intersections,
approaches on multilane highways or directional median openings.

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 Decision Sight Distance
The decision sight distance may be applied:
1. To control vehicles that must perceive and react with time to stop behind queuing
vehicles.
2. To assure adequate time for a speed, path or direction change, as would occur
where vehicles must weave over to a left turn lane or to an approach on the right.
3. To accommodate pedestrians at crossings.
4. To deal with bicycles and bicycle lanes at intersections or major driveways.
5. To accommodate transit stops in and adjacent to through lanes.
6. To mitigate the added difficulties created by through trucks entering, leaving or
double parking in through traffic lanes.
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 Decision Sight Distance
Values for Decision Sight Distance
Decision Sight Distance (meters)
Design
Speed Adjustment
Stop Rural Stop Urban Adjustment Adjustment
(kph) Sub-urban
Road Road Rural Road Urban Road
Road
50 75 160 145 160 200
80 155 300 230 275 315
90 185 360 275 320 360
110 265 455 335 390 435

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Cross-section

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 Cross-section
The following are the cross-section elements of a highway:
• Pavement • Frontage roads
• Lane widths • Noise control
• Shoulders • Roadside control
• Horizontal clearance to obstruction • Tunnels
• Curbs • Pedestrian crossings
• Sidewalks • Curb-cut ramps
• Drainage channels and side slopes • Bicycle facilities
• Traffic barriers • Bus turnouts
• Medians • Park-and-ride facilities
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Questions?

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