GENERAL CONCEPTS OF HIGHWAY DESIGN
• The goal in Highway Design is to provide safe
roads for all road users, and not just those in motor
vehicles. The principle that ‘man is the reference
standard’ implies that roads must be adapted to
the limitations of human capacity. This leads to
what is called the ‘safe systems approach’ which
encourages:
✓ Simpler, self-explaining roads (with less
reliance on traffic signs).
✓ Designing roads that encourage / enforce
safe speeds (the safe speed being the one
that guarantees the safety of the most
vulnerable road user).
✓ Forgiving roadsides (the ‘Clear Zone’ idea
about unobstructed, traversable space
beyond the edge of the travelled way for
recovery of errant vehicles).
✓ Functionality – developing a hierarchy of
mono-functional roads (e.g. truck,
distributor, and access).
✓ Homogeneity – avoiding differences in
speed, direction of travel, and mass of
vehicles (with segregation of incompatible
road users).
✓ Predictability – ensuring that roads are
easy to understand and there are not nasty
surprises (as for ‘self-explaining’ roads).
HUMAN FACTORS & DRIVER PERFORMANCE
• The suitability of a design rests as much on how
effectively drivers are able to use the highway as
on any other criteria. Considerations include;
✓ Driver tasks that include vehicle control
(such as simultaneous multiple tasks and
reaction time), guidance (such as road
following, lane placement, car following,
passing maneuvers and response to traffic
control devices) and navigation.
✓ Use of the facility by older drivers and older
pedestrians.
✓ Errors due to driver deficiencies and
situational demands.
✓ Speed.
• Properly designed highways that provide positive
guidance to drivers can operate at a high level of
efficiency and with relatively few crashes.
VEHICLES
• The four general classes of design vehicles are (1)
passenger cars, (2) buses, (3) trucks, and (4)
recreational vehicles. In the design of any highway
facility, the designer should consider the largest design
vehicle that is likely to use that facility with
considerable frequency or a design vehicle with
special characteristics appropriate to a particular
location in determining the design of such critical
features as radii at intersections and radii of turning
roadways. As a general rule;
✓ A passenger car may be selected when the
main traffic generator is a parking lot.
✓ A two-axle single unit truck may be used for
intersection design of residential streets and
park roads.
✓ A three-axle single-unit truck may be used for
the design of collector streets and other
facilities where larger single-unit trucks are
likely.
✓ A bus may be used in the design of highway
intersections that are designated bus routes
and that have relatively few large trucks using
them.
TRAFFIC CHARACTERISTICS
• The design of a highway and its features should
explicitly cover traffic volumes and traffic
characteristics. Traffic volumes obtained from field
studies (such as hourly and daily traffic volumes,
type and weight of vehicles and traffic trends) can
indicate the need for improvement and directly
influence the selection of geometric design features,
such as number of lanes, widths, alignments, and
grades.
• Relevant studies include average daily traffic
(ADT), peak hour traffic, directional distribution,
composition of traffic, projection of future traffic
demands, speed and traffic flow relationships
characterized by the volume flow rate in vehicles per
hour, the average speed in kilometers per hour, and
the traffic density in vehicles per kilometer.

HIGHWAY TYPES / CLASSIFICATION
• Functional classification groups highways by the
character of service they provide, and is primarily
based on motor vehicle travel characteristics and
the degree of access to adjacent properties
• The six recognizable stages in motor vehicle travel
include main movement, transition,
distribution, collection, access, and
termination. Each of these stages is handled by a
separate facility designed specifically for its
function. A prominent cause of highway
obsolescence is the failure of design to recognize
and accommodate each of the different trip levels
of the movement hierarchy.
• Functional classification serves as a basis for
organizing geometric design criteria, with the
classification of a highway or street establishing
the basic design type to be used for the facility. The
first step in the design process is to define the
function that the facility is to serve. The level of
service needed to fulfill this function for the
anticipated volume and composition of traffic
provides a rational and cost-effective basis for the
selection of design speed and geometric criteria.
The use of functional classification as a design type
should appropriately integrate the highway
planning and design process.
2-LANE HIGHWAYS
• 2-lane highways constitute the majority of the
total length of highways, varying from gravel or
other loose surface roads to high type pavement.
Lane widths of 2-lane highways vary from 3.00
m to 3.65 m depending upon the traffic volume,
design speed, character of terrain and economic
considerations.
4-LANE UNDIVIDED HIGHWAYS
• A 4-lane undivided highway is the narrowest
highway on which each traffic lane is intended to
be used by traffic in one direction and passing is
accomplished on lanes not subject to use by
opposing traffic.
• The ability to pass without travelling in the lane of
opposing traffic results in a smoother operation
and a large increase in highway capacity over that
of 2-lane highways.
• The speed limit should be limited to 60 kph or less,
and they should feature prominent road marking to
separate opposing streams.
DIVIDED HIGHWAYS
• A divided highway is one with separate roadways for
traffic in opposite directions. It has at least two full
lanes for each direction of travel and a median of 1.20
m or more in width constructed in a manner to
preclude its use by vehicles except in emergencies.
Increased safety, comfort and ease of operation are
the principal advantages of dividing multilane
highways.
• A divided highway generally is for high volume and
high-speed operations. Medians 1.20 m to 1.80 m
wide are acceptable under restricted rural conditions
but, wherever feasible, medians should be made
4.50 to 18.50 m wide and preferably wider to obtain
full advantage of traffic separation and to fit
intersection design at crossroads.
CLASSIFICATION OF HIGHWAYS ACCORDING
TO SYSTEM
In the Philippines roads or highways are classified as
national, provincial, city, municipal or barangay roads.
NATIONAL ROADS
• Public roads, declared as national roads by the
President of the Philippines upon recommendation of
the Secretary of Public Works and Highways satisfying
the conditions set forth under Executive Order
No.113, Establishing the
• Classification of Roads. National roads are classified
as primary and secondary roads. The former forms
the part of the main highway trunk-line system which
is continuous in extent; the latter includes all access
roads forming a secondary trunk-line system.
Road Right of way 20.00m minimum
Width of travelled
6.70m minimum
way 2 lane
Allowable grade 6.0% maximum
 Road Right of way 2.10m minimum
PROVINCIAL ROADS
Width of travelled way 6.10m minimum
• These are roads connecting one municipality to Allowable grade 6.0% maximum
another, with the terminal to be the public plaza;
plus roads extending from one municipality or FARM TO MARKET ROADS
from a provincial or national road to a public
wharf or railway station. • Farm to Market Roads refer to roads linking the
agriculture and fisheries production sites, coastal
• For purposes of allocating national aid landing points and post-harvest facilities to the
maintenance, a provincial road is designated and market and arterial roads and highways.
accepted as such by the Secretary of the
Department of Public Works and Highways, upon Road Right of way 6.00m minimum
recommendation of the Provincial Board Width of travelled way 4.00 minimum
Allowable grade 10.0% maximum
(Sangguniang Panlalawigan).

Road Right of way 15.00m minimum ROAD CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO

Width of travelled
way
6.10m minimum PRIMARY FUNCTION
Allowable grade 6.0% maximum Road classifications based on the primary functions are
the following:
CITY ROADS
EXPRESSWAYS
• Roads / streets within the urban area of a city not These are divided arterial highways for through traffic,
classified as provincial or national roads. with full or partial control of access and generally with
Road Right of way 15.00m minimum grade separations at major intersections.
Width of travelled
6.10m minimum
way PARKWAYS
Allowable grade 6.0% maximum

Parkways are arterial highways for non-commercial

MUNICIPAL ROADS traffic with full or partial control of access, usually located
• Roads / streets within the poblacion area of a within a park or a ribbon of park-like development.
municipality not classified as provincial or
national roads.

Road Right of way 15.00m minimum

Width of travelled
6.10m minimum
way
Allowable grade 6.0% maximum

TOURISM ROADS
• Tourism road is a road which is marketed as
particularly suited for tourists. Tourist roads may
be formed when existing roads are promoted with
traffic signs and advertising material.

• Some tourist roads such as Ternate-Nasugbu Road

are built for tourism purposes. Others may be
roadways enjoyed by local citizens in areas of
unique or exceptional natural beauty.

• It is often developed because it promises to

generate employment, enhance community
infrastructure, and assist in revitalizing the
flagging economies in rural areas.