GEOMETRIC DESIGN OF HIGHWAYS

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

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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
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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
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.
PROBLEM 1