TRANSPOENG

Principles of Transportation Engineering

Module 7.0
Highway Capacity and Level of Service Analysis
Basic Concept, Basic Freeway Segments

Engr. Marlowe Labusnog

Instructor
Topic Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module, the student must be able to:
1. Define what level of service (LOS) is;
2. Enumerate and describe the six LOS categories for uninterrupted flow
facilities; and
3. Assess the LOS of freeways, multilane highways, and two-lane highways by
applying the uninterrupted traffic flow theories discussed from the previous
modules.
Level of Service (LOS)
 The level of service (LOS) represents
a qualitative ranking of the traffic
operational conditions experienced
by users of a facility under specified
roadway, traffic, and traffic control (if
present) conditions.
 Comparative performance of various
roadway segments serves as a basis
to allocate limited roadway
construction and improvement
funds.
 Factors that affect the capacity of
roadway segments: roadway type,
free-flow speed, number of lanes, lane https://t4america.org/

widths and shoulder widths, vehicle

types, changing roadway geometrics.
Level of Service (LOS)
 Performance measures (as
perceived by motorists):
 Speed
 Travel Time
 Freedom to Maneuver
 Traffic Interruptions
 Comfort & Convenience
 Current practice designates six
levels of service ranging from A to
F, with level of service A
representing the best operating
conditions and level of service F the
worst.
https://t4america.org/
Levels of Service
 Level of Service A
 free-flow conditions (traffic operating at free-flow
speeds)
 Individual users are virtually unaffected by the
presence of others in the traffic stream.
 Freedom to select speeds and to maneuver within the
traffic stream is extremely high.
 The general level of comfort and convenience provided
to drivers is excellent.
 Level of Service B
 allows speeds at or near free-flow speeds, but the
presence of other users in the traffic stream begins to
be noticeable.
 Freedom to select speeds is relatively unaffected, but
there is a slight decline in the freedom to maneuver
within the traffic stream relative to LOS A.
Levels of Service
 Level of Service C
 Speeds at or near free-flow speeds, but the freedom to
maneuver is noticeably restricted.
 The general level of comfort and convenience declines
significantly at this level.
 Disruptions in the traffic stream, such as an incident
can result in significant queue formation and vehicular
delay.
 Level of Service D
 LOS D represents the conditions where speeds begin
to decline slightly with increasing flow.
 The freedom to maneuver becomes more restricted,
and drivers experience reductions in physical and
psychological comfort.
 Incidents can generate lengthy queues because the
higher density associated with this LOS provides little
space to absorb disruptions in the traffic flow.
Levels of Service
 Level of Service E
 Operating conditions is at or near the roadway’s
capacity.
 Even minor disruptions to the traffic stream can cause
delays as other vehicles give way to allow such
maneuvers.
 In general, maneuverability is extremely limited, and
drivers experience considerable physical and
psychological discomfort.
 Level of Service F
 A breakdown in vehicular flow.
 Queues form quickly behind points in the roadway
where the arrival flow rate temporarily exceeds the
departure rate, as determined by the roadway’s
capacity.
 The cyclic formation and dissipation of queues is a
key characterization of LOS F.
Levels of Service
 What is the acceptable LOS for all road types?

 In roadway design, the possibility of degradation of level of service to LOS

E should be avoided, although this is not always possible due to financial
and environmental constraints that may limit the design speed, number of
lanes, and other factors affecting roadway capacity.
Level of Service (LOS) Determination
1. Base Conditions and Capacity Base
Conditions
 Base conditions – those conditions that represent and Capacity
unrestrictive geometric and traffic conditions.
 Assumed to consist of favorable environmental
conditions (e.g. dry roadways) Free-Flow
 Lane widths, lateral clearances, access Speed (FFS)
frequency, and terrain
 Traffic stream conditions: effects of heavy
vehicles (large trucks, buses, and RVs) and Analysis
driver population characteristics. Flow Rate
 The capacity of a particular roadway segment
will be greatest when all roadway and traffic
conditions meet or exceed their base values. Service of
Measure(s)
 Capacity – maximum flow rate that can be and LOS
reasonably expected on a recurring basis.
Level of Service (LOS) Determination
2. Determine Free-Flow Speed (FFS) Base
Conditions
 Free-Flow Speed – the speed of traffic as the and Capacity
traffic density approaches zero.
3. Determine Analysis Flow Rate
 The highest volume in a 24-hour period (the Free-Flow
peak-hour volume) is used for V in traffic analysis. Speed (FFS)
 Adjusted to reflect the temporal variation of
traffic demand within the analysis hour.
 The hourly volume is divided by adjustment Analysis
factors to obtain an equivalent flow rate in terms Flow Rate
of passenger cars per hour (pc/h) or
passenger cars per hour per lane (pc/h/ln).
4. Calculate the Service Measure(s) and Determine Service of
Measure(s)
the LOS and LOS
Basic Freeway Segment
 Basic Freeway Segment – a section of a divided roadway having two or more
lanes in each direction, full access control, and traffic that is unaffected by
merging or diverging movements near ramps.

Source: https://www.civil.iitb.ac.in/
Basic Freeway Segment
Basic Freeway Segment
 Base Conditions and Capacity
 12-ft minimum lane widths
 6-ft minimum right-shoulder clearance between the edge of the travel lane
and objects (utility poles, retaining walls, etc.) that influence driver behavior
 2-ft minimum median lateral clearance
 Only passenger cars in the traffic stream
 Five or more lanes in each travel direction (urban areas only)
 2-mi or greater interchange spacing
 Level terrain (no grades greater than 2%)
 A driver population of mostly familiar roadway users
These conditions represent a high operating level, with a free-flow speed of 70
mi/h or higher
Basic Freeway Segment
 Service Measure
Recall:
𝐪
𝐤=
𝐮
where:
k = density
q = flow
u = space mean speed
Basic Freeway Segment
 Determine the Free-Flow Speed (FFS):
 FFS (for basic freeway segment) is the mean speed of passenger cars
operating in flow rates up to 1,300 passenger cars per hour per lane
(pc/h/ln).

𝑭𝑭𝑺 = 𝟕𝟓. 𝟒 − 𝒇𝑳𝑾 − 𝒇𝑳𝑪 − 𝟑. 𝟐𝟐𝑻𝑹𝑫𝟎.𝟖𝟒

where:
FFS = estimated free-flow speed (mi/h)
fLW = adjustment for lane width (mi/h)
fLC = adjustment for lateral clearance (mi/h)
TRD = adjustment for total ramp density (ramps/mi)
BFFS = base free-flow speed = 75.4 mi/h (both for urban and rural areas)

Note: The HCM (Transportation Research Board 2010) recommends that the
calculated free-flow speed be rounded to the nearest 5 mi/h
Basic Freeway Segment
 Determine the Free-Flow Speed (FFS):
 Lane Width Adjustment, fLW
 The adjustment factor (fLW) is used to reflect the impact on free-flow
speed when lane widths are narrower than the base 12 ft.
Basic Freeway Segment
 Determine the Free-Flow Speed (FFS):
 Lateral Clearance Adjustment, fLC
 When obstructions are closer than 6 ft (at the roadside) from the
traveled pavement, the adjustment factor (fLC) is used to reflect the
impact on FFS.
Basic Freeway Segment
 Determine the Free-Flow Speed (FFS):
 Total Ramp Density (TRD) Adjustment
 Ramp density provides a measure of the impact of merging and
diverging traffic on free-flow speed.
 Total ramp density (TRD) is the number of on- and off-ramps (in one
direction) within a distance of three miles upstream and three miles
downstream of the midpoint of the analysis segment, divided by six
miles.
Basic Freeway Segment
 Determine Analysis Flow Rate
𝑽
𝒗𝒑 =
𝑷𝑯𝑭 × 𝑵 × 𝒇𝑯𝑽 × 𝒇𝒑
where:
vp = 15-min passenger car equivalent flow rate (pc/h/ln),
V = hourly volume (veh/h),
PHF = peak-hour factor,
N = number of lanes,
fHV = heavy-vehicle adjustment factor, and
fP = driver population factor (0.85 – 1.00)
Basic Freeway Segment
 Determine Analysis Flow Rate
 Peak-Hour Factor, PHF
𝑽
𝑷𝑯𝑭 =
𝑽𝟏𝟓 × 𝟒
where:
PHF = peak-hour factor,
V = hourly volume for hour of analysis,
V15 = maximum 15-min volume within hour of analysis, and
4 = number of 15-min periods per hour.
Basic Freeway Segment
 Determine Analysis Flow Rate
 Heavy-Vehicle Adjustment Factor, fHV
𝟏
𝒇𝑯𝑽 =
𝟏 + 𝑷𝑻 𝑬 𝑻 − 𝟏 + 𝑷𝑹 𝑬 𝑹 − 𝟏
where:
fHV = heavy-vehicle adjustment factor,
PT = proportion of trucks and buses in the traffic stream,
PR = proportion of recreation vehicles in the traffic stream,
ET = passenger car equivalent for trucks and buses
ER = passenger car equivalent for recreational vehicles

• Passenger Car Equivalent (PCE) – no. of passenger cars that would consume
the same amount of roadway capacity as a single large truck, bus, or
recreational vehicle.
Basic Freeway Segment
 Determine Analysis Flow Rate
 Heavy-Vehicle Adjustment Factor, fHV
Basic Freeway Segment
 Determine Analysis Flow Rate
 Heavy-Vehicle Adjustment Factor, fHV

• Level terrain. Any combination of horizontal and vertical alignment permitting heavy vehicles to
maintain approximately the same speed as passenger cars. This generally includes short
grades of no more than 2%.
• Rolling terrain. Any combination of horizontal and vertical alignment that causes heavy
vehicles to reduce their speed substantially below those of passenger cars but does not cause
heavy vehicles to operate at their limiting speed [Fnet(V) ≠ 0) for the given terrain for any
significant length of time or at frequent intervals due to high grade resistance, as illustrated in
Fig. 2.6.
• Mountainous terrain. Any combination of horizontal and vertical alignment that causes heavy
vehicles to operate at their limiting speed for significant distances or at frequent intervals.
Basic Freeway Segment
 Calculate the density
𝒗𝒑
𝑫=
𝑺
where:
D = density (pc/mi/ln),
vp = flow rate (pc/h/ln), and
S = average passenger car speed (mi/h)
Basic Freeway Segment
 Determine the LOS
 Option 1: Using the graph
 Option 2: Using the table
Sample Problem
A six-lane urban freeway (three lanes in each direction) is on rolling terrain with 11-
ft lanes, obstructions 2 ft from the right edge of the traveled pavement, and nine
ramps within three miles upstream and three miles downstream of the midpoint of
the analysis segment. The traffic stream consists primarily of commuters. A
directional weekday peak-hour volume of 2300 vehicles is observed, with 700
vehicles arriving in the most congested 15- min period. If the traffic stream has
15% large trucks and buses and no recreational vehicles, determine the level of
service.
Solution
Step 1. Determine the free-flow speed (FFS):
𝑭𝑭𝑺 = 𝟕𝟓. 𝟒 − 𝒇𝑳𝑾 − 𝒇𝑳𝑪 − 𝟑. 𝟐𝟐𝑻𝑹𝑫𝟎.𝟖𝟒

For the Lane Width Adjustment Factor (FLW):

Solution
For the Right-Shoulder Lateral Clearance (FLC):

For the Total Ramp Density (TRD) Adjustment:

9 ramps ramps
TRD = = 1.5
6 mi mi.
Solution
Step 1. Determine the free-flow speed (FFS)
FFS = 75.4 − fLW − fLC − 3.22TRD0.84
where:
fLW = 1.9 mi/h
fLC = 1.6 mi/h
TRD = 1.5 ramps/mi.
0.84
FFS = 75.4 − 1.9 − 1.6 − 3.22 1.5

𝐅𝐅𝐒 = 𝟔𝟕. 𝟑𝟕𝟑 𝐦𝐢/𝐡

Round-off the computed FFS to the nearest value divisible by 5 mi/h. Hence,

FFS = 65 mi/h
Solution
Step 2. Determine the flow rate:
𝑽
𝒗𝒑 =
𝑷𝑯𝑭 × 𝑵 × 𝒇𝑯𝑽 × 𝒇𝒑

For the Peak-Hour Factor (PHF):

2,300
PHF = = 0.8214
700 × 4

N=3
fp = 1.00 (commuters)
Solution
For the Heavy-Vehicle Adjustment Factor, fHV
1
fHV =
1 + PT ET − 1 + PR ER − 1
where:
PT = 0.15
PR = 0
ET = 2.5

1
fHV = = 𝟎. 𝟖𝟏𝟔𝟑
1 + 0.15 2.5 − 1
Solution
Step 2. Determine the flow rate:
V 2,300
vp = =
PHF × N × fHV × fp 0.8214 3 0.8163 1.00
𝐩𝐜 𝐩𝐜
𝐯𝐩 = 𝟏, 𝟏𝟒𝟑. 𝟒𝟏 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝟏, 𝟏𝟒𝟒
𝐡 − 𝐥𝐧 𝐡 − 𝐥𝐧
For the density:
𝟏, 𝟏𝟒𝟒 𝐩𝐜
𝐃= = 𝟏𝟕. 𝟔
𝟔𝟓 𝐦𝐢 − 𝐥𝐧
Solution
Step 3. Determine the Level of Service (LoS):
Using the Graph below:

LOS B
Solution
Step 3. Determine the Level
of Service (LoS):
Using the table:

LOS B
Learning Exercise
1. A six-lane urban freeway (three lanes in each direction) is on level terrain with
12-ft lanes, obstructions 2 ft from the right edge of the traveled pavement, and
nine ramps within three miles upstream and three miles downstream of the
midpoint of the analysis segment. A directional weekday peak-hour volume of
3100 vehicles is observed, with 815 vehicles arriving in the most congested
15-min period. If the traffic stream has 10% single-unit trucks and 10% tractor-
trailer trucks, determine the LOS.

2. A four-lane freeway (two lanes in each direction) is located on rolling terrain

and has 12-ft lanes, no lateral obstructions within 6 ft of the pavement edges,
and there are two ramps within three miles upstream of the segment midpoint
and three ramps within three miles downstream of the segment midpoint. A
weekday directional peak-hour volume of 1800 vehicles (familiar users) is
observed, with 700 arriving in the most congested 15-min period. If a LOS no
worse than C is desired, determine the maximum number of heavy vehicles
that can be present in the peak-hour traffic stream.
Questions?
Suggested Readings
 References
 Garber, N.J., & Hoel, L.A. (2009). Traffic and Highway Engineering, Fourth
Edition. Cengage Learning. Canada
 Mannering, F.L., Washburn, S.S., & Kilareski, W.P. (2009). Principles of
Highway Engineering and Traffic Analysis. John Wiley & Sons. USA

 Sigua, R.G. (2008). Fundamentals of Traffic Engineering. The University of

the Philippines Press. Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
 Transportation Research Board (TRB). (2010). Highway Capacity Manual
(HCM) 2010. Transportation Research Board. The USA.
 Roess, R.P., Prassas, E.S., McShane, W.R. (2011). Traffic Engineering.
Pearson Higher Education, Inc. The USA.
 Recommended Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjSLM3-ENxU