O7-24-13

CAPACITY AND LEVEL OF

SERVICE FOR FREEWAY DESIGN
FREEWAY

-It maybe defined as a divided highway

that provides uninterrupted flow.
- Has full access control and two or
more lanes in each direction for the
exclusive use of moving traffic

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FREEWAY COMPONENTS

Basic freeway component

Weaving areas
Ramp junctions

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PERFECT FREEWAY

Lanes at least 12 feet wide

Right shoulder lateral clearance between the edge
of the travel lane and the nearest obstacle or
object influencing traffic behaviour at least 6 feet
Traffic stream consists of passenger cars only
Ten or more lanes(urban areas only)
Interchanges spaced every 2 miles and more
Level terrain, with grades no greater than 2%
Driver population dominated by regular and
familiar users of the facility NEXT
FREEWAY PERFORMANCE
MEASURES
Density in terms of passenger cars per mile per
lane (pc/mi/ln), D
Speed in terms of mean passenger car speed, S
Flow rate in passenger (pc/h/ln), Vp

vp
D
S
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Level of service

Level of Service A
Level of Service B
Level of Service C
Level of Service D
Level of Service E
Level of Service F

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LOS A

Free- flow operations in which vehicles are

completely unimpeded in their ability to
maneuver. Under these conditions, motorists
experience a high level of physical and
psychological comfort, and the effects of
incidents or point breakdowns are easily
absorbed.

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LOS B

Traffic is moving under reasonably free- flow

conditions, and free- flow speeds are
sustained. The ability to maneuver within the
traffic stream is only slightly restricted.

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LOS C

Speeds are at or near the free- flow speed, but

freedom to manuever is noticeably restricted.
Lane changes require more care and vigilance
by the driver. When minor incidents occur,
local deterioration in service will be
substantial. Queues may be expected to form
behind any significant blockage.

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LOS D

Speeds can begin to decline slightly and density

increases more quickly with increasing flows.
Freedom to maneuver is more noticeably
limited and drivers experience reduced
physical and psychological comfort. Vehicle
spacing average 165ft (8 car lengths) and
maximum density is 32pc/mi/ln. Because there
is so little space to absorb disruptions, minor
incidents can be expected to create queuing.
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LOS E

Operations are volatile because there are

virtually no usable gaps. Maneuver such as
lane changes or merging of traffic from
entrance ramps will result in a disturbance of
the traffic stream. Minor incidents result in
immediate and extensive queuing. Capacity is
reached at its highest density value of 45
pc/mi/ln.

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LOS F

Operation is under breakdown conditions in

vehicular flow. These condition prevail in
queues behind freeway sections experiencing
temporary or long term reductions in
capacity.

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DENSITY RANGES FOR LOS
Calculating the Flow rate for a Basic
Freeway Section

Flow rate in passenger cars per hour per lane is:

V
vp
( PHF )( N )( f p )( f HV )

1
f HV
1 PT ( ET 1) PR ( ER 1)
Passenger car equivalent for trucks
and buses
Determination of LOS

1. Define and segment the freeway sections as

appropriate. Each defined segment should
have physical and operational
characteristics that are reasonably uniform.
2. Compute for FFS
3. Solve for Vp
4. Determine the density of flow
Free- flow Speed

Free- flow speed is the mean speed of

passenger cars measured when the
equivalent hourly rate is not greater than
1300pc/h/ln.

FFS BFFS f LW f LC f N f ID
Adjustment for Lane Width, fLW

When the average lane width of the freeway is

less than the ideal value of 12ft, the free flow
speed of 70 or 75mi/h will be reduced.
Adjustment for Right Shoulder Lateral
Clearance, fLC

The ideal clearance conditions are 6ft on the

right(shoulder) side of the freeway and 2ft on
the left(median)side.
Adjustment for number of lanes, fN

If the number of lanes in one direction is less

than 5, the free flow speed is reduced. Rural
freeways are usually two lanes in one
direction, and the speed reduction value is
zero
Adjustment for interchange density, fID

The ideal interchange spacing is 2 mi or greater

or 0.5 interchanges per mile. Interchanges
are defined as having one or more on- ramps.

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BASIC FREEWAY SECTIONS

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WEAVING AREAS

Defined as the crossing of two or more traffic

stream travelling in the same general
direction along a significant length of
highway without the aid of traffic control
devices. These are formed when a merge area
is closely followed by a diverge area, or when
an on- ramp is closely followed by an off-
ramp and the two are joint by an auxiliary
lane
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FREEWAY EXAMPLE

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