GEOMETRIC

HIGHWAY DESIGN OF
HIGHWAY
Importance and Factors of Geometric Design

Cross-Sectional Elements

Sight Distances
Horizontal Alignment

Vertical Alignment

Intersection Element
 IMPORTANCE
OF GEOMETRIC DESIGN
The geometric design of a highway deals with the dimensions and
layout of visible features of the highway such as alignment, sight
distance and intersection. 

The fundamental objective of good geometric design will remain as it

has always been; to produce a roadway that is safe, efficient,
reasonably economic and sensitive to conflicting concerns.

The emphasis is more on satisfying the need of the driver as well as

to ensure the safety of the vehicle, the comfort while driving and
efficiency.
 FACTORS AFFETING
GEOMETRIC DESIGN
1 Design Speed

Topography 2
3 Traffic
Environmental and
Economical Factors 4
Vehicle properties (dimensions, weight,
5 operating characteristics, etc.)
Humans (the physical, mental and psychological
characteristics of the driver and pedestrians like
the reaction time)
6
 CROSS-SECTIONAL
ELEMENTS
1 Carriageway

The Width of pavement way on which

vehicles travel is called
carriage way .

Road Shoulders 2

Shoulders are provided along the road edge to serve

as an emergency lane for vehicles .
 CROSS-SECTIONAL
ELEMENTS
3 Formation Width
Formation width is the top width of the
highway embankment or the
bottom width of cutting excluding
the side drain .

Right of Way 4
Right of way is the area of land acquired for the
land, along its alignment. It is the distance between
boundary stones of road on either side of road.
 CROSS-SECTIONAL
ELEMENTS
5 Side Slope

The slope of earthwork in

Filling(embankment) or cutting is
called side slope.

Berm 6
The distance between the road toe and inner edge of
borrow pit is called berm. It prevents the erosion of
embankment soil.
 CROSS-SECTIONAL
ELEMENTS
7 Side Drain
For the drainage of rain water, drains are
provided on either side of the road .
Normally, side drain are required for road in
cutting. For road in embankment side drain
is not necessary.

Building Line 8
The distance from the center line of road on either
side, within which construction of building is not
permitted is called building line.
 CROSS-SECTIONAL
ELEMENTS
9 Kerbs

The boundaries between

pavement and shoulders or
footpath are known as kerbs.

Camber 10
Camber or cross slope is the slope provided to the
road surface in the transverse direction to drain off
rain water from the road surface.
 CROSS-SECTIONAL
ELEMENTS
11 Super Elevation
It is the slope across pavement
surface and is fully developed in
the circular curve.

Super Elevation Sample Problem:

Calculate super elevation for a circular road having radius
300 meters and it is 8 meter wide. Take 50km/h as speed
of vehicle. And take Centrifugal ratio = 1/10.

Full super elevation=h=(Bv^2)/gR

Super Elevation
CROSS-SECTION ITS ELEMENTS
OF ROAD AND
 SIGHT DISTANCES
Sight Distance is a length of road surface which a particular driver can see with
an acceptable level of clarity. Sight distance plays an important role in
geometric highway design because it establishes an acceptable design speed,
based on a driver's ability to visually identify and stop for a particular,
unforeseen roadway hazard or pass a slower vehicle without being in conflict
with opposing traffic.

As velocities on a roadway are increased, the design must be catered to allowing

additional viewing distances to allow for adequate time to stop. The two types of sight
distance are (1) stopping sight distance and (2) passing sight distance.

Stopping sight distance is the sum of two distances: the distance traveled during perception and reaction time and
the distance to stop the vehicle.

Passing Sight Distance (PSD) is the minimum sight distance that is required on a highway, generally a two-lane, two-
directional one, that will allow a driver to pass another vehicle without colliding with a vehicle in the opposing lane.
 Sight Distance Problem
The perception-reaction time for a vehicle travelling at 90km/h, given
the coefficient of longitudinal friction of 0.35 and the stopping sight
distance of 170m (assume g=9.81m/s^2) is _______ seconds.

SSD = Vt + (V^2)/2gf
V = 90km/h
SSD=170m
µ = 0.35
 Sight Distance Problem
A motorist travelling at 100km/h on a highway needs to take the next
exit, which has a speed limit of 50km/h. The section of the roadway
before the ramp entry has a downgrade of 3% and coefficient of friction
(f) is 0.35. In order to enter the ramp at the maximum allowable speed
limit, the braking distance (expressed in m) from the exit ramp is
_______.
BD = (V^2)/2g(f±n/ 100)
V = 100km/h
V = 50km/h
n = 3%
f = 0.35
 ROAD ALIGNMENTS
Center line alignment influences haul cost, construction cost, and
environmental cost (e.g., erosion, sedimentation). During that phase basic
decisions regarding horizontal and vertical alignment have already been made
and their effects on haul, construction, and environmental costs. The road
design is the phase where those "field" decisions are refined, finalized and
documented.

2 VERTICAL ALIGNMENT
1
HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT The vertical alignment of highway generally
defined as the presence of heights and depths
Straight segments of roadways (tangents) in vertical axis with respect to horizontal axis
connected by suitable curves (horizontal of alignment. These heights and depths in
curves) there might be a need to provide roads may be in the form of gradients (straight
transitions. lines in a vertical plane) or vertical curves.
ROAD ALIGNMENTS
Intersection Elements
CROSSWALKS AND CROSSING

MIDBLOCK CROSSWALKS

CONVENTIONAL CROSSWALKS

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ISLANDS

Intersection Elements
CORNER RADII

VISIBILITY/SIGHT DISTANCE

TRAFFIC SIGNALS

SIGNALIZATION PRINCIPLES
Intersection Elements
LEADING PEDESTRIAN INTERVAL

SIGNAL CYCLE LENGTHS

FIXED VS. ACTUATED SIGNALIZATION

COORDINATED SIGNAL TIMING

THANK YOU!!!