Highways and Highway Components

Highway Transportation Characteristics

Outline
Functional classification of roads Road functions Hierarchical structure of road networks Mobility vs. accessibility Mobility vs. transportation mode
Highway components Cross-sections Highway plan and profile Interchanges Rural and urban intersections

Road Functions

Mobility

Accessibility

Hierarchical Structure of Road Networks

Rural

Urban

Mobility vs. Accessibility

Road Class
Freeways Surface Arterials Collectors Local Roads

Road Function
Through movement exclusively Through movement primary and some land access Traffic movement to higher rank roads, access to abutting properties Access to abutting land and local traffic movement

Hierarchical Structure of Road Networks

Mobility vs. Accessibility

Mobility vs. Transportation Mode

Mobility vs. Transportation Mode

Capacity capacity in veh/h = capacity in veh/h/lane x number of lanes capacity in persons/h = capacity in veh/h x average vehicle occupancy

Mobility vs. Transportation Mode

Capacity Facility
Three-lane urban freeway
Three-lane urban arterial One lane of buses One track of light rail

Vehicles/hr
2,000 x 3 = 6,000
800 x 3 = 2,400 100 x 1 =100

Persons/hr
6,000 x 1.7 = 10,200
2,400 x 1.7 = 4,080 100 x 80 = 8,000 19,000

One track of heavy rail

40,000

Mobility vs. Transportation Mode

Capacity

Highway Components
Cross-section

Highway Components
Highway plan and profile

Highway Components
Urban Intersections
Picture

Highway Components
Rural Intersections
Picture

Highway Components
Interchanges

Diamond Cloverleave Urban directional