CIVL 340

Capacity & Level of Service

for Multilane and Two-Lane
Highways
 Multilane Highways
• 4 to 6 lanes (>1 lane in each
direction)
• Vehicles can enter/exit at
at-grade intersections
• Divided or undivided
• Generally 15k-40k ADT
but up to 100k ADT
• Posted speeds of 45-60 mph
• Limited pedestrian and bicycle
activity

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 Multilane Highways
• Procedure applies:
– By direction (like freeways)
– Only to highways not influenced by traffic
signals (if present, spaced >2 mi apart)
• Solution steps
1. Assess Conditions
2. Determine FFS
3. Determine analysis flow rate
4. Calculate service measures and LOS

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 Base conditions (max speeds)
• 12 ft lanes
• 12 ft total lateral clearance (both sides)
• No direct access to highway
• Only passenger cars
• Divided highway
• Level terrain (no grades > 2%)
• Familiar driver population
• Free-flow speed of 60 mph

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 Determine FFS
• Option 1: Measure in field @ low volumes
• Option 2: Calculate from HCM procedures
FFS = BFFS – fLW – fLC – fM - fA

• BFFS: free-flow speed for base conditions

• fLW : Adjustment for lane width
• fLC : Adjustment for total lateral clearance
• fM : Adjustment for median type
• fA : Adjustment for access point density

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 Base Free-Flow Speed, BFFS
• Free flow speed for Base Conditions

• Usually:
– Speed limit + 7 mph
(for speed limits of 40 or 45 mph)
– Speed limit + 5 mph
(for speed limits of 50+ mph)

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 Lane width, 𝑓𝑓𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿
Same as basic freeways

A distance weighted average can be calculated

unless variations extend for more than 2,500 ft

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 Lateral Clearance, 𝑓𝑓𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿
TLC = LCR + LCL
TLC = LCR + LCL
• Distance to obstructions
(R) or traffic (L)
• 6 ft max on either L or R
• Use 𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿 = 6 ft for
– 2-way left turn lane
– undivided highway Adjustment for Lateral Clearance
(accounted for in 𝑓𝑓𝑀𝑀)
• Same weighting average
guidance as lane width
Median type, 𝑓𝑓𝑀𝑀

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Access Points, 𝑓𝑓𝐴𝐴 Adjustment for access points

• Only on right side

• Intersections
or driveways with significant activity
– Not residential
– Not service driveways for commercial

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 Multilane Highways
• Solution steps
1. Assess conditions
2. Determine FFS
• Field speed study or
• FFS = BFFS – fLW – fLC – fM - fA
3. Determine analysis flow rate
4. Calculate service measures and LOS

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 Determine Analysis Flow Rate
𝑉𝑉 MOSTLY
𝑣𝑣𝑝𝑝 = SAME AS
𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 ∗ 𝑁𝑁 ∗ 𝑓𝑓𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻 ∗ 𝑓𝑓𝑃𝑃 FREEWAYS
(in pcphpln)
• 𝑉𝑉 – volume in veh/hr (directional demand - DDHV)
• 𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 - Peak hour factor
• 𝑁𝑁 – number of lanes (analysis direction)
• 𝑓𝑓𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻 - Heavy vehicle adjustment
• 𝑓𝑓𝑃𝑃 - Driver population factor (less familiar drivers increase;
commuters =1.0, range is 0.85-1.00)

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One Slight Difference from Freeways

PCE can use “extended segments method” if

– Grades of <3% are all <1.0 mile or
– Grades of ≥3% are all <0.5 miles

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 Multilane Highways
• Solution steps
1. Assess Conditions
2. Determine FFS
• Field speed study or
• FFS = BFFS – fLW – fLC – fM - fA
3. Determine analysis flow rate
𝑉𝑉
• 𝑣𝑣𝑝𝑝 =
𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 ∗ 𝑁𝑁 ∗ 𝑓𝑓𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻 ∗ 𝑓𝑓𝑃𝑃

4. Calculate service measures and LOS

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Calculate service measures and LOS

• Similar to freeways, but different speed/flow chart

• Use FFS and 𝑣𝑣𝑝𝑝 to find speed and LOS

𝑣𝑣𝑝𝑝
• 𝐷𝐷 =
𝑆𝑆

• Capacity is at max LOS E

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Multilane Highways

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Multilane Highways

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 Example 1
What is the LOS for a 3.25-mile undivided 4-lane
highway on level terrain?
• 46 mph field-measured FFS
• 11-ft lane widths
• 1900 veh/hr peak-hour volume
• 13% trucks and buses
• 2% RVs
• 0.90 PHF

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 Example 2
What cross-section is needed to meet a design criterion of LOS D
for a new 2-mile segment of multilane highway with a total
width of 90 ft?
• BFFS of 55 mph
• 60,000 AADT
• Peak hour volume is 10% of daily traffic
• Peak hour traffic has a 55/45 directional split
• Rolling terrain
• 5% trucks
• 10 access point per mile
• 0.90 peak hour factor

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 Two-lane Highways
• 1 lane in each direction
• Traffic in both directions
must be considered
• Terrain plays a more
important role
• New service measure
based on ability to pass
• 3 classes of highways
for analysis

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 Service Measures
(Lower of 2 LOS)

• Average travel speed (ATS)

– Length of analysis divided by average travel time of all vehicles on
segment during a specific interval
• Percent time spent following (PTSF)
– Percent of total travel time a vehicle must spend behind a slower
vehicle because of lack of passing
• Percent of free-flow speed (PFFS)
– ATS/FFS

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 Base conditions
• 12 ft lanes
• 6 ft shoulders
• 0% no-passing sections
• Only passenger cars
• No direct access
• Level terrain
• No impediments due to traffic control (signals)

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 Determine FFS
• Option 1: Measure in field @ low volumes
Adjust with equation
FFS = SFM + 0.00776 (Vf / fHV )
• SFM - mean speed of traffic measure in field (mi/hr)
• Vf - observed flow rate (veh/hr)
• fHV – heavy vehicle adjustment factor

• Option 2: Calculate from HCM procedures

FFS = BFFS – fLS – fA
• fLS - Adjustment for lane and shoulder width
• fA - Adjustment for access point density

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 Lane and shoulder width, 𝑓𝑓𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿

A distance weighted average can be calculated

unless variations extend for more than 2,500 ft

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 Determine Analysis Flow Rate
Separately for ATS and PTSF, and both directions (x4)
𝑉𝑉𝑖𝑖
𝑣𝑣𝑖𝑖 =
𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 ∗ 𝑓𝑓𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻 ∗ 𝑓𝑓𝐺𝐺
• Vi – volume in veh/h in analysis direction (d) or opposing (o)
• PHF - Peak hour factor
• fHV - Adjustment for heavy vehicles Different for ATS and PTSF
• fG - Adjustment for grade Different for ATS and PTSF

• Note: PHF for both directions combined (2-way flow)

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 Grade Adjustment, 𝑓𝑓𝐺𝐺

𝑉𝑉𝑖𝑖
Use
𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃

Separate, detailed method for

mountainous terrain in HCM

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ET and ER - PCE for Heavy Vehicles

𝑉𝑉𝑖𝑖
Use
𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃

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 LOS for 2-Lane Highways
1. Determine FFS
– Measured in field (and adjusted for flow) or
– Calculated from road geometry
2. Determine analysis flow rates in each direction
– Different for ATS and PTSF calculations
3. Calculate service measures
– ATS
– PTSF
– PFFS = ATS/FFS

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 Average Travel Speed

𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 = 𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹 − 0.00776 (𝑣𝑣𝑑𝑑 + 𝑣𝑣𝑜𝑜) − 𝑓𝑓𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛

• vd – analysis direction flow rate in pc/h

• Using fg & fhv for ATS
• vo – opposing direction flow rate in pc/h
• Using fg & fhv for ATS
• fnp - Adjustment for no passing zones for ATS

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𝑓𝑓𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 for ATS

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 Percent Time Spent Following
𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝑑𝑑 = 100(1 − exp[𝑎𝑎 𝑣𝑣𝑑𝑑𝑏𝑏])
𝑣𝑣𝑑𝑑
𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 = 𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝑑𝑑 + 𝑓𝑓𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛
𝑣𝑣𝑑𝑑 + 𝑣𝑣𝑜𝑜
• a,b are constants from a table (see next slide)
• vd – analysis direction flow rate in pc/h
• Using fg & fhv for PTSF
• vo – opposing direction flow rate in pc/h
• Using fg & fhv for PTSF
• fnp - Adjustment for no passing zones for PTSF

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Parameters for BPTSF

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𝑓𝑓𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 for PTSF

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LOS

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 Example
Find the LOS of a Class I two-lane highway with:
– Demand volume of 1,600 veh/hr (both directions)
– Directional split of 50/50;
– PHF=0.95
– 50% no-passing zones (both directions)
– Rolling terrain
– 14% trucks, 4% RV’s
– 11-ft lane widths
– 4-ft shoulders
– 20 access points/mi
– 60 mph BFFS

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