ISU MODULE

Subject: CE 312 and Highway and Railroad Engineering

1. Title of the Module

Chapter 3: Design Criteria for Highways and Railways
2. Introduction
This chapter tackles the criteria that will be considered on the design of
highways and railways.

3. Learning Outcome
Upon successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
 Learn the basic design controls and criteria associated with highways and
railways
4. Learning Content
Topic 1: Design Controls and Criteria

In order to design highways, the designers must have an understanding of the basic design
controls and criteria associated with the highways. Besides the highway functional classification,
other important design controls and criteria are as follows:
Vehicles
Design Vehicles, Physical Characteristics and performance.
Drivers and Pedestrians
Characteristics of drivers and pedestrians, performance of drivers and pedestrians
Traffic
Design speed, Design LOS, Traffic volume, design hourly volume, peak hour factor,
design designation, etc.
Design Vehicles
- Key controls in geometric design are the physical characteristics and proportions of vehicles
of various sizes using the highway
- Design vehicles are the selected vehicles with representative weight, dimensions and
operating characteristics used to establish highway design controls for accommodating
vehicles of designated classes.
- Each design vehicle has larger physical dimensions and a larger minimum turning radius than
most vehicles in that class

Vehicle Performance
- Acceleration and deceleration rates of vehicles are often the critical parameters in
determining highway design for intersections, freeway ramps, climbing or passing lanes and
turnout bays for buses.

Driver Performance
- Designer should consider driver performance in their geometric design.
- A transportation- based human factor theory is critical in guiding designers to understand
driver’s needs when they drive on roads.
- Performances of different age groups are different. Older drivers have special needs.
- Each driver when driving will handle three types of information: control, Guidance and
Navigation
 Traffic Characteristics
- Design of highway and its features should be based on explicit consideration of the traffic
volumes, design speed and traffic-related characteristics to be served.
- Traffic volumes indicate the need for the improvement and directly affect the geometric
design features, such as number of lanes, widths, alignments and grades.

Traffic Flow Relationships

- Traffic Density, Flow rate and speed are inter-related
- Density is the number of vehicles per unit length of roadway and is used as the measure of
quality of traffic service for freeways and multilane highways.

Topic 2: Capacity and Level of Service of Highways

 Capacity
- Is the maximum hourly rate at which persons or vehicles can reasonably be expected to
traverse a point during a given time under prevailing roadway and traffic conditions.
- Each highway facility has its own capacity in handling persons or vehicles. Highway Capacity
Analysis is often done using Highway Capacity Manual for three purposes:
a) Transportation planning studies to assess the adequacy or sufficient of an existing
facility or a highway network to serve current traffic.
b) Highway design to select highway type and number of lanes
c) Traffic operational analysis to identify bottleneck locations

Level of Service
- LOS intends to relate the quality of traffic service to given volumes (or flow rates) of
traffic.
- The parameters selected to define LOS for each facility type are called measures of
effectiveness (MOE).
Topic 3: Pedestrians and Pedestrian Facilities
  Interactions of pedestrians with traffic are a major consideration in highway planning
and design.

 Pedestrian facilities normally include

Sidewalks, crosswalks, traffic control measures, curb cuts and ramps
for the elder walkers and persons with mobility impairments

Bus stops or other loading areas, sidewalks on grade separation,

stairs, elevators, and escalators related to highways

 Pedestrian facilities have their own capacity. Sidewalks are measured based on the
available area per person. Others are defined in the AASHTO Guide for the planning,
Design and Operation of Pedestrian facilities.

Pedestrian Characteristics
- Pedestrians tend to walk in a path representing the shortest distance between two
points
- Pedestrians have a basic resistance to changes in grade or elevation when crossing
roadways and tend to avoid using special underpass or overpass pedestrian facilities.

Topic 4: Bicycle and Bicycle Facilities

 Bicycle has become an important element for consideration in the highway design
process

Topic 5: Railway Design Criteria

 Safe to operate under all weather conditions

 Minimum cost for:
- Construction
- Maintenance
- Operation
 Several critical design considerations
- Speed, type and volume of traffic
- Space considerations (Right of way)
- Environmental concerns
- Political land use issues
- Other economic criteria
 Critical issues
- Maximum curvature determines speed
- Speed (required) determines curvature
- Terrain governs size of curves
 - Train tonnage and maximum lengths
- Traffic volumes and train makeup for capacity (number of tracks, density of crossovers,
etc.)

5. Teaching and Learning Activities

Activity: Essay

1. Why is it important to consider this criteria's in designing highways and railways?

2. In your own opinion, is it important for a country to develop their infrastructure if this will
affect the environment?

6. Recommended learning materials and resources for supplementary reading.

All related Highway and Traffic Engineering & Railroad Engineering books are
recommended for reading

7. Flexible Teaching Learning Modality (FTLM) adopted

Online (synchronous)
//Edmodo, google classroom, moodle, schoology, Podcast etc..
Remote (asynchronous)
//module, essay activities, etc…

9. References (at least 3 references preferably copyrighted within the last 5 years,
alphabetically arranged)

Garber, Nicholas J, Traffic and Highway Engineering , 2020

Besavilla, Venancio I., Jr. Basic Fundamntals of Transportation, Highway Engineering

and Surveying , 2016

Pyrgidis, Christos N Railway transportation system , 202

ISUE__ __ Syl ___
Revision: 02
Effectivity: August 1, 2020