MODULE 1 OVERVIEW

(CE 515, CE 110 – Transportation

Engineering)
Mobility is a basic human need.
From the times immemorial, everyone
INTRODUCTION TO travels either for food or leisure.
TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND Transportation fulfills these basic needs of
ENGINEERING humanity. Transportation plays a major
role in the development of the human
civilization.
This module presents the basic
concepts of transportation engineering
and transportation planning, elements of
transportation planning, including
transportation surveys and studies.
Engr. Leo M. Sauro, D.M.
(+63)-9451136579
leomsauro@gmail.com LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this module, you
should be able to define and recognize
concepts of transportation engineering
and transportation planning, its elements,
process and studies conducted.

INTRODUCTION

Transportation has always played

an essential role in the development of
society, originally with regard to trade
routes and harbors, but more recently
with regard to land- and air-based
systems as well. It is the transportation
engineer's responsibility to plan, design,
build, operate and maintain these
systems of transport, in such a way as to
provide for the safe, efficient and
convenient movement of people and
goods.
Transportation helps shape an
area’s economic health and quality of life.
Not only does the transportation system
provide for the mobility of people and
goods, it also influences patterns of
growth and economic activity by providing
access to land. The performance of the
system affects public policy concerns like
air quality, environmental resource
consumption, social equity, land use,

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urban growth, economic development,
safety, and security.

Transportation Engineering

Transportation
engineering or transport engineering is
the application of technology and scientific
principles to the planning, functional
design, operation and management of
facilities for any mode of transportation in
order to provide for the safe, efficient,
rapid, comfortable,
convenient, economical, and
environmentally compatible movement of
people and goods transport.

Transportation engineering, as
practiced by civil engineers, primarily
involves planning, design, construction,
maintenance, and operation of
transportation facilities. The facilities
support air, highway, railroad, pipeline,
water, and even space transportation. The
design aspects of transportation
engineering include the sizing of
transportation facilities (how many lanes
or how much capacity the facility has),
determining the materials and thickness
used in pavement designing the geometry
(vertical and horizontal alignment) of the
roadway (or track).

Transportation Planning

Transportation planning in its very

simplest form consists of those activities
that collect information on the
performance of the existing transportation
system; forecast future performance
levels given expected changes to key
factors such as land use, price of fuel, and
growth in employment; and identify
possible solutions to expected problems in
system performance. At its most complex,
transportation planning can include myriad
activities associated with gaining
consensus on recommended actions,

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undertaking numerous technical activities
at many different scales of analysis to
pinpoint expected problems, and
processing large amount of data
associated with system performance and
travel behavior.

Transportation planning recognizes

the critical links between transportation
and other societal goals. The planning
process is more than merely listing
highway and transit capital projects. It
requires developing strategies for
operating, managing, maintaining, and
financing the area’s transportation system
in such a way as to advance the area’s
long-term goals.

Why plan transportation?

Transportation is, for better or

worse, a public enterprise with long lasting
consequences for decisions. There exist
economies of coordination which may
(but not necessarily) be difficult to achieve
in the absence of planning. For instance,
we want to ensure that roads from two
different counties meet at the county line.

What is a transportation planning

process?

Transportation planning is a
cooperative process designed to foster
involvement by all users of the system,
such as the business community,
community groups, environmental
organizations, the traveling public, freight
operators, and the general public, through
a proactive public participation process

Transportation planning is primarily a

process of producing information that can
be used by decision makers to better
understand the consequences of different
courses of action.

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Basic Elements of Transportation
Planning

The transportation planning

process comprises seven basic elements,
which are interrelated and not necessarily
carried out sequentially. The information
acquired in one phase of the process may
be helpful in some earlier or later phase,
so there is a continuity of effort that should
eventually result in a decision. The
elements in the process are:

● Situation definition
● Problem definition
● Search for solutions
● Analysis of performance
● Evaluation of alternatives
● Choice of project
● Specification and construction

Situation Definition

The first step in the planning

process is situation definition, which
involves all of the activities required to
understand the situation that gave rise to
the perceived need for a transportation
improvement. In this phase, the basic
factors that created the present situation
are described, and the scope of the
system to be studied is delineated. The
present system is analyzed and its
characteristics are described. Information
about the surrounding area, its people and
their travel habits may be obtained.

Problem Definition

The purpose of this step is to

describe the problem in terms of the
objectives to be accomplished by the
project and to translate those objectives
into criteria that can be quantified.
Objectives are statements of purpose,
such as to reduce traffic congestion; to

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improve safety; to maximize net highway- criteria or measures of effectiveness.
user benefits; and to reduce noise. Environmental effects of the transportation
Criteria are the measures of effectiveness project (such as noise and air pollution
that can be used to quantify the extent to levels and acres of land required) are
which a proposed transportation project estimated
will achieve the stated objectives. For
example, the objective “to reduce traffic
congestion” might use “travel time” as the
measure of effectiveness.

Search for Solutions

In this phase of the planning
process, consideration is given to a
variety of ideas, designs, locations, and
system configurations that might provide
solutions to the problem. This is the
brainstorming stage, in which many
options may be proposed for later testing
and evaluation. Alternatives can be
proposed by any group or organization. In
fact, the planning study may have been
originated to determine the feasibility of a
particular project or idea, such as adding
bike lanes to reduce traffic volumes.

Analysis of Performance

The purpose of performance

analysis is to estimate how each of the
proposed alternatives would perform
under present and future conditions. The
criteria identified in the previous steps are
calculated for each transportation option.
Included in this step is a determination of
the investment cost of building the
transportation project as well as annual
costs for maintenance and operation. This
element also involves the use of
mathematical models for estimating travel
demand. The number of persons or
vehicles that will use the system is
determined, and these results, expressed
in vehicles or persons/hour, serve as the
basis for project design. Other information
about the use of the system (such as trip
length, travel by time of day, and vehicle
occupancy) are also determined and used
in calculating user benefits for various

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 Once the transportation project has
been selected, the project moves into a
detailed design phase in which each of
. These non-user impacts are calculated the components of the facility is specified.
in situations where the transportation For a transportation facility, this involves
project could have significant impacts on its physical location, geometric
the community or as required by law. dimensions, and structural configuration.
Design plans are produced that can be
used by contractors to estimate the cost of
Evaluation of Alternatives building the project. When a construction
firm is selected, these plans will be the
The purpose of the evaluation basis on which the project will be built.
phase is to determine how well each
alternatives will achieve the objectives of
the project as define by the criteria. The
performance data produced in the
analysis phase are used to compute the
benefits and costs that will result if the
project is selected. In cases where the
results cannot be reduced to a single
monetary value, a weighted ranking for
each alternative might be produced and
compared with other proposed projects.

Choice of Project

Project selection is made after

considering all the factors involved. In a
simple situation, for example, where the
project has been authorized and is in the
design phase, a single criterion (such as
cost) might be used and the chosen
project would be the one with the lowest
cost. With a more complex project,
however, many factors have to be
considered, and selection is based on
how the results are perceived by those
involved in decision-making. If the project
involves the community, it may be
necessary to hold additional public
hearings. It is possible that none of the
alternatives will meet the criteria or
standards, and additional investigations
will be necessary.

Specification and Construction

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 Transportation Planning Studies

● A transportation planning study is a

process that identifies existing and
potential deficiencies. It analyzes
and evaluates alternative solutions
to these deficiencies in terms of
their social, environmental,
economic, and land use impact.

● Planning studies must result in a

Transportation planning may also
include a number of steps:
• Monitoring existing conditions;
• Forecasting future population and
employment growth, including
assessing projected land uses in
the region and identifying major
growth corridors;
clear set of decisions to mark the
end of the planning and the
beginning of the project
development stage.
Recommendations are made to
identify which project alternatives
need further analysis and which
can be reasonably promoted for
more detailed evaluation.

• Identifying current and projected

future transportation problems and
needs and analyzing, through
detailed planning studies, various
transportation improvement
strategies to address those needs;

• Developing long-range plans and

short-range programs of alternative
capital improvement and
operational strategies for moving
people and goods;

• Estimating the impact of

recommended future improvements
to the transportation system on
environmental features, including
air quality; and

• Developing a financial plan for

securing sufficient revenues to
cover the costs of implementing
strategies.

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 ● Population and its distribution in
each village, town or other locality
with the area classified in groups.
● Trend of population growth
● Agricultural and industrial products
and their listing in classified groups,
area wise.
● Industrial and agricultural
development and future trends.
● Existing facilities with regard to
communication, recreation and
education etc.
● Per capita income
 

Financial Studies

The financial studies are essential

to study the various financial aspects like
sources of income and the manner in
which funds for the project may be
mobilized. The details to be collected
include:

● Sources of income and estimated

Planning Surveys
The field surveys thus required for
collecting the factual data may be called
as planning surveys or fact finding
surveys. The planning based on the
factual data may be considered scientific
and sound. The planning surveys consist
of the following studies:
revenue from taxation on road
transport.
● Living standard
● Resources at local level, toll taxes,
vehicle registration and fines.
● Future trends in financial aspects.

● Economic studies
● Financial studies
● Traffic or road use studies
● Engineering studies

Economic Studies

All details of the existing facilities

should be available before estimating the
requirement such that economic
justification can be made for each plan.
The details to be collected include the
following:

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 ● Accidents, their cost analysis and
causes
● Future trend and growth in traffic
volume and goods traffic, trends in
traffic pattern
● Growth of passenger trips and the
trend in the choice of modes

Engineering Studies

All details of topography, soil and other

problems such as drainage, construction
and maintenance problems should be
investigated before a scientific plan or
program is suggested. The studies
include:

● Topographic surveys
● Soil surveys
● Location and classification of
existing roads
● Estimation of possible
developments in all aspect due to
the proposed highway development
● Road life studies
● Traffic studies – origin and
destination studies
● Special problems in drainage,
construction and maintenance of
roads.
 

Traffic or Road Use Studies

All the details of the existing traffic,

their volume and pattern of flow should be
known before any improvement could be
planned. Traffic surveys should be carried
out in the whole area and on selected
routes and locations in order to collect the
following particulars:

● Traffic volume in vehicles per day,

annual average daily traffic, peak
and design hourly traffic volume.
● Origin and destination studies
● Traffic flow pattern
● Mass transportation facilities

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STUDENT ACTIVITY.
Identify in your locality existing and
potential transportation deficiencies that
need transportation planning. Suppose
that you are the transportation engineer in
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that locality, discuss the transportation
planning process to address, analyzes
and evaluates alternative solutions to
these deficiencies.
(
Note:
Use A4 size bond paper for your answer
sheets. (Do not forget to write your Name,
Subject, Module # and the name of locality
you are discussing)
Submit your Student Activity/Assessment
(hardcopy and handwritten) to
* Engr. Leo M. Sauro @ 274 Hillside Drive
UEP Zone III
* College of Engineering Faculty Room or
* thru the UEP municipal link
on or before Sept 8, 2021.
FEEDBACK
I hope you were able to recognize
my dear student the importance of
transportation in our daily activities much
more on the economy of the country.
I leave you with the following
excerpt from a speech made by Herbert
C. Hoover, Engineer and 31st President of
the United States:
Engineering is a great profession. There
is the fascination of watching a figment of
the imagination emerge through the aid of
science to a plan on paper. Then it moves
to realization in stone or metal or energy.
Then it brings jobs and homes to men.
Then it elevates the standards of living
and ads to the comforts of life. That is the
engineer’s high privilege.
SUMMARY
Transportation are so interwoven
with every phase of our daily activities for
the movement of goods, for travel to and
from work, for services, for social and
recreational purposes, and for many other
activities necessary to the functioning of
our complex society.
Transportation
engineering or transport engineering is
the application of technology and scientific
principles to the planning, functional
design, operation and management of
facilities for any mode of transportation in
order to provide for the safe, efficient,
rapid, comfortable, convenient,
economical, and environmentally
compatible movement of people and
goods transport.

Transportation planning in its

very simplest form consists of those
activities that collect information on the
performance of the existing transportation
system; forecast future performance
levels given expected changes to key
factors such as land use, price of fuel, and
growth in employment; and identify
possible solutions to expected problems in
system performance.

Basic Elements of Transportation

Planning

The transportation planning

process comprises seven basic elements,
which are interrelated and not necessarily
carried out sequentially. These are:

● Situation definition
● Problem definition
● Search for solutions
● Analysis of performance
● Evaluation of alternatives
● Choice of project
● Specification and construction

Transportation Planning Surveys

The field surveys thus required for

collecting the factual data may be called
as planning surveys or fact finding

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surveys. The planning surveys consist of
the following studies:

● Economic studies
● Financial studies
● Traffic or road use studies
● Engineering studies

REFERENCES

Wright, Paul H., Dixon, Karen K. (2004).

HIGHWAY ENGINEERING. John Wiley &
Sons (Asia) Pte. Ltd.

Garber, Nicholas J., Hoel, Lester A.

(2012). TRAFFIC AND HIGHWAY
ENGINEERING. CENGAGE Learning
(Asia) Pte. Ltd.

http://www.engineeringenotes.com/
transportation-engineering/highway-
planning-intro-objectives-principle-
process-necessity-and-importance/48327

https://transportgeography.org/?
page_id=247

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Transportation_engineering

https://www.changing-transport.org/wp-
content/uploads/TCC-
Week_Philippines_State-of-Public-
Transport-Systems.pdf

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