CEE 301

Highway Engineering
Lecture 7

Geometric Design of Highways

Dr. Waqas Rafiq

COMSATS University Islamabad, Wah Campus
Horizontal Alignment
Horizontal Alignment
 Specifies the alignment of points along a roadway
 Objective: Geometry of directional transition to
ensure safety and comfort
 Primary challenge
◦ Transition between two directions
◦ Horizontal curves
 Fundamentals
◦ Circular curves
◦ Superelevation
Horizontal Alignment
 Along circular path, vehicle undergoes centripetal
acceleration towards center of curvature (lateral
acceleration)
 Balanced by superelevation and weight of vehicle
(friction between tire and roadway).
 Design based on appropriate relationship between
design speed and curvature and their relationship with
side friction and superelevation
Superelevation
Superelevation
Superelevation
 Super elevation is tilting the roadway to help offset
centripetal forces developed as the vehicle goes
around a curve
Superelevation
 In actual design of a horizontal curve, the engineer must
select appropriate values of e and fs.
 Superelevation value ‘e’ is critical since
◦ high rates of super‐elevation can cause vehicle steering
problems at exits on horizontal curves
◦ and in cold climates, ice on road ways can reduce fs and
vehicles are forced inwardly off the curve by gravitational
forces.
◦ Values of ‘e’ and ‘fs’ can be obtained from AASHTO
standards
Selection of e and fs
 Controlled by 4 factors:
◦ Climate conditions (amount of ice and snow)
◦ Terrain (flat, rolling, mountainous)
◦ Frequency of slow moving vehicles which might be
influenced by high super elevation rates
◦ Highest super‐elevation in common use = 10%, 12%
with no ice and snow on low volume gravel‐surfaced
roads
 8% is logical maximum to minimized slipping by
stopped vehicles
Selection of e and fs

 Practical limits on superelevation (e)

◦ Climate
◦ Constructability
◦ Adjacent land use
 Side friction factor (fs) variations
◦ Vehicle speed
◦ Pavement texture
◦ Tire condition
Min Radius
Design Side Friction Factors
 Low-Speed Urban Managed Access Highways
Design Superelevation Rates
Design Superelevation Rates ‐ AASHTO
Example ‐ Superelevation
 A roadway is being designed for a speed of 70
mi/h. At a horizontal curve, it is known that the
superelevation is 8.0% and the coefficient of
side friction is 0.1. Determine the min radius of
curve (measured to the traveled path) that will
provide for safe vehicle operation.
Design of Horizontal Curve
 There are few options available for curve types to
connect tangent sections:
◦ Simple circular curve
◦ Reverse curves
◦ Compound curve
◦ Spiral curve
 The circular curve has a single, constant radius.
 This course will just focus on the simple circular curve
(because it is fundamental to horizontal curve design).
Design of Horizontal Curve
Design of Horizontal Curve
Stopping Sight Distance‐ Horizontal
Curve
Example ‐ 5
 A horizontal curve is designed with a
2000‐ft radius. The curve has tangent
length of 400‐ft and PI is 103+00.
Determine the stationing of the PT.
RE‐CALL Design of Horizontal Curve
Example – 5 (cont‐‐‐)
 A horizontal curve is designed with a
2000‐ft radius. The curve has tangent
length of 400‐ft and PI is 103+00.
Determine the stationing of the PT.
Example ‐ 5 (cont‐‐‐)