CROSS - SECTIONS

6.1. Introduction

The cross section of a road includes some or all of the following elements:

• Traveled way (the portion of the roadway provided for the movement of
vehicles, exclusive of shoulders)
• Roadway (the portion of a highway, including shoulders, provided for vehicular
use)
• Median area (the physical or painted separation provided on divided highways
between two adjacent roadways)
• Bicycle and pedestrian facilities
• Utility and landscape areas
• Drainage channels and side slopes
• Clear zone width (i.e., the distance from the edge of the traveled way to either a
fixed obstacle or non traversable slope)

Considered as a single unit, all these cross section elements define the highway right of
way. The right of way can be described generally as the publicly owned parcel of land
that encompasses all the various cross section elements (see Figures 6.1 and 6.2).

Figure 6.1 Two lane rural highway cross section design features and terms.
 Figure 6.2 Urban highway cross section design features and terms

The most appropriate design for a highway improvement is the one that balances the
mobility needs of the people using the facility (motorists, pedestrians, or bicyclists) with
the physical constraints of the corridor within which the facility is located.

Figure 6.3. Lane for bicyclists

6.2. Cross Section Elements

Roadway cross sections include the elements shown below.

Figure 6.3. Cross-Section

Travel Lanes

Historically, 10-foot lanes were standard for "first-class" paved highways. Today, public
agencies prefer lane widths of 12 feet for designing freeways and major traffic arterials.
For two-lane highways, a 24-foot wide roadway is necessary for buses and commercial
vehicles to have sufficient clearance. As demonstrated in the module on Capacity and
Level of Service, lane width affects highway capacity. Anything less than 12 feet tends to
reduce speed. However, there are instances when existing rights of way and development
will control lane widths. These situations must be carefully evaluated in order to develop
the safest design. The number of lanes is determined by estimates of traffic volumes and
lane capacity, as discussed in the Capacity and Level of Service module.

Slopes usually fall in both directions from the centerline of two-lane highways. Each half
of a divided roadway is sloped individually and may be crowned separately as well.
Drivers barely perceive cross slopes up to 2 percent; 1.5 to 2 percent are common cross
slope values. Values greater than 2 percent can be unsafe.

Shoulders

The shoulder is the portion of the roadway between the outer edge of the traveled lane
and the inside edge of the ditch, gutter, curb, slope or median (in divided roadways). As
drivers, we all know the benefits of having adequate shoulder widths when our cars break
down. Shoulders also provide lateral support for pavement sub-base, base and surface
courses. Shoulder widths are usually determined by the traffic volume and the percent of
heavy vehicles. Shoulders vary in width from 2 feet to 6 feet on non-freeway roadways
and from 4 feet to 10 feet on freeways or other major roads. Shoulders are sloped so that
fluids drain away from the traveled roadway. In general, asphalt or concrete-paved
shoulders are sloped from 2 to 6 percent, gravel shoulders from 4 to 6 percent and turf
shoulders at about 8 percent.
In addition to the dimensions of shoulders, designers have choices to make about the
materials used. Shoulders may be surfaced for either their full or partial widths. Some of
the commonly used materials include gravel, shell, crushed rock, mineral or chemical
additives, bituminous surface treatments, and various forms of asphaltic or concrete
pavements.

(a) Gravel (b) Paved

(c) Concrete (d) Grass with sidewalk

Figure 6.4. Various shoulder treatments

Shoulders represent an important element in roadway drainage systems by carrying

surface runoff away from the travel lanes into either open or closed drainage systems. A
variety of design treatments have been used to accommodate roadway drainage across
shoulder areas. In rural and suburban areas, the most common technique allows surface
runoff to cross over the shoulder and go directly into drainage ditches running parallel to
the roadway edge.

Figure 6.5. Use of paved shoulder, asphalt curbing, and closed drainage system along a rural minor
arterial
 Figure 6. 5.a. Graded and usable Shoulders

Side slopes

The purpose of side slopes is to provide a transition from the roadway shoulder to the
original ground surface. Fore slopes extend from the shoulder edge to a drainage ditch or
directly to the ground surface, depending on the terrain. Back slopes extend from the
outside edge of the drainage ditch to ground surface or to the "cut" surface of a roadside.
AASHTO states that fore slopes steeper than 3:1 (33%) are recommended only where
conditions do not permit the use of flatter slopes. Back slopes steeper than 3:1 may be
difficult to maintain and need to be evaluated with regard to slope stability.

Figure 6.6 Typical Slope

Medians

An important consideration in the design of any multilane highway is whether to provide

a median and, if one is provided, what the dimensions should be. The primary functions
of highway medians are to:
 • Separate opposing traffic flows
• Provide a recovery area for out of control vehicles
• Allow space for speed changes and left turning and U turning vehicles
• Minimize headlight glare
• Provide width for future lanes (particularly in suburban areas)
• Provide a space for landscape planting that is in keeping with safety needs and
improves the aesthetics of the facility
• Provide a space for barriers.

Depending on agency practice and specific location requirements, medians may be

depressed, raised, or flush with the surface of the traveled way. Medians should have a
dimension that is in balance with the other elements of the total highway cross section.
The general range of median widths is from 1.2 m (4 ft), usually in urban areas, to 24 m
(80 ft) or more, in rural areas. An offset of at least a 500 mm (1.5 ft) should be provided
between any vertical element located within the median, such as a curb or barrier, and the
edge of the adjacent traveled lane.

Figure 6. 7 A landscaped median

Curbs

Used primarily in urban and suburban environments, curbs can serve some or all of the
following functions:

• Drainage control
• Roadway edge delineation
• Right of way reduction
• Aesthetics
• Delineation of pedestrian walkways
• Reduction of maintenance operations
• Assistance in roadside development.

There are basically two types of curbs: barrier and mountable. Flexibility in the use of
either type is a handy tool for a highway designer when defining the cross section of an
improvement project. Barrier type curbs are not, however, recommended for projects
with design speeds above 65 km/h (40 mph).

Curbs can be constructed from a variety of materials, including concrete, asphalt, and cut
stone. Figure 6.7 illustrates a variety of commonly used barrier and mountable curbs.

Figure 6. 8 Examples of barrier and mountable curbs.

Sidewalks and Pedestrian Paths

The safe and efficient accommodation of pedestrians along the traveled way is equally
important as the provisions for vehicles. Too often, pedestrians are a secondary
consideration in the design of roadways, particularly in suburban areas. Although
sidewalks are an integral part of city streets, they are much more rare in rural areas and
provided only sporadically in suburban areas, despite data that suggest that providing
sidewalks along highways in rural and suburban areas results in a reduction in pedestrian
accidents.
Figure 6. 9 Sidewalks can be located next to a planted strip or flush with the roadside edge.

When considering the placement of sidewalks, designers have several options. The
sidewalk can either be placed flush with the roadside edge (if a curb is provided) or
next to a buffer area, such as a planted strip (usually of grass or plant material),
located between the sidewalk and roadside.

Figure 6. 10 The wider the sidewalk, the more room there is for street furniture,
trees, utilities, and pedestrians.
 Figure 6.11 Sidewalks can be built with a variety of shapes and materials.

Figure 6.12. Pedestrian barriers can provide safety by separating pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

Figure 6.13 Street trees and light fixtures are carefully lined to one side of the sidewalk to provide the
widest possible space for pedestrians
Accommodating Bicycles

Basically, there are five types of bicycle facilities:

• Shared lane - a "standard width" travel lane that both bicycles and motor vehicles
share
• Wide outside lane - an outside travel lane with a width of at least 4.2 m (14 ft) to
accommodate both bicyclists and motorized vehicles
• Bicycle lane - a portion of the roadway designated by striping, signing, and/or
pavement markings for preferential or exclusive use by bicycles and/or other non
motorized vehicles
• Shoulder - a paved portion of the roadway to the right of the traveled way
designed to serve bicyclists, pedestrians and others
• Multiuse path - a facility that is physically separated from the roadway and
intended for use by bicyclists, pedestrians, and others

Figure 6.14 A multiuse path

Figure 6.15. The shoulders were specifically designed to accommodate bicycle traffic
 Existing conditions.

Proposed continuous left turn lane design

Proposed continuous left and right turn lane design.

Proposed channelized and raised median design.

Figure 6.16 Computer visualization showing proposed design concepts