CEE531

TRANSPORTATION
ENGINEERING

1
 HIGHWAY PLANNING

Highway planning:
- is concerned with the orderly
development of a functional
and economical highway
network to provide for present
and future needs
 HIGHWAY FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Land access roads: provide access to property, traffic volume is

low

2. Collectors: provide access to higher type roads, these include

primary county hwys and secondary urban arterial hwys and other
collector roads
 HIGHWAY FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION

3. Major Arterial: provide primarily for relatively high volumes of traffic

between population centers, this includes primary state hwys and
major urban arterial hwys

4. Freeways: they connect large population centers, carrying heavy

volumes of traffic, long distance in and around metropolitan area,
provide no access to abutting property
 ROAD INVENTORY
A rural road inventory includes:

1. Location of boundary lines of all governmental units.

2. Cultural feature adjacent to roadway.
3. Description of roadway features (width, ROW, etc.)
4. Riding quality and physical condition of surface roadway.
5. Bridges of more than 20 ft span and grade separation.
6. Railway crossings.
7. State highways and other important roads (sight distance,
superelevation, clearance,…etc).
8. Services provided by highways (mailboxes, phones, …etc).
9. Land use information.
 TRAFFIC STUDIES

- Traffic studies provide information on:

1. Fundamental characteristics of traffic flow (volume, classification,

size, weight, speed, lateral placement, auto occupancy).
2. Behavior and desires of drivers.
3. Traffic capabilities of highway facilities.
 TRAFFIC VOLUME COUNTS

- Basic Types of Traffic Volume Counts:

1. Continuous Count
2. Seasonal Count
3. Coverage Count
4. Classification Count
 BASIC TYPES OF TRAFFIC VOLUME COUNTS, CONT.

1. Continuous Count:
Obtained by installing an automatic detector for counting and
recording the number of vehicles passing the location each
hour or less on a daily basis throughout the year and over a
number of years

2. Seasonal Count:
Obtained by installing an automatic detector for counting and
recording the number of vehicles passing the location for seven
consecutive days and repeated on a schedule for four, six or 12
times a year
 BASIC TYPES OF TRAFFIC VOLUME COUNTS, CONT.

3. Coverage Count:
To provide volume at sufficient number of locations by installing an automatic traffic
detectors for a period of 24 or 48 consecutives hours, usually once a year

4. Classification Counts:
In addition to the volume counts, vehicles should be classified as to type and
counted on integrated schedule, this includes weekdays and weekends
classifications (6:00 AM to 10:00PM)
 FINANCIAL PLANNING STUDIES

Road use, road life, and sufficiency studies are important in determining the continued
fiscal needs, costs, and benefits of improvements.

Road Use Study:

Identifies the amount and characteristics of traffic using the highway.
Road Life Study:
determines the estimated average service life for each type of a highway surface..
Sufficiency Study:
evaluates the ability of the roadway to carry its quota of traffic in safe mode
 HIGHWAY NEEDS STUDIES

• Providing a summary of realistic needs,

• To inform the public of highway needs,
• To aid highway administrators in programming the required projects,
resources, and funds.
 FISC AL STUDY

• Such study evaluates the present fiscal policy of

the state and recommends to the legislature an
adequate and fair future policy based on hwy
needs.

• The fiscal study also investigates the portion of the

hwy tax burden that will be borne by the land, the
user, and the nonuser.
 HIGHWAY PROGRAMMING

• Priority programming is the rational

selection of proposed construction
projects on the basis of relative
agency.

• The next phase of programming is the

scheduling of both time and funds of
each functional class.

• Take projects in order of priority

 PROJECT SCHEDULING AND MONITORING

➢ One of the first steps is to identify and describe all of the activities that
are necessary for developing project from start to finish, this includes:

1) Actual work

2) Time for approval

3) Reviews

4) Coordination
 ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF THE SYSTEM

a) Activity list
b) A standard work flow diagram
c) progress reports
d) status reports
(showing relationship of progress to the schedule)
 BENEFITS OF THE WELL DESIGNED SCHEDULING

1. Assure scheduled dates are met.

2. Improve coordination between agencies and within the
department
3. Time saving
4. Permit timely use of funds
5. Allow sequencing of projects to better serve the users
6. Improve response to unforeseen conditions (e.g. funding cut, design
changes, ...etc)