CE 532
HIGHWAY GEOMETRIC
DESIGN
Jeewana Meegahage
Design Engineer
RDA 1
OUTLINE
1. INTRODUCTION
2. BASIC DESIGN CRITERIA
3. CROSS SECTION OF ROAD
4. SIGHT DISTANCE
5. HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT
6. SUPERELEVATION
7. VERTICAL ALIGNMENT
8. HORIZONTAL VERTICAL COORDINATION
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1. INTRODUCTION
• Geometric Design
• An integral part of Highway Engineering
• Concerned with the positioning of physical elements according to standards
and constraints.
The basic objectives in the geometric design are to optimize efficiency and
safety while minimizing cost and environmental damage.
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Elements of design
Horizontal
Alignment
Vertical
Alignment
Cross Section
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Design Standards
Design standards help us to achieve our design goals.
• Developed by Engineering professionals by considering requirements of road
users and other stakeholders
• Adopted by various countries/states/authorities to design roads
• Ensure optimum safety & Comfort for the road users
• Maintain the consistency of a road network within a country, Province or state.
• Provide an economically efficient design.
• Mitigate the environmental impacts.
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Examples for design standards
• Geometric Design Standards of Roads, 1998 (Road Development Authority) - Sri
Lanka)
• Geometric Design Standards Of Expressways, 2017 (Road Development
Authority) - Sri Lanka
• Guide to Road Design Part 3, 2015 (Austroads 2015) - Australia
• Geometric Design of Highways and Streets,2018 (aka AASHTO 2018) (American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) - USA
Design standards are periodically updated to provide more satisfactory design
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Road Functional classification
Two Basic Functions of Roads
1. Provide mobility between centers
2. Provide access to land and properties
Expressways
A,B Class Roads
C,D,E Class Roads
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Road System in Sri Lanka
Road Class Description
Expressways have an exclusive function of carrying traffic within cities. Fully access
E controlled high speed roads. Provide high level of safety and efficiency.
Main Arteries or long distance routes for moving traffic between major cities and towns
A
AB/AC Road with shorter length but strategically important
Distribute traffic between residential areas, town centers and feed the “A” class roads
B
Main collectors/ distributors within any zone of the area that feed the “A” and “B” class
C roads
D&E Provide access to settlements and villages
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2. BASIC DESIGN CRITERIA
The basic factors influencing the design are;
• Functional Classification and Level of access control
• Topography, Land use & Physical Features
• Traffic volume, Capacity and composition
• Safety Considerations
• Geological, Climatic & Drainage considerations
• Environmental considerations
• Economy & Financial considerations
• Design speed, Design Life & Design Vehicle
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Design Vehicle
• The geometric design of the road directly depends on the design
vehicle.
• Design vehicle of a road can be considered as the largest vehicle
which often travels on that particular road.
Source : RDA Geometric Design Guidelines, 1998
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3. CROSS SECTION OF ROAD
• Main elements of cross section
• Carriageway
• Shoulder
• Drain
• Center median
• Reservation for services
• Right of Way (RoW)
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Carriageway
• The surface which vehicles are expected to run
• Classified as single lane, two lane etc.
• Desirable lane width = 3.7m
• Absolute minimum width of road = 3.1m
• Width of design vehicle = 2.1m-2.6m
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Shoulder
• Also called as hard shoulder
• Width between edge of carriageway to the edge of usable formation
• Use for emergency manoeuvring and parking
• Shoulder width
• Desirable shoulder width = 3m
• Minimum shoulder width = 2.4m
• Absolute minimum shoulder width = 1.8m
Note
Width of the gravel area which is outside the
shoulder is called the soft shoulder or verge.
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Drains
• Use for efficient disposal of water
• Mainly rectangular or trapezoidal
• Usual drain widths 0.6m, 0.9m, 1.2m
• For earth drains maximum side slope = 1H: 4V
• Catch drains are used in high side cuttings
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Centre median
• Used in 4 lane or multi lane roads
• To avoid hazardous conditions from opposing traffic
• Minimum width of centre median = 1.2m
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Reservation for services
• Provides separate from carriageway or shoulder
• Width depending on the number of services incorporated
• Minimum width is 0.6m
Right of Way (RoW)
• Clear width required to accommodate all facilities of road including
future widening
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Fill slope and cut slope
• General fill slope 1.5H:1V
• General cut slope 1H:4V
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Crossfall (Camber)
• Purpose is to drain-out water on pavement surface
• Shoulder crossfall is steeper than carriageway crossfall.
• Crossfall varies with type of materials used
• General crossfalls
• Asphalt concrete = 2.5%
• Portland cement concrete = 2%
• unsealed gravel = 4%
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