TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING-I

PCCI4302
Lecture-1
Highway Development And Planning

Civil Engineering Department

College of Engineering and Technology(CET)

Bhubaneswar

Transportation engineering
Transportation
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 from one place to other.

MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
Basic mode of transportation are
Land
Roadway
railway

Water
Air

MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
Highways
Car, Bus, Truck, non- motorized ..etc

Railways
Passenger and Goods
Airways

Aircraft and Helicopters

Waterways
Ships, boats
Continuous Flow systems
Pipelines,belts,elevetor,ropewayetc.
Merits and Demerits: Based on accessibility, mobility, cost, tonnage..

Airways

Fastest among all other modes

More comfortable
Time saving
Uneconomical

Waterways
slowest among all other modes
It needs minimum energy to haul unit load
through unit distance.
This can be possible between ports on the sea
routes or along the river
economical

Railways
The transportation along the railways track
could be advantageous by railways between
the stations both for the passengers and
goods, particularly for long distance.
It depends upon the road transport i.e. road
could serve as a feeder system.
Energy require to haul a unit load through
unit distance by the railway is only to 1/5
of that required by road.
Safety

Highways
It gives the maximum service to one and all
It gives maximum flexibility for travel with reference
to route, direction, time and speed of travel
It provide door to door service
Other modes are depend on it
It requires small investment for the government
Motor vehicles are cheaper than other carriers like
rail locomotive and wagons
It saves the time for short distance
High degree of accident due to flexibility of
movement

Scope of highway engineering

Development, planning and location
Highway design, geometric and structure
Traffic performance and its control
Materials, construction and maintenance

Economic, finance and administration

ROLE /IMPACT OF TRANSPORTATION

Economic Development
Social Development

Spatial Development
Cultural Development
Political Development

Characteristics of road transport

Roads are used by various types of road vehicles,
like passenger cars, buses, trucks, pedal cycle and
animal drawn vehicle.
It requires a relatively small investment for the
government.
It offers a complete freedom to road users to
transfer the vehicle from one lane to another and
from one road to another according to need and
convenience.
Speed and movement is directly related with the
severity of accident.
Road transport is the only means of transport that
offers itself to the whole community alike.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF ROAD

CONSTRUCTION
Oldest mode
Foot paths- animal ways, cart path..
As civilization evolved the need for transportation
increased
ROMAN ROAD-(500 B.C.)
They were built straight regardless of gradient
They were built after the soft soil was removed and
a hard stratum was reached.
Thickness varies from 0.75 m to 1.2m

Roman Road Construction

Basic cross section

Modern Highway
Roman Roads

Other oldest road transport are

Tresaguet construction
Metcalf construction
Telford construction
Mecadam construction

Indian Roads
India has a large road network of over 3.314
million kilometers of roadways (2.1 million
miles), making it 3rd largest road network in the
world.

At 0.66 km of highway per square kilometer of

land the density of Indias highway network is
higher than that of the United States (0.65) and
far higher than that of China's (0.16) or Brazil's
(0.20).

Highway Development in India

Jayakar Committee (1927)
Central Road Fund (1929)

Indian Roads Congress (IRC), 1934

Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), 1950
Motor vehicle act (1936)

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI),1995

First twenty year road plan ( 1943-61 )
Second twenty year road plan ( 1961-81 )
Highway Research board ( 1973 )
National Transport Policy committee ( 1978 )
Third twenty year road plan ( 1981-2001 )

Jayakar Committee,1927
After the first World War, motor vehicle using the roads
increases, this demanded a better road network.
In 1927,Indian road development committee was appointed
by the government with M.R. Jaykar as chairman.
Road development in the country should be made as a
national interest since local govt. do not have financial and
technical capacity for road development.
An extra tax should be levied on petrol from road users to
create the road development fund.
To establish a semi-official ,technical institution to pool
technical knowledge, sharing of ideas and to act as an
advisory body.
To create a national level institution to carry research ,
development works and consultation.

Central road fund

It was formed on 1st march 1929
The consumers of petrol were charged an extra
leavy of 2.64 paisa per litre of petrol to built up
this road development fund.
From this 20% of annual reveneu is to be retain
as a central reveneu for research and
experimental work expenses..etc
Balance 80% is allowed by central govt. to
various states based on actual petrol
consumption or revenue collected.

Central Road Fund , 1929

CRF Act , 2000
Distribution of 100% cess on petrol as follows:
57.5% for NH
MORTH
30% for SH
12.5% for safety works on rail-Road crossing.

50% cess on diesel for Rural Road development

Indian Roads Congress, 1934

Central semi official body known as IRC was formed in
1934.
To provide national forum for regular pooling of
experience and ideas on matters related to construction
and maintenance of highways.
It is a active body controlling the specification,
standardization and recommendations on materials,
design of roads and bridges.
It publishes journals, research publications and standard
specifications guide lines.
To provide a platform for expression of professional
opinion on matters relating to roads and road transport.

Motor vehicle act

It was formed in 1939
To regulate the road traffic in the form of
traffic laws, ordinances and regulations.
Three phases primarily covered are
control of driver, vehicle ownership and
vehicle operation
It was revised on 1988

Central road research institute(1950)

engaged in carrying out research and development
projects.
design, construction and maintenance of roads and
runways, traffic and transportation planning of mega
and medium cities, management of roads in different
terrains,
Improvement of marginal materials.
Utilization of industrial waste in road construction.
Landslide control.
Ground improvements, environmental pollution.
Road traffic safety.

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways

Planning, development and maintenance of
National Highways in the country.
Extends technical and financial support to State
Governments for the development of state roads
and the roads of inter-state connectivity and
economic importance.
Evolves standard specifications for roads and
bridges in the country.
It stores the data related to technical knowledge
on roads and bridges.

Highway Research Board

To ascertain the nature and extent of
research required
To correlate research information from
various organisation in India and abroad.
To collect and correlation services.
To collect result on research
To channelise consultative services

Classification of Highways
Depending on weather
All weather roads
Fair weather roads
Depending the type of Carriage way
Paved roads(WBM)
Unpaved roads(earth
road or gravel road)
National highway act ( 1956 )
Depending upon the pavement surface
Surfaced roads(bituminous or cement concrete
road)
Un surfaced roads

Classification of Highways
Based on the Traffic Volume

Heavy
Medium
Light

Based on Load or Tonnage

Class 1 or Class 2 etc or Class A , B etc Tonnes per
day
Based on location and function ( Nagpur road plan )
National highway (NH)
State highway (SH)
Major district road (MDR)
Other district road (ODR)
Village road (VR)

Based on modified system of

Highways classification
Primary
Expressways
National Highways
Secondary
SH
MDR
Tertiary
ODR
VR

Expressways
Heavy traffic at high speed (120km/hr)
Land Width (90m)
Full access control
Connects major points of traffic generation
No slow moving traffic allowed
No loading, unloading,
parking.

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway as seen

from Khandala

National Highways
NH are the main highways running through the length and
breadth of India, connecting major parts,foreign
highways,capital of large states and large industrial and
tourist centres including roads required for strategic
movements for the defence of India.
The national highways have a total length of 70,548 kms.
Indian highways cover 2% of the total road network of India
and carry 40% of the total traffic.
The highway connecting Delhi-Ambala-Amritsar is denoted
as NH-1, whereas a bifurcation of this highway beyond
Jalandar to Srinagar and Uri is denoted NH-1-A
The longest highway in India is NH7 which stretches from
Varansi in Uttar Pradesh to Kanyakumari in the southern
most point of Indian mainland.

National Highways cont

The shortest highway is NH47A which stretches
from Ernakulam to Kochi and covers total length of
4 Kms.
Golden Quadrilateral (5,846 Kms) connecting DelhiKolkata-Chennai-Mumbai
NH-2 Delhi- Kol (1453 km)
NH 4,7&46 Che-Mum (1290km )

NH5&6 Kol- Che (1684 m)

NH 8 Del- Mum (1419 km)

State Highways
They are the arterial roads of a state,
connecting up with the national highways of
adjacent states, district head quarters and
important cities within the state.

Total length of all SH in the country is

1,37,119 Kms.
Speed 80 kmph

Major District Roads

Important roads with in a district serving
areas of production and markets ,
connecting those with each other or with
the major highways.
India has a total of 4,70,000 kms of MDR.
Speed 60-80kmph

Other district roads

serving rural areas of production and providing
them with outlet to market centers or other
important roads like MDR or SH.
Speed 50-60kmph

Village roads
They are roads connecting villages or group of
villages with each other or to the nearest road of a
higher category like ODR or MDR.
India has 26,50,000 kms of ODR+VR out of the
total 33,15,231 kms of all type of roads.
Speed-40-50kmph

Urban Road Classification

Arterial Roads
Sub Arterial
Collector
Local Street
Cul-de-sac
Pathway
Driveway

ARTERIAL
No frontage access, no standing vehicle,
very little cross traffic.
Design Speed : 80km/hr
Land width
: 50 60m
Divided roads with full or partial parking
Pedestrian allowed to walk only at
intersection

SUB ARTERIAL ROAD

Bus stops but no standing vehicle.

Less mobility than arterial.
Spacing for CBD : 0.5km
Design speed
: 60 km/hr
Land width
: 30 40 m

Collector Street
Collects and distributes traffic from local
streets
Provides access to arterial roads
Located in residential, business and
industrial areas.
Full access allowed.
Parking permitted.
Design speed : 50km/hr
Land Width : 20-30m

Local Street
Design Speed : 30km/hr.
Land Width
: 10 20m.
Primary access to residence, business or
other abutting property
Less volume of traffic at slow speed
Unrestricted parking, pedestrian
movements. (with frontage access, parked
vehicle, bus stops and no waiting
restrictions)

CULDE- SAC
Dead End Street with only one entry
access for entry and exit.
Recommended in Residential areas

Driveway
A driveway is a type of private road for local
access to one or a small group of structures, and
is owned and maintained by an individual or
group.
Driveways are commonly used as paths to
private garages, fuel stations, or houses

Road Patterns

Rectangular or Block patterns

Radial or Star block pattern
Radial or Star Circular pattern
Radial or Star grid pattern
Hexagonal Pattern
Minimum travel Pattern

First 20-years road plan(1943-63)

The conference of chief engineer held at Nagpur in
1943 finalized the first 20-years road development
plan for India called Nagpur road plan
Road network was classified into five categories.
The responsibility of construction maintenance of NH
was assign to central govt.
The target road length was 5,32,700 km at the end of
1961.
Density of about 16km of road length per 100 sq. km
area would be available in the country by the year
1963.

First 20-years road plan cont

The formulae were based on star and grid
pattern of road network.
An allowance of 15% is provided for
agricultural industrial development during the
next 20-years
The length of railway track in the area was
also consider in deciding the length of first
category road. The length or railway track is
directly subtracted from the estimated road
length of metalled roads.

Second 20-years road plan(1961-81)

It was initiated by the IRC and was finalised in
1959 at the meeting of chief engineers.
It is known as the Bombay road plan.
The target road length was almost double that
of Nagpur road plan i.e. 10,57,330 km.
Density about 32 km per 100 sq. km. and an
outlay of 5200 crores
Every town with population above 2000 in
plans and above 1000 in semi hill area and
above 500 in hilly area should be connected
by metalled road

Second 20-years road plan

cont

the maximum distance from any place in a

semi develop area would be 12.8 km from
metalled road and 4.8 from any road
Expressways have also been considered in
this plan and 1600km of length has been
included in the proposed target NH
Length of railway track is considered
independent of road system
5% are to be provided for future development
and unforeseen factor

Third twenty years road plan (1981-2001)

The future road development should be based on
the revised classification of roads system i.e.
primary, secondary and tertiary
Develop the rural economy and small towns with all
essential features.
Population over 500 should be connected by all
weather roads.
Density increases to 82 km per 100 sq. km
The NH network should be expanded to form a
square grids of 100 km sides so that no part of the
country is more than 50 km away from the NH

Third twenty years road plan

cont

Expressway should be constructed along major

traffic corridors
All towns and villages with population over 1500
should be connected by MDR and villages with
population 1000-1500 by ODR.
Road should be built in less industrialized areas to
attract the growth of industries
The existing roads should be improved by rectifying
the defects in the road geometry, widening, riding
quality and strengthening the existing pavement to
save vehicle operation cost and thus to conserve
energy

Highway alignment and

surveys

Highway alignment
The position or lay out of centre line of the highway
on the ground is called the alignment.
It includes straight path, horizontal deviation and
curves.
Due to improper alignment , the disadvantages are,
Increase in construction
Increase in maintenance cost
Increase in vehicle operation cost
Increase in accident cost

Once the road is aligned and constructed, it is not

easy to change the alignment due to increase in
cost of adjoining land and construction of costly
structure.

Requrements of highway alignment

Short
Easy
Safe
Economical
Short- desirable to have a short alignment between two
terminal stations.
Easy- easy to construct and maintain the road with minimum
problem also easy for operation of vehicle.
Safe- safe enough for construction and maintenance from
the view point of stability of natural hill slope, embankment
and cut slope also safe for traffic operation.
Economical- total cost including initial cost, maintenance
cost and vehicle operation cost should be minimum.

Factors controlling alignment

Obligatory points

Traffic
Geometric design
Economics
Other considerations
Additional care in hill roads
Stability
Drainage
Geometric standards of hill roads
Resisting length

Factors controlling alignment cont...

Obligatory points
Obligatory points through which alignment is to pass
Examples:-bridge site, intermediate town , Mountain pass etc

Obligatory points through which alignment should not

pass.
Examples:-religious places, costly structure, unsuitable land etc

Traffic
origin and destination survey should be carried out in the
area and the desire lines be drawn showing the trend of
traffic flow.
New road to be aligned should keep in view the desired lines,
traffic flow patterns and future trends.

Geometric design
Design factors such as gradient ,radius of curve and sight
distance also govern the final alignment of the highway.
Gradient should be flat and less than the ruling gradient or
design gradient.
Avoid sudden changes in sight distance, especially near
crossings
Avoid sharp horizontal curves
Avoid road intersections near bend
Economy
Alignment finalised based on total cost including initial cost,
maintenance cost and vehicle operation cost.
Other consideration
Drainage consideration, political consideration
Surface water level, high flood level
Environmental consideration

Topographical control points

The alignment, where possible should avoid passing
through
Marshy and low lying land with poor drainage
Flood prone areas
Unstable hilly features

Materials and constructional features

Deep cutting should be avoided
Earth work is to be balanced; quantities for filling and
excavation
Alignment should preferably be through better soil area
to minimize pavement thickness
Location may be near sources of embankment and
pavement materials

stability
A common problem in hilly roads is land sliding
The cutting and filling of the earth to construct the roads on
hilly sides causes steepening of existing slope and affect its
stability.

Drainage
Avoid the cross drainage structure
The number of cross drainage structure should be minimum.

Geometric standard of hilly road

Gradient, curve and speed
Sight distance, radius of curve
Resisting length
The total work to be done to move the loads along the route
taking horizontal length, the actual difference in level between
two stations and the sum of the ineffective rise and fall in
excess of floating gradient. Should kept as low as possible.

Engineering Surveys for Highway locations

Before a highway alignment is finalised in highway
project, the engineering survey are to be carried out.
The various stages of engineering surveys are
Map study (Provisional alignment Identification)
Reconnaissance survey
Preliminary survey

Final location and detailed surveys

MAP STUDY
From the map alternative routes can be suggested
in the office, if the topographic map of that area is
available.
The probable alignment can be located on the map
from the fallowing details available on the map.
Avoiding valleys, ponds or lake
Avoiding bend of river
If road has to cross a row of hills, possibility of
crossing through mountain pass.
Map study gives a rough guidance of the routes to
be further surveyed in the field

RECONNAISSANCE SURVEY
To confirm features indicated on map.
To examine the general character of the area in field for
deciding the most feasible routes for detailed studies.
A survey party may inspect along the proposed alternative
routes of the map in the field with very simple instrument
like abney level, tangent clinometer, barometer etc. To
collect additional details.
Details to be collected from alternative routes during this
survey are,
Valleys, ponds, lakes, marshy land, hill, permanent
structure and other obstruction.
Value of gradient, length of gradient and radius of curve.

RECONNAISSANCE SURVEY cont..

Number and type of cross drainage structures.
High Flood Level (HFL)
Soil Characteristics.
Geological features.
source of construction materials- stone quarries, water
sources.
Prepare a report on merits and demerits of different
alternative routs.
As a result a few alternate alignments may be chosen for
further study based on practical considerations observed
at the site.

Preliminary survey
Objective of preliminary survey are:
To survey the various alternative alignments proposed after
the reconnaissance and to collect all the necessary physical
information and detail of topography, drainage and soil.
To compare the different proposals in view of the
requirements of the good alignment.
To estimate quantity of earthwork materials and other
construction aspect and to workout the cost of the alternate
proposals.

Methods of preliminary survey:

a) Conventional approach-survey party carries out surveys
using the required field equipment, taking measurement,
collecting topographical and other data and carrying out soil
survey.

Preliminary survey cont

Longitudinal and cross sectional profile.
Plain Terrain`
: 100 200m
Rolling Terrain
: 50m
Hilly Terrain
: 30m
Other studies
Drainage, Hydrological survey, soil survey, Traffic and
Material survey.

b) Modern rapid approachBy Aerial survey taking the required aerial photographs for
obtaining the necessary topographic and other maps
including details of soil and geology.
Finalise the best alignment from all considerations by
comparative analysis of alternative routes.

Final location and detailed survey

The alignment finalised at the design office after the
preliminary survey is to be first located on the field by
establishing the centre line.
Location survey:
Transferring the alignment on to ground.
This is done by transit theodolite.
Major and minor control points are established on the
ground and centre pegs are driven, checking the
geometric design requirements.
Centre line stacks are driven at suitable intervals, say 50m
interval in plane and rolling terrains and 20m in hilly
terrain.

Final location and detailed survey cont..

Detailed survey:
Temporary bench marks are fixed at intervals of about 250m
and at all drainage and under pass structure.
Earthwork calculations and drainage details are to be workout
from the level books.
Cross sectional levels are taken at intervals of 50-100m in
Plane terrain, 50-75m in Rolling terrain, 50m in built-up area,
20m in Hill terrain.
Detail soil survey is to be carried out.
CBR value of the soils along the alignment may be determined
for design of pavement.
The data during detailed survey should be elaborate and
complete for preparing detailed plans, design and estimates of
project.

Drawing and Report

Key map
Index map
Preliminary survey plans
Detailed plan and longitudinal section
Detailed cross section
Land acquisition plans
Drawings of cross drainage and other retaining
structures
Drawings of road intersections
Land plans showing quarries etc

New highway project

Map study
Reconnaissance survey
Preliminary survey
Location of final alignment
Detailed survey
Material survey
Geometric and structural design
Earth work
Pavement construction
Construction controls

Bibliography
Khanna, S. K., & Justo, C. E. G. Highway
engineering. Nem Chand & Bros.
IRC Codes.

TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING-I
PCCI4302

Lecture -2
Highway Geometric Design

Civil Engineering Department

College of Engineering and Technology(CET)

Bhubaneswar

Importance of geometric design

The geometric design of a highway deals with the
dimensions and layout of visible features of the
highway such as alignment, sight distance and
intersection.
The main objective of highway design is to provide
optimum efficiency in traffic operation with maximum
safety at reasonable cost.
Geometric design of highways deals with following
elements :
Cross section elements
Sight distance considerations
Horizontal alignment details
Vertical alignment details
Intersection elements

Design Controls and criteria

Design speed
Topography

Traffic factors
Design hourly volume and capacity

Environmental and other factors

Design speed
In India different speed standards have been assigned
for different class of road
Design speed may be modified depending upon the
terrain conditions.

topography
Classified based on the general slope of the country.
Plane terrain- <10%
Rolling terrain- 10-25%
Mountainous terrain- 25-60%
Steep terrain- >60%

Traffic factor
Vehicular characteristics and human characteristics of road
users.
Different vehicle classes have different speed and
acceleration characteristics, different dimensions and
weight .
Human factor includes the physical, mental and
psychological characteristics of driver and pedestrian.

Design hourly volume and capacity

Traffic flow fluctuating with time

Low value during off-peak hours to the highest
value during the peak hour.
It is uneconomical to design the roadway for peak
traffic flow.
Environmental factors
Aesthetics
Landscaping
Air pollution
Noise pollution

Pavement surface characteristics

Pavement surface depend on the type of
pavement which is decided based on the,

Availability of material
Volume and composition of traffic
Soil subgrade
Climatic condition
Construction facility
Cost consideration

The important surface characteristics are:

Friction
Pavement unevenness
Light reflecting characteristics
Drainage of surface water

friction
Skidding: when the path travelled along the road surface is
more than the circumferential movement of the wheels
due to their rotation.
Slipping: when a wheel revolves more than the
corresponding longitudinal movement along the road.
Factors affecting the friction or skid resistance
Types of pavement surface
Roughness of pavement
Condition of the pavement: wet or dry
Type and condition of tyre
Speed of the vehicle
Brake efficiency
Load and tyre pressure
Temperature of tyre and pavement

Smooth and worn out tyres offer higher friction

factor on dry pavement but new tyre with good threds
gives higher friction factor on wet pavement

IRC recommended the longitudinal coefficient of friction varies 0.35 to 0.4 and
lateral co-efficient of friction of 0.15

Pavement unevenness
Higher operating speed are possible on even surface than
uneven surface.
It affects,

Vehicle operation cost

Comfort and safety
Fuel consumption
Wear and tear of tyres and other moving parts

It is commonly measure by an equipment call Bump

Integrator
Bump integrator is the cumulative measure of vertical
undulations of the pavement surface recorded per unit
horizontal length.
250 cm/km for a speed of 100kmph and more than 350
cm/km considered very unsatisfactory even at speed of 50
kmph.

Unevenness of pavement surface may be caused by

In adequate compaction of the fill, subgrade

and pavement layers.
Un-scientific construction practices including
the use of boulder stones and bricks as soiling
course over loose subgrade soil.
Use of inferior pavement material.
Improper surface and subsurface drainage.
Improper construction machinery.
Poor maintenance

Light reflecting characteristics

Night visibility very much depends upon the light
reflecting characteristics of the pavement surface
The glare caused by the reflection of head light is
high on wet pavement surface than on dry
pavement particularly in case of black top
pavement or flexible pavement.
Light colored or white pavement or rigid
pavement surface give good visibility at night
particularly during the rain, and produces glare or
eye strain during bright sunlight.

Highway cross section elements

Carriageway
Shoulder
Roadway width
Right of way
Building line
Control line
Median
Camber/ cross slope
Crown

Side slope
Kerb
Guard rail
Side drain
Other facilities

Carriageway:
It is the travel way which is used for movement of
vehicle, it takes the vehicular loading .
It may be cement concrete road or bituminous
pavement.
Width of carriageway is determined on the basis
of the width of the vehicle and the minimum side
clearance for safety.
As per IRC specification, the maximum width of
vehicle is 2.44m,minimum clearance of 0.68 in
case of single lane and 1.02m in case of double
lane.

WIDTH OF CARRIAGEWAY

SL. NO.

Class of road

Width of carriageway in m

Single lane

3.75

Two lane without raised kerbs

7.0

Two lane with raised kerbs

7.5

Intermediate lane

5.5

Multilane pavement

3.5/lane

WIDTH OF ROADWAY OF VARIOUS CLASSES OF ROADS

SL. No.

Road classification

Roadway wisth

Plane and rolling terrain

Mountainous and steep

terrain

Single lane
two lane

12
12

6.25
6.25

a)
b)

Single lane
two lane

9
9

4.75
4.75

a)
b)

Single lane
two lane

7.5
9

4.75
4.75

7.5

NH & SH
a)
b)
MDR

ODR

Village roads-single lane

Two lane two-way road

carriageway

Shoulder:
It is provided along the road edge to serve as an
emergency lane for vehicle.
It act as a service lane for vehicles that have broken
down.
The minimum shoulder width of 4.6 m so that a truck
stationed at the side of the shoulder would have a
clearance of 1.85m from the pavement edge.
IRC recommended the minimum shoulder width is 2.5 m
It should have sufficient load bearing capacity even in
wet weather.
The surface of the should be rougher than the traffic
lanes so that vehicles are discouraged to use the
shoulder as a regular traffic.
The colour should be different from that of the
pavement so as to be distinct.

shoulder

Cycle track

Footpath

unTreated
shoulder

Treated
shoulder

Width of the roadway or formation width:

It is the sum of the width of the carriageway or
pavement including separators if any and the
shoulders.

Right of way:
It is the total area of land acquired for the road
along its alignment.
It depends on the importance of the road and
possible future development.
It is desirable to acquire more width of land as the
cost of adjoining land invariably increases very
much , soon after the new highway is constructed.

Building lane:
In order to reserve sufficient space for future
development of roads, It is desirable to control
the building activities on either side of the road
boundary, beyond the land width acquired for
the land.
Control lines:
In addition to building line, it is desirable to
control the nature of building upto further set
back distance .

Traffic separators or median:

The main function is to prevent head on collision
between the vehicle moving in opposite direction.
Channelize traffic into streams at intersection.
Segregate slow traffic and to protect pedestrians.
IRC recommends a minimum desirable width of 5 m
and may be reduce to 3 m where land is restricted.
The minimum width of median in urban area is
1.2m.

4-lane divided carriage way or dual carriage way

Median/
separator

Cross slope or camber:

It is the slope provided to the road surface in the

transverse direction to drain off the rain water
from the road surface.
To prevent the entry of surface water into the
subgrade soil through pavement.
To prevent the entry of water into the bituminous
pavement layer.
To remove the rain water from the pavement
surface as quick as possible and to allow the
pavement to get dry soon after the rain.
It is expressed as a percentage or 1V:Nh.
It depends on the pavement surface and amount
of rainfall.

Shape of the cross slope:

Parabolic shape(fast moving vehicle)
Straight line
Combination of parabolic and straight line
Recommended values of camber for different types of road surface
Sl no.

Type of road surface

Range of camber in areas of rain

fall range
heavy

light

Cement concrete and high type

bituminous pavement

1 in 50(2%)

1 in 60(1.7%)

Thin bituminous surface

1 in 40(2.5%)

1 in 50(2%)

Water bound macadam(WBM) and gravel

pavement

I in 33(3%)

1 in 40(2.5%)

Earth

1 in 25(4%)

1 in 33(3%)

EXAMPLE-1
In a district where the rainfall is heavy, major
district road of WBM pavement, 3.8 m wide,
and a state highway of bituminous concrete
pavement, 7.0 m wide are to be constructed.
What should be the height of the crown with
respect to the edges in these two cases ?

Too steep slope is not desirable because of the fallowing

reasons

Uncomfortable side thrust and unequal wear of the tyres as

well as road surface.
Problem of toppling over highly laden bullock cart and truck.
Tendency of most of vehicle travel along the centre line.

Kerb:
It indicates the boundary between the pavement and shoulder.
It is desirable to provide kerbs in urban areas.
It is of three types
1-Low or mountable kerb:
It allow the driver to enter the shoulder area with little
difficulty.
The height of the this type of shoulder kerb is about 10 cm
above the pavement edge with slope to help the vehicle climb
the kerb easily.

2-Semi-barrier kerb:
It is provided on the periphery of a roadway where
the pedestrian traffic is high.
Height of about 15 cm above the pavement edge
with a batter of 1:1 on the top 7.5 cm.
It prevents parking the vehicle but during
emergency it is possible to drive over this kerb with
some difficulty.
3-Barrier type kerb:
It is provided in built-up area adjacent to the foot
paths with considerable pedestrian traffic.
The height of the kerb is about 20 cm above the
pavement edge with a steep batter of 1V:0.25H.

kerb

Guard rail
It is provided at the edge of the shoulder
when the road is constructed on a fill exceeds
3 m.
It is also provided on horizontal curve so as to
provide a better night visibility of the curves
under the head light of the vehicle.

Guard rail

Road margins
Parking lane:
These are provided on urban roads to allow kerb parking
As far as possible only parallel parking should be allowed
as it is safer for moving vehicle.
It should have sufficient width say 3m
Lay bay:
These are provided near the public conveniences with
guide map to enable driver to stop clear off the
carriageway.
It has 3m width,30m length with 15m end tapers on both
sides.
Bus bays:
These may be provided by recessing the kerb to avoid
conflict with moving traffic.
It is located atleast 75m away from the intersection.

Frontage road:
These are provided to give access to properties along an important
highway with control access to express way or free way
It may run parallel to the highway and are isolated by separator.

Driveway:
It connect the highway with commercial establishment like fuel stations,
service stations etc
It should be located away from the intersection.

Cycle track:
It provided in urban areas when the volume of cycle traffic on the road
is very high.
A minimum width of 2m is provided for cycle track.

Footpath:
These are provided in urban areas when the vehicular as well as
pedestrian traffic are heavy.
To protect the pedestrian and decrease accident.
Minimum width of 1.5m is provided.

Bus
bays

Frontage
road

c/s of highway in hilly area

c/s of road in built-up area

C/S of Flexible pavement

C/S of Rigid pavement

c/s of road in cutting

Guard rails

Bibliography
Khanna, S. K., & Justo, C. E. G. Highway
engineering. Nem Chand & Bros.
IRC Codes.

TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING-I
PCCI4302

Lecture -3
Sight Distance & Horizontal Alignment

Civil Engineering Department

College of Engineering and Technology(CET)

Bhubaneswar

SIGHT DISTNCE
Sight distance available from a point is the actual
distance along the road surface, which a driver
from a specified height above the carriageway
has visibility of stationary or moving objects. OR
It is the length of road visible ahead to the driver
at any instance.

Types of sight distance

Stopping or absolute minimum sight
distance(SSD)
Safe overtaking or passing sight distance (OSD)
Safe sight distance for entering into uncontrolled
intersection.
Intermediate sight distance
Head light sight distance

Stopping sight distance:

The minimum sight distance available on a highway at any spot
should be of sufficient length to stop a vehicle traveling at design
speed, safely without collision with any other obstruction.

Over taking sight distance:

The minimum distance open to the vision of the driver of a vehicle
intending to overtake slow vehicle ahead with safety against the
traffic of opposite direction is known as the minimum overtaking
sight distance (OSD) or the safe passing sight distance.

Sight distance at intersection:

Driver entering an uncontrolled intersection (particularly
unsignalised Intersection) has sufficient visibility to enable him to
take control of his vehicle and to avoid collision with
another vehicle.

Intermediate sight distance:

This is defined as twice the stopping sight
distance. When overtaking sight distance can not
be provided, intermediate sight distance is
provided to give limited overtaking opportunities
to fast vehicles.

Head light sight distance:

This is the distance visible to a driver during night
driving under the illumination of the vehicle head
lights. This sight distance is critical at up-gradients
and at the ascending stretch of the valley curves.

Stopping Sight Distance

SSD is the minimum sight distance available on a
highway at any spot having sufficient length to
enable the driver to stop a vehicle traveling at
design speed, safely without collision with any other
obstruction.
It depends on:
Feature of road ahead
Height of drivers eye above the road surface(1.2m)
Height of the object above the road surface(0.15m)

Criteria for measurement

(h)

Height of drivers eye above road surface (H)

Height of object above road surface(h)
H

IRC
H = 1.2m
h = 0.15m

Factors affecting the SSD

Total reaction time of driver
Speed of vehicle
Efficiency of brakes
Frictional resistance between road and tyre
Gradient of road
Total reaction time of driver:
It is the time taken from the instant the object
is visible to the driver to the instant the brake
is effectively applied, it divide into types
1. Perception time
2. Brake reaction time

Perception time:
it is the time from the instant the object comes on
the line of sight of the driver to the instant he
realizes that the vehicle needs to be stopped.
Brake reaction time:
The brake reaction also depends on several factor
including the skill of the driver, the type of the
problems and various other environment factor.
Total reaction time of driver can be calculated by
PIEV theory

PIEV Theory
Total reaction time of driver is split into four parts:
P-perception
I-E
I-intellection
E-Emotion
V-Volition
P
V

perception

It is the time required for the sensation received by the

eyes or ears to be transmitted to the brain through the
nervous system and spinal chord.
Intellection:
It is the time required for understanding the situation.
Emotion:
It is the time elapsed during emotional sensation and
disturbance such as fear, anger or any other emotional
feeling such as superstition etc, with reference to the
situation.
Volition:
It is the time taken for the final action
Total reaction time of driver may be vary from 0.5 sec to 4
sec

Analysis of SSD
The stopping sight distance is the sum of lag
distance and the braking distance.
Lag distance:
It is the distance, the vehicle traveled during the reaction time

If V is the design speed in m/sec and t is the total reaction

time of the driver in seconds,

lag distance = v.t metres.

Where v in m/sec
t=2.5 sec

Lag distance=0.278 V.t meters

Where v in Kmph,
T= time in sec=2.5 sec

Braking distance :
It is the distance traveled by the vehicle after the
application of brake. For a level road this is
obtained by equating the work done in stopping
the vehicle and the kinetic energy of the vehicle.
work done against friction force in stopping the
vehicle is F x l = f W l, where W is the total weight
of the vehicle.

The kinetic energy at the design speed of v m/sec

will be m. v

Braking distance= v/2gf

SSD=lag distance + braking distance

SSD=0.278V.t + v/254f
Speed, kmph
Longitudinal
coefficient of
friction

Table 2.6: Coefficient of longitudinal friction

30
40
50
60
0.40

0.38

0.37

0.36

80
0.35

Two-way traffic single lane road: SSD=2*SSD

In one-way traffic with single or more lane or twoway traffic with more than single lane: Minimum
SSD= SSD

Example-1
Calculate the safe stopping sight distance for design
speed of 50kmph for(a) two-way traffic on two lane
road (b)two-way traffic on single lane road
Example-2
Calculate the minimum sight distance required to avoid
a head on collision of two cars approaching from
opposite direction at 90 and 60kmph.coefficient
friction of 0.7 and a brake efficiency of 50%, in either
case
Example-3
Calculate the stopping sight distance on a highway at a
descending gradient of 2% for design speed of 80
kmph, assume other data as per IRC specification.

OVERTAKING SIGHT DISTANCE

The minimum distance open to the vision of the
driver of a vehicle intending to overtake slow
vehicle ahead with safety against the traffic of
opposite direction is known as the minimum
overtaking sight distance (OSD) or the safe
passing sight distance.
The overtaking sight distance or OSD is the
distance measured along the centre of the road
which a driver with his eye level 1.2 m above the
road surface can see the top of an object 1.2 m
above the road surface.

Factors affecting the OSD

speeds of
overtaking vehicle
overtaken vehicle
the vehicle coming from opposite direction, if
any.

Distance between the overtaking and

overtaken vehicles.
Skill and reaction time of the driver
Rate of acceleration of overtaking vehicle
Gradient of the road

Analysis of OSD
Fallow the Fig. 4.14, p-96 of highway engineering by S.K. Khanna
and C.E.G. Justo

d1 is the distance traveled by overtaking vehicle

A during the reaction time t sec of the driver
from position A1 to A2.
D2 is the distance traveled by the vehicle A from A2
to A3 during the actual overtaking operation, in
time T sec.
D3 is the distance traveled by on-coming vehicle C
from C1 to C2 during the over taking operation of
A, i.e. T sec.

B is the overtaken or slow moving vehicle.

Cont
B is the overtaken or slow moving vehicle moving
with uniform speed Vb m/sec or Vb Kmph;
C is a vehicle coming from opposite direction at
the design speed V m/sec or V kmph
The distance traveled by the vehicle A during this
reaction time is d1 and is between
the positions A1 and A2. this distance will be
equal to Vb.t meter
where t is the reaction time of the driver in
second= 2 sec.

OSD = d1+ d2+ d3

OSD = 0.28 Vb. t +0.28Vb .T + 2s + 0.28 V.T
S = SPACING OF VEHICLES = (0.2 V b+ 6)
T= 4x3.6s / A = 14.4s /A

If the speed of the overtaken vehicle is not given

Vb=(V-16) kmph, where V= speed of overtaking vehicle in kmph

The minimum overtaking sight distance = d1+d2+d3 for

two-way traffic.
On divide highways and on roads with one way traffic
regulation, the overtaking distance = d1+d2 as no vehicle
is expected from the opposite direction.

Overtaking Zones
It is desirable to construct highways in such a way that the
length of road visible ahead at every point is sufficient for
safe overtaking. This is seldom practicable and there
may be stretches where the safe overtaking distance can
not be provided. But the overtaking opportunity for
vehicles moving at design speed should be given at
frequent intervals. These zones which are meant for
overtaking are called overtaking zones.
The minimum length of overtaking zone should be three
time the safe overtaking distance i.e., 3 (d1+d2) for oneway roads and 3(d1+d2+d3) for two-way roads.
Desirable length of overtaking zones is kept five times the
overtaking sight distance. i.e., 5(d1+d2) for one-way roads
and 5(d1+d2+d3) for two-way roads.

Example-1
The speed of the overtaking and overtaken
vehicle are 70 and 40 kmph, respectively on a
two way traffic road. If the accleration of
overtaking vehicle is 0.99 m/sec,
a) Calculate safe overtaking sight distance
b) Calculate the minimum and desirable length of overtaking
zone
c) Draw the neat-sketch of the overtaking zone and show the
position of the sign post.

Example-2
Calculate the safe overtaking sight distance for a
design speed of 96 kmph, assume all other data
suitable

DESIGN OF HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT

Horizontal
curve

Horizontal Curves
A horizontal highway curve is a curve in plan to
provide change in direction to the central line of a
road. When a vehicle traverses a horizontal curve,
the centrifugal force acts horizontally outwards
through the centre of gravity of the vehicle.
P = W vgR
Where,

P = centrifuge force, kg
W = weight of the vehicle, kg
R = radius of the circular curve, m
v = speed of vehicle, m/sec
g = acceleration due to gravity = 9.8 m/sec

P=mv/gR

B
W
b

h
F

Cont..
P/W is known as the centrifugal ratio or the impact factor.
The centrifuge ratio is thus equal to vgR
The centrifugal force acting on a vehicle negotiating a
horizontal curve has two effects
Tendency to overturn the vehicle outwards about the outer
wheels
Tendency to skid the vehicle laterally, outwards

Overturning effect
The equilibrium condition for overturning will occur when
Ph = Wb/2, or when P/W = b/2h. This means that there is
danger of overturning when the centrifugal when the
centrifugal ratio P/W or v/gR attains a values of b/2h.

Transverse skidding effect

P = FA+ FB= f(RA+RB) =fW
Since P = f W, the centrifugal ratio P/W is equal to
f . In other words when the centrifugal ratio
attains a value equal to the coefficient of lateral
friction there is a danger of lateral skidding.
Thus to avoid overturning and lateral skidding on
a horizontal curve, the centrifugal ratio should
always be less than b/2h and also f
f is less than b/2h.-The vehicle would skid and
not overturn
b/2h is lower than f-The vehicle would overturn
on the outer side before skidding

Superelevation
In order to counteract the effect of centrifugal
force and to reduce the tendency of the vehicle
to overturn or skid, the outer edge of the
pavement is raised with respect to the inner
edge, thus providing a transverse slope
throughout the length of the horizontal curve,
this transverse inclination to the pavement
surface is known as Superelevation or cant or
banking.
The Superelevation e is expressed as the ratio
of the height of outer edge with respect to the
horizontal width.

E=eB
B

Rv

Superelevation

P (centrifugal force)

e
W

1 ft

WV 2
WV 2
W sin f W cos
sin
cos
gR
gR

Analysis of Superelevation
The force acting on the vehicle while moving on a
circular curve of radius R meters, at speed of v
m/sec are
The centrifugal force P = Wv/gR acting horizontal
outwards through the centre of gravity, CG
The weight W of the vehicle acting vertically
downloads through the CG
The frictional force developed between the wheels
and the pavement counteractions transversely
along the pavement surface towards the centre
of the curve

Superelevation cont

WV 2
WV 2
W sin f W cos
sin
cos
gR
gR

2
V
OR tan f
1 f tan Dividing Cos on both sides
gR

OR

V2
1 f e
e f
gR

OR

V2
R
g f e

OR

V2
e f
gR
V in m/Sec
R in m

OR

(1-fe)=1-0.15x.o7=0.99 1

V2
e f
127 R
V in kmph
R in m

Cont
e = rate of Superelevation = tan
f = design value of lateral friction coefficient =
0.15
v = speed of the vehicle, m/sec
R = radius of the horizontal curve, mg =
acceleration due to gravity = 9.8 m/sec

Maximum Superelevation
In the case of heavily loaded bullock carts and trucks carrying less
dense materials like straw or cotton, the centre of gravity of the
loaded vehicle will be relatively high and it will not be safe for such
vehicles to move on a road with a high rate of Superelevation.
Because of the slow speed, the centrifugal force will be negligibly
small in the case of bullock carts. Hence to avoid the danger of
toppling of such loaded slow moving vehicles, it is essential to limit
the value of maximum allowable Superelevation.
Indian Roads Congress had fixed the maximum limit of
Superelevation in plan and rolling terrains and is snow bound
areas as 7.0 %.
On hill roads not bound by snow a maximum Superelevation upto
10% .
On urban road stretches with frequent intersections, it may be
necessary to limit the maximum Superelevation to 4.0 %.

Minimum Superelevation
From drainage consideration it is
necessary to have a minimum cross to
drain off the surface water. If the
calculated Superelevation is equal to or
less than the camber of the road surface,
then the minimum Superelevation to
be provided on horizontal curve may be
limited to the camber of the surface.

Design ofSuperelevation
Step-1: The Superelevation for 75 percent of design speed (v
m/sec/kmph) is calculated neglecting the friction.
e

(0.75V )
127 R

V2
e
225 R

Step-2: If the calculated value of e is less than 7% or 0.07 the value

so obtained is provided. If the value of e as step-1 exceeds 0.07 then
provides maximum Superelevation equal to 0.07 and proceed with step3 or 4.
Step-3: Check the coefficient of friction of friction developed for the
maximum value of e =0.07 at the full value of design speed.

V2
f
0.07
127 R
If the value of f thus calculated is less than 0.15 the Superelevation of
0.07 is safe for the design speed. If not, calculate the restricted speed as
given in step -4.

Cont.
Step-4 The allowable speed (Va m/sec. or Va Kmph)
at The curve is calculated by considering the design
coefficient of lateral friction and the maximum
Superelevation.
e+f=0.07+0.15=va/127R
If the allowed speed, as calculated above is higher
than the design speed, then the design is adequate
and provides a Superelevation of e equal to 0.07.
If the allowable speed is less than the design speed,
the speed is limited to the allowed speed Va kmph
calculated above and Appropriate warning sign and
speed limit regulation sign are installed to restrict
and regulate the speed.

Attainment of superelevation
Split-up into two parts::

Elimination of crown of the cambered section

Rotation of pavement to attain full superelevation
Elimination of crown of the cambered section
1st Method: Outer edge rotated about the crown

Attainment of superelevation
Disadvantages
Small length of road cross slope less than
camber
Drainage problem in outer half

2nd Method: Crown shifted outwards

Disadvantages

Large negative superelevation on outer half

Drivers have the tendency to run the vehicle along shifted crown

Attainment of superelevation

Rotation of pavement to attain full superelevation

1st Method: Rotation about the C/L (depressing the inner edge and raising
the outer edge each by half the total amount of superelevation)

Advantages
Earthwork is balanced
Vertical profile of the C/L remains unchanged
Disadvantages
Drainage problem: depressing the inner edge
below the general level

Attainment of superelevation

2nd Method: Rotation about the Inner edge (raising both the centre as well as
outer edge outer edge is raised by the total amount of superelevation)

Advantages
No drainage problem
Disadvantages
Additional earth filling
C/L of the pavement is also raised (vertical alignment of
the road is changed)

Example-1
The radius of horizontal circular curve is 100m. The design
speed is 50kmph and the design coefficient of lateral friction
is 0.15.
Calculate the superelevation required if full lateral friction is assumed to
develop
Calculate the coefficient of friction needed if no superelevation is
provided.
Calculate the equilibrium superelevation if the pressure on inner and
outer wheels should be equal.

Example-2:
A two lane road with design speed 80kmph has horizontal
curve of radius 480m. Design the rate of superelevation for
mixed traffic. By how much should the outer edges of the
pavement be raised with respect to the centre line , if the
pavement is rotated with respect to the centre line.

Exapmle-3:
Design the super elevation for a horizontal
highway curve of radius 500m and speed
100kmph
Example-4
The design speed of highway is 80kmph. There
is horizontal curve of radius 200m on a certain
locality. Calculate the superelevation needed
to maintain this speed.

Radius of Horizontal Curve

The ruling minimum radius of the curve for ruling
design speed v m/sec. or V kmph is given by.
2

RRulling

127(e f )

According to the earlier specifications of the IRC,

the ruling minimum radius of the horizontal curve
was calculated from a speed value, 16 kmph
higher than the design speed i,e., (V+16) kmph.

Example-1
Calculate the values of ruling minimum and
absolute minimum radius of horizontal curve
of a national highway in plane terrain. Assume
ruling design speed and minimum design
speed values as 100 and 80 kmph respectively.

Widening of Pavement on Horizontal Curves

On horizontal corves, especially when they are not of
very large radii, it is common to widen the pavement
slightly more than the normal width,
Widening is needed for the following reasons :
The driver experience difficulties in steering around the
curve.
The vehicle occupies a greater width as the rear wheel
dont track the front wheel. known as Off tracking
For greater visibility at curve, the driver have tendency not
to follow the central path of the lane, but to use the outer
side at the beginning of the curve.
While two vehicle cross or overtake at horizontal curve
there is psychological tendency to maintain a greater
clearance between the vehicle for safety.

Off tracking
An automobile has a rigid wheel base and only
the front wheels can be turned, when this
vehicle takes a turn to negotiate a horizontal
curve, the rear wheel do not follow the same
path as that of the front wheels. This
phenomenon is called off tracking.
The required extra widening of the pavement at
the horizontal curves depends on the length of
the wheel base of the vehicle l, radius of the
curve R and the psychological factors.

Analysis of extra widening on curves

It is divided into two parts;
Mechanical widening (Wm): the widening required to
account for the off tracking due to the rigidity of
wheel base is called mechanical widening
Psychological widening (Wps): extra width of the
pavement is also provided for psychological reasons
such as , to provide for greater maneuverability of
steering at high speed, to allow for the extra space
for overhangs of vehicles and to provide greater
clearance for crossing and overturning vehicles on
curve.

Total widening W = Wps+ Wm

Mechanical Widening

Wm = R2 R1
From OAB,
OA2 = OB2 BA2
R12 = R22 l2

Wm
B

R1

R2

ll
C

(R2 Wm)2 = R22 l2

l2 = Wm (2 R2 Wm)
Wm = l2 / (2 R2 Wm)
Wm = l2 / 2 R (Approx.)
or Wm=nl/2R

Where, R = Mean radius of the curve in m,

n=no. of traffic lanes
R = Mean radius of the curve, m
l = Length of Wheel base of longest vehicle , m
( l = 6.0 m or 6.1m for commercial vehicles)
V= design speed, kmph

Psychological Widening
V
WPs
9.5 R

(Empirical formula)

V = Design speed of the vehicle, km/h

R = Radius of the curve, m
Total extra widening = Mechanical widening
+Psychological Widening
2

nl
V
We

2R
9.5 R

Method of introducing extra widening

With transition curve: increase the width at an
approximately uniform rate along the transition curve - the
extra width should be continued over the full length of
circular curve
Without transition curves: provide two-third widening on
tangent and the remaining one-third on the circular curve
beyond the tangent point
With transition curve: Widening is generally applied
equally on both sides of the carriageway
Without transition curve: the entire widening should be
done on inner side
On sharp curves of hill roads: the entire widening should be
done on inner side

Method of introducing extra widening

Follow Fig- 4.27, p-123

Example-1
Calculate the extra widening required for a
pavement of width 7m on a horizontal curve of
radius 250m if the longest wheel base of
vehicle expected on the road is 7.0 m. design
speed is 70 kmph.
Example-2
Find the total width of two lane road on a
horizontal curve for a new National highway to
be aligned along a rolling terrain with a ruling
minimum radius having ruling design speed of
80 kmph. Assume necessary data as per IRC

Horizontal transition curves

When a non circular curve is introduce between a
straight and a circular curve has a varying radius
which decreases from infinity at the straight end
(tangent point) to the desired radius of the
circular curve at the other end (curve point) for
the gradual introduction of centrifugal force is
known as transition curve.
Circular curve
Straight curve

Objectives for providing transition curve

To introduce gradually the centrifugal force between the
tangent point and the beginning of the circular curve,
avoiding sudden jerk on the vehicle. This increases the
comfort of passengers.
To enable the driver turn the steering gradually for his own
comfort and security
To provide gradual introduction of super elevation

To provide gradual introduction of extra widening.

To enhance the aesthetic appearance of the road.

Type of transition curve

spiral or clothoid
cubic parabola
Follow the Fig-4.29, p-126 of highway
Engineering by S.K. Khanna and C.E.G.
Lemniscate
Justo
IRC recommends spiral as the transition curve
because it fulfills the requirement of an ideal
transition curve, that is;
rate of change or centrifugal acceleration is
consistent
Radius of the transition curve is infinity at the straight
edge and changes to R at the curve point (Ls
1/R)and calculation and field implementation is very
easy.

Length of transition curve

Case-1:Rate of change of centrifugal acceleration

0.0215V
LS
CR
80
C
(75 V )

0.5 < C < 0.8

Where,
Ls= length of transition curve in m
C= allowable rate of change of centrifugal accleration, m/
sec
R= Radius of the circular curve in m

case-2:Rate of introduction of super-elevation

If the pavement is rotated about the center line.

Ls=EN/2=eN/2(W+We)
If the pavement is rotated about the inner edge
Ls= EN= eN(W+We)
Where W is the width of pavement
We is the extra widening
Rate of change of superelevation of 1 in N

case-3:By empirical formula

According to IRC standards:
For plane and rolling terrain:

2.7V
LS
R

For mountainous and steep terrain:

2

V
LS
R

The design length of transition curve(Ls) will be the

highest value of case-1,2 and 3

Shift of the transition curve

Shift of the transition curve S
2

Ls
S
24 R

Example-1
Calculate the length of the transition curve and shift using
the following data;
Design speed= 65 kmph
Radius of circular curve= 220 m
Allowable rate of superelevation= 1 in 150
Pavement rotated about the centre line of the pavment
Pavement width including extra widening= 7.5 m

Example-2
A national highway passing through rolling terrain in
heavy rain fall area has a horizontal curve of radius 500 m.
Design the length of transition curve using the fallowing
data.
Design speed of vehicle= 80 kmph
Allowable rate of superelevation= 1 in 150
Pavement rotated about the inner edge of the pavment.
Pavement width excluding extra widening= 7 m.

Set-back distance on horizontal curve

Where there are sight obstruction
like buildings, cut slope or trees on
the inner sides of the curves, either
the obstruction should be removed
or the alignment should be changed
in order to provide adequate sight
distance. If it is not possible to
provide adequate sight distance on
the curves on existing roads,
regulatory sign should be installed to
control the traffic suitably.
clearance distance or set-back
distance is the distance required
from the centre line of a horizontal
curve to an obstruct on the inner side
of the of the curve to provide
adequate sight distance

SSD

Obstruction

Case-I: if length of curve (Lc ) > sight distance(S)

m' R ( R d ) cos

'
2

'

180 S

2
2 ( R d )

Where,
M = set-back distance
d = the distance between the centre line of the road and the centre line of
the inside lane in m
R = radius of the curve in m
= angle subtended by the arc length S at the centre

Case-II: if length of curve (Lc ) < sight distance(S)

m' R ( R d ) cos

' S LC
2

Sin

'
2

'

180 LC

2
2 ( R d )

Where Lc is the length of curve and S is the sight distance

Example-1:
There is a horizontal curve of radius 400 m and length 200
m on this highway. Compute the set-back distance required
from the centre line on the inner side of the curve so as to
provide for
Stopping sight distance of 90 m
Safe overtaking distance of 300 m
Distance between the centre line of the road and the inner lane is 1.9 m.

Example-2:
A state highway passing through a rolling terrain has a
horizontal curve of radius equal to the ruling minimum radius
for a ruling design speed of 80 kmph. calculate the set-back
distance required from the centre line on the inner side of the
curve so as to provide for minimum SSD and ISD.

Curve resistance
The automobiles are steered by turning
the front wheels, but the rear wheels do
not turn. When a vehicle driven by rear
wheels move on a horizontal curve, the
direction of rotation of rear and front
wheels are different and so there is
some losses in the tractive froce.
thus the loss of tractive force due to
turning of a vehicle on a horizontal curve
, which is termed as curve resistance will
be equal to (T- T cos ) or T (1-cos )
and will depend on turning angle

Bibliography
Khanna, S. K., & Justo, C. E. G. Highway
engineering. Nem Chand & Bros.
IRC Codes.

TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING-I
PCCI4302

Lecture-4
Vertical Alignment

Civil Engineering Department

College of Engineering and Technology(CET)

Bhubaneswar

Vertical alignment

The vertical alignment is the elevation or profile of the centre line of the
road.
The vertical alignment consist of grade and vertical curve and it influence
the vehicle speed, acceleration, sight distance and comfort in vehicle
movements at high speed.

Gradient
It is the rate of rise or fall along the length of the
road with respect to the horizontal. It is
expressed as a ratio of 1 in x (1 vertical unit to x
horizontal unit). Some times the gradient is also
expressed as a percentage i.e. n% (n in 100).

Represented by:
+n %

+ 1 in X (+ve or Ascending)

or -n%

- 1 in X (-ve or descending)

summit

valley

Typical Gradients (IRC)

Ruling Gradient
Limiting Gradient
Exceptional gradient
Minimum Gradient
Ruling gradient (design gradient):
It is the maximum gradient within which the designer
attempts to design the vertical profile of road, it depends on
Type of terrain
Length of grade
Speed
Pulling power of vehicles
Presence of horizontal curves
Mixed traffic

Limiting Gradient:
Steeper than ruling gradient. In hilly roads, it may
be frequently necessary to exceed ruling gradient
and adopt limiting gradient, it depends on
Topography
Cost in constructing the road

Exceptional Gradient:
Exceptional gradient are very steeper gradients
given at unavoidable situations. They should be
limited for short stretches not exceeding about
100 m at a stretch.

critical length of the grade:

The maximum length of the ascending gradient which a
loaded truck can operate without undue reduction in
speed is called critical length of the grade. A speed of 25
kmph is a reasonable value. This value depends on the
size, power, load, initial speed.
Minimum gradient
This is important only at locations where surface drainage
is important. Camber will take care of the lateral drainage.
But the longitudinal drainage along the side drains require
some slope for smooth ow of water. Therefore minimum
gradient is provided for drainage purpose and it depends
on the rain fall, type of soil and other site conditions.
A minimum of 1 in 500 may be sucient for concrete drain
and 1 in 200 for open soil drains.

Value of gradient as per IRC

Terrain

Ruling Limiting Exceptional

gradient gradient
gradient

Plain and Rolling

3.3%
(1 in 30)

5%

6.70%

Mountainous terrain

5%
(1 in 20)

6%

7%

Steep terrain up to
3000m (MSL)

5%
(1 in 20)

6%

7%

6%
(1 in 16.7)

7%

8%

Steep terrain ( >3000m)

SUMMIT CURVE
Length of summit curve(L) for SSD
Case-1(L > SSD)

NS 2
2 H 2h

or

NS
L
4.4

or

4 .4
L 2S
N

Case-2(L < SSD)

2 H 2h
L 2S

length of summit curve for OSD

Case-1(L > OSD)
2

NS
L
8H
Case-2(L < OSD)

8H
L 2S
N

or

or

NS
L
9.6

9 .6
L 2S
N

S=sight distance i.e. SSD, OSD or ISD

N= deviation angle
i.e. algebraic difference between two grade
H=height of driver eye above the carriageway i.e. 1.2 m
h=height of driver eye above the carriageway i.e. 0.15 m

VALLEY CURVE
Length of valley curve for comfort condition:
3

N
3 .6

L 2

1
2

OR

L 0.38 NV

1
3 2

N= deviation angle i.e. algebraic difference between two grade

C= rate of change of centrifugal acceleration may be taken as 0.6 m/sec
V= speed of vehicle in kmph

Length of valley curve for head light sight distance

Case-1(L > SSD)

NS 2
L
2h1 2S tan

OR

Case-2(L < SSD)

2h1 2S tan
L 2S
N

OR

NS 2
L
1.5 0.035S

1.5 0.035S
L 2S
N

h1=height of head light above the carriesway

= inclination of focused portion of the beam of light w.r.t horizontal or beam angle .
N= deviation angle i.e. algebraic difference between two grade.
S=head light distance is equal to SSD

Example -1
A vertical summit curve is formed at the intersection of
two gradient, +3% and -5%. Design the length of
summit curve to provide a SSD for a design speed of
80 kmph. Assume any other data as per IRC.

Example-2
A vertical summit curve is to be designed when two
grades, +1/50 and -1/80 meet on a highway. The SSD
and OSD required are 180 and 640 m respectively.
But due to the site conditions the length of the vertical
curve has to be restricted to a maximum value of 500
m if possible. Calculate the length of the summit curve
needed to fulfil the requirements of SSD , OSD or
atleast ISD.

Example-3
A valley is formed by a descending grade of 1 in 25
meeting an ascending grade of 1 in 30. design the
length of valley curve to fulfill both comfort condition
and head light distance requirements for a design
speed of 80 kmph. Assume allowable rate of change
of centrifugal acceleration is 0.6 m/sec3

Example-4
An ascending gradient of 1 in 100 meets a descending
gradient of 1 in 120. a summit curve is to be designed
for a speed of 80 kmph so as to have an OSD of 470
m.

Grade compensation
At the horizontal curve ,due to the turning angle of
the vehicle, the curve resistance develop is equal to
T(1-Cos ). When there is a horizontal curve in
addition to the gradient, there will be a increase in
resistance to fraction due to both gradient and curve.
It is necessary that in such cases the total resistance
due to grade and the curve should not exceeded the
resistance due to maximum value of the gradient
specified.
Maximum value generally taken as ruling gradient

Cont.
Thus grade compensation can be dened as the
reduction in gradient at the horizontal curve
because of the additional tractive force required due
to curve resistance (TTcos), which is intended to
oset the extra tractive force involved at the curve.
IRC gave the following specication for the grade
compensation.
1.

2.
3.

Grade compensation is not required for grades atter than 4%

because the loss of tractive force is negligible.
Grade compensation is (30+R)/R %, where R is the radius of
the horizontal curve in meters.
The maximum grade compensation is limited to 75/R%.

Example-1
While aligning a hilly road with a ruling gradient
of 6%, a horizontal curve of radius 60 m is
encountered. Fond the compensated gradient at
the curve.

Bibliography
Khanna, S. K., & Justo, C. E. G. Highway
engineering. Nem Chand & Bros.
IRC Codes.

TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING-I
PCCI4302

Lecture -5
Introduction To Pavement

Civil Engineering Department

College of Engineering and Technology(CET)

Bhubaneswar

PAVEMENT
pavement is the durable surface material laid
down on an area intended to sustain vehicular
load or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway.
It is of two types
Flexible pavement or bituminous pavement
or black top pavement
Rigid pavement or cement concrete
pavement or white surface pavement

COMPARISON OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT & RIGID PAVEMENT

1.
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT
Have low flexural strength
Load is transferred by grain to
grain contact
Surfacing cannot be laid directly
on the sub grade but a sub base
is needed
No thermal stresses are induced
expansion joints are not needed
Design life 10-15 years
Initial cost of construction is low
Maintenance cost is high
Road can be used for traffic
within 24 hours
Damaged by Oils and Certain
Chemicals

1.
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

RIGID PAVEMENT
Have more flexural strength
No such phenomenon of grain
to grain load transfer exists
Surfacing can be directly laid on
the sub grade
Thermal stresses are induced
expansion joints are needed
Design life 20-30 years
Initial cost of construction is
high
Less maintenance cost
Road cannot be used until 14
days of curing
No Damage by Oils and other
chemicals

Rigid
Pavement

Flexible
pavement

Rigid
pavement

Requirements of a pavement
Sufficient thickness to distribute the wheel load stresses to
a safe value on the sub-grade soil.
Structurally strong to withstand all types of stresses
imposed upon it.
Adequate coefficient of friction to prevent skidding of
vehicles.
Smooth surface to provide comfort to road users even at
high speed.
Produce least noise from moving vehicles.
Dust proof surface so that traffic safety is not impaired by
reducing visibility.
Impervious surface, so that sub-grade soil is well protected.
Long design life with low maintenance cost.

Distribution of pressure

Types of flexible pavements

Conventional layered flexible pavement

Full - depth asphalt pavement
Contained rock asphalt mat (CRAM).
Conventional flexible pavements are layered systems with
high quality expensive materials are placed in the top
where stresses are high, and low quality cheap materials
are placed in lower layers.
Full - depth asphalt pavements are constructed by placing
bituminous layers directly on the soil sub-grade. This is
more suitable when there is high traffic and local materials
are not available.
Contained rock asphalt mats are constructed by placing
dense/open graded aggregate layers in between two
asphalt layers.

c/s of flexible pavement

c/s of rigid pavement

c/s of flexible pavement

Load is transferred by grain to grain contact

Typical layers of a flexible pavement

Seal Coat: Seal coat is a thin surface treatment used to waterproof the surface and to provide skid resistance and to seal the
surfacing against the ingress of water.
Tack Coat: Tack coat is a very light application of asphalt, usually
asphalt emulsion diluted with water. It provides proper
bonding between two layer of binder course.it is generally
applied on impervious surface.
Prime Coat: Prime coat is an application of low viscous liquide
bituminous material over an existing porous or absorbent
pavement surface like WBM.
Prime objective is to plug the capillary voids of the porous
surface and to bond the loose materials on the existing surface
like granular bases on which binder layer is placed. It provides
bonding between two layers.

Prime
coat

Seal coat

Typical layers of a flexible pavement

Surface course:
Surface course is the layer directly in contact with traffic
loads and generally contains superior quality materials.
They are usually constructed with dense graded asphalt
concrete(AC).
It provides characteristics such as friction, smoothness,
drainage, etc. Also it will prevent the entrance of
excessive quantities of surface water into the underlying
base, sub-base and sub-grade,
It provide a smooth and skid- resistant riding surface,
It must be water proof to protect the entire base and
sub-grade from the weakening effect of water.

Typical layers of a flexible pavement

Binder course:
This layer provides the bulk of the asphalt concrete structure.
It's chief purpose is to distribute load to the base course.
The binder course generally consists of aggregates having less
asphalt and doesn't require quality as high as the surface
course, so replacing a part of the surface course by the binder
course results in more economical design.
Base course:
The base course is the layer of material immediately beneath
the surface of binder course and it provides additional load
distribution and contributes to the sub-surface drainage It may
be composed of crushed stone and other untreated or
stabilized materials.

Typical layers of a flexible pavement

Sub-Base course: The sub-base course is the layer of
material beneath the base course and the primary
functions are to provide structural support, improve
drainage.
It may WBM or WMM
A sub-base course is not always needed or used. For
example, a pavement constructed over a high quality.
Sub-grade: The top soil or sub-grade is a layer of natural
soil prepared to receive the stresses from the layers above.
It is essential that at no time soil sub-grade is overstressed.
It should be compacted to the desirable density, near the
optimum moisture content.

Types of Rigid Pavements

Jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP),
Jointed reinforced concrete pavement (JRCP),
Continuous reinforced concrete pavement
(CRCP)
Pre-stressed concrete pavement (PCP).

Types of Rigid Pavements

Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement: constructed with
closely spaced contraction joints. Dowel bars or aggregate
interlocks are normally used for load transfer across joints.
They normally has a joint spacing of 5 to 10m.
Jointed Reinforced Concrete Pavement: reinforcements
do not improve the structural capacity significantly but
they can drastically increase the joint spacing to 10 to
30m. Dowel bars are required for load transfer.
Reinforcements help to keep the slab together even after
cracks.
Continuous Reinforced Concrete Pavement: Complete
elimination of joints are achieved by reinforcement.

Rigid
pavement

Transverse
joint

Granular
materials

Bibliography
Khanna, S. K., & Justo, C. E. G. Highway
engineering. Nem Chand & Bros.
IRC Codes.

TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING-I
PCCI4302

Lecture - 6
Design Of Flexible Pavement
IRC-37:2001

Civil Engineering Department

College of Engineering and Technology(CET)

Bhubaneswar

FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT

RIGID PAVEMENT

Types of Pavements

Wheel Load Distribution

Flexible

Rigid

 Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement

(JPCP)

LOAD DISTRIBUTION

Components of Flexible Pavement

Function and Significance of Subgrade Properties

Basement soil of road bed.

Important for structural
and pavement life.
Should not deflect
excessively due to
dynamic loading.
May be in fill or
embankment.

Flexible Pavement Design

IRC (37-2001)
Basic Principles
Vertical stress or strain on sub-grade
Tensile stress or strain on surface
course

Factors for design of pavements

Design wheel load
Static load on wheels
Contact Pressure
Load Repetition

Subgrade soil
Thickness of pavement required
Stress- strain behavior under load
Moisture variation

Climatic factors:(rain fall)

Pavement component materials
Environment factors:(height of embankment and its
detailed)
Traffic Characteristics
Required Cross sectional elements of the alignment

Pavement Responses Under Load

Axle
Load

Surface

SUR

Base/Subbase
Subgrade Soil

d SUR

SUB

Axle Configurations
An axle is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear

Single Axle With Single Wheel

(Legal Axle Load = 6t)

Tandem Axle
(Legal Axle Load = 18t)

Single Axle With Dual Wheel

(Legal Axle Load = 10t)

Tridem Axle
(Legal Axle Load = 24t)

Truck Configuration

5 Axle Truck 40t

2 Axle Truck 16t

LCV

3 Axle Truck 24t

4 Axle Semi Articulated 34t

Standard Axle
Single axle with dual wheels carrying a
load of 80 kN (8 tonnes) is defined as
standard axle
80 kN

Standard Axle

Evaluation Of Pavement Component

Layers

Sub-grade
To Receive Layers of Pavement
Materials Placed over it
Plate Bearing Test
CBR Test
Triaxial Compression Test

Flexible Pavement Design Using CBR

Value Of Sub-grade Soil
California State Highways
Department Method
Required data
Design Traffic in terms of
cumulative number of standard

axles(CSA)
CBR value of subgarde

Traffic Data
Initial data in terms of number of
commercial vehicles per day (CVPD).
Traffic growth rate during design life in %
Design life in number of years.

Distribution of commercial vehicles over the

carriage way

Traffic In Terms Of CSA (8160 Kg) During

Design Life
Initial Traffic
In terms of Cumulative Vehicles/day
Based on 7 days 24 hours Classified Traffic
Traffic Growth Rate

7.5 % may be Assumed

Design Life

National Highways 15 Years

Expressways and Urban Roads

20 Years

Other Category Roads 10 15

Years

Vehicle Damage Factor (VDF)

Multiplier to Convert No. of Commercial
Vehicles of Different Axle Loads and
Axle Configurations to the Number of
Standard
Axle
Load
Repetitions
indicate VDF Values
Normally = (Axle Load/8.2)n
n=4-5

INDICATIVE VDF VALUES

Initial Traffic
in terms of
CV/PD

Terrain
Plain/Rolling

Hilly

0 150

1.5

0.5

150 1500

3.5

1.5

> 1500

4.5

2.5

Distribution Of Traffic
Single Lane Roads:
Total No. of Commercial Vehicles in both Directions
Two-lane Single Carriageway Roads:
75% of total No. of Commercial Vehicles in both
Directions
Four-lane Single Carriageway Roads:
40% of the total No. of Commercial Vehicles in both
Directions
Dual Carriageway Roads:
for two lane dual carriage way75% of the No. of
Commercial Vehicles in each Direction
For three lane-60%
For four lane-45%

Computation of Traffic for Use of Pavement

Thickness Design Chart
365 x A[(1+r)n 1]
N = --------------------------- x D x F
r
N = Cumulative No. of standard axles to be catered for the design in
terms of msa
D = Lane distribution factor
A = Initial traffic, in the year of completion of construction, in terms of
number of commercial vehicles per day
=p(1-r)
P=no. of commercial vehicle as per last count
X=no. of year between the last count and the year of completion of
construction
F = Vehicle Damage Factor
n = Design life in years
r = Annual growth rate of commercial vehicles

CBR Testing Machine

Definition:
It is the ratio of force per unit area
required to penetrate a soil mass with
standard circular piston at the rate of 1.25
mm/min. to that required for the
corresponding penetration of a standard
material.

Subgrade

Soak the Specimen in Water for FOUR

days and CBR to be Determined.

Use of Expansive Clays NOT to be Used

as Sub-grade

Non-expansive Soil to be Preferred.

Subgrade
Subgrade to be Well Compacted to Utilize its Full
Strength
Top 500 mm to be Compacted to 97% of MDD
(Modified Proctor).

Material Should Have a Dry Density of 1.75 gm/cc.

Flexible pavement design chart (IRC) (for CSA< 10

msa)

Flexible Pavement Layers (IRC) (CSA< 10 msa)

Thickness & composition (mm)

Flexible Pavement Layers (IRC) (CSA< 10 msa)

Flexible pavement design chart (IRC)

Flexible pavement layers (IRC)

Flexible pavement layers (IRC)

Sub-base
Material Natural Sand, Moorum, Gravel,
Laterite, Kankar, Brick Metal, Crushed
Stone, Crushed Slag, Crushed Concrete
GSB- Close Graded / Coarse Graded
Parameters Gradation, LL, PI, CBR
Stability and Drainage Requirements

Sub-base

Min. CBR 20 % - Traffic up-to 2 msa

Min. CBR 30 %- Traffic > 2 msa
If GSB is Costly, Adopt WBM, WMM
Min. Thickness 150 mm - <10 msa
Min. Thickness 200 mm - >10 msa

Sub-base
Min. CBR 2 %
If CBR < 2% - Pavement Thickness for 2 %
CBR + Capping layer of 150 mm with Min.
CBR 10% (in addition to the Sub-Base)
In case of Stage Construction Thickness of
GSB for Full Design Life

Base Course
Unbound Granular Bases WBM /
WMM or any other Granular
Construction
Min. Thickness 225 mm < 2 msa
Min. Thickness 250 mm - > 2 msa
WBM Min. 300 mm ( 4 layers 75mm
each)

Example-1

Design the pavement for construction of a

new bypass with the fallowing data:

Two lane single carriage way

Initial traffic in a year of completion of construction work

(sum of both directions)

= 400 CVPD

Traffic growth rate per annum = 7.5 percent

Design life = 15 years

Vehicle damage factor = 2.5

(standard axles per commercial vehicle)

Design CBR value of sub-grade soil = 4 %

Example-2
Design the flexible pavement For Widening
An Existing 2-lane NH-5 To 4-lane Divided
Road

4-lane divided carriageway

Initial traffic in a year of commencement of construction work (sum of

both directions) = 5600CVPD

Completion of construction work=2.5 years

Design life= 10/15yrs

Design CBR of sub-grade soil

Traffic growth rate = 8 %

Vehicle damage factor = 4.5 (Found out from axle road survey axles

per CV on existing road)

=5%

Design of rigid pavement

as per IRC-58:2002
Stress acting on the rigid pavement are:
Wheel load stress
Interior loading

Edge loading
Corner loading

Temperature stress
Warping stress
Frictional stress

Radius of relative stiffness:

Eh3
l
2
12k 1

1
4

Where
l= Radius of relative stiffness
E= modulus of elasticity of cement concrete , kg/cm
= poissons ratio for concrete= 0.15
h= slab thickness, cm
K= modulus of subgrade reaction, kg/cm

Westergaards stress equation for wheel load

Stress at the interior(si)

0.316 P
l
si
4 log 10 1.069

2
h
b

Stress at the edge (se)

0.572 P
l
se
4 log 10 0.359

2
h
b

Stress at the corner (sc)

0.6

3P
a 2

sc 2 1
h l

Where,
P= design wheel load, kg
l= Radius of relative stiffness
E= modulus of elasticity of cement concrete ,
kg/cm
= poissons ratio for concrete= 0.15
h= slab thickness, cm
K= modulus of subgrade reaction, kg/cm
b= radius of equivalent distribution of pressure, cm
b=a , if a/h 1.724
b= (1.6 a+h) - 0.675 h, when a/h < 1.724

a= radius of load contact, cm

Modified Westergaards stress equation for

wheel load
Modified by Teller

0.572 P
l
1 0.54 4 log 10 log 10 b 0.4048
se
2
h
b

Modified by Kelley
1.2

a 2
3P

sc 2 1
h l

Warping stress(given by Bradbury)

Stress at the interior(sti)
Eet cx c y
st i

2
2 1

Stress at the edge (ste)

C x Eet
st e
2

Or

st e

Whichever is higher

Stress at the corner (stc)

Eet
st c
31

a
l

C y Eet
2

Where,
E= modulus of elasticity of cement concrete ,
kg/cm
e= thermal coefficient of concrete per C
t= temperature difference between the top and
bottom of the slab in degree C
= poissons ratio for concrete= 0.15
Cx = Bradbury coefficient based on L/l in desire
direction (IRC-58:2002)
Cy = Bradbury coefficient based on B/l in right
angle to the desire direction (IRC-58:2002)
L = length of slab, m
B= width of slab, m

Frictional stress
Frictional stress(sf)

WLf
sf
4
210
Where,
sf = unit stress developed in CC pavement, kg/cm
W= unit wt. of concrete, (about 2400 kg/cm)
L= length of slab, m
B= width of slab, m

Example-1
Calculate the stress at interior, edge and corner
regions of a cement concrete pavement using
westergaards equation. Use the fallowing data
Wheel load, P=5100kg
Modulus of elasticity of concrete, E=3.0x105 kg/cm
Pavement thickness, h=18cm
Poissons ratio=0.15
Modulus of subgrade reaction=6.0 kg/cm3
Radius of contact area=15 cm

Example-2
Compute the radius of relative stiffness of 15 cm
thick cement concrete slab from the fallowing data
E=21000kg/cm2
Poissons ratio=0.13
K=3KG/cm2 or 7.5 kg/cm2

Example-3
Determine the warping stress at interior, edge and
corner regions in a 25 cm thick cement concrete
pavement with transverse joint at 9 m interval and
longitudinal joint at 3.6 m intervals. The modulus
of subgrade reaction is 6.9 kg/cm . Assume
temperature difference for day condition to be
0.6c per cm of the slab thickness. Assume radius
of loded area as 15 cm for computing warping
stress at the corner.
E= 3 x 105 kg/cm
e= 10 x 10 -6 per c
= 0.15

Example-4
A CC pavement slab thickness 20cm is constructed over a
granular subbase having modulus of subgrade reaction 15
kg/cm. the maximum temperature difference between the
top and bottom of the slab during summer day and night is
found to be 18c. The spacing between the transverse
contraction joint is 4.5 m and that between the longitudinal
joint is 3.5 m. the design wheel load is 5100 kg, radius of
contact area is 15 cm. the coefficient of thermal expansion
of CC IS 10x10-6 per c and friction coefficient is
1.5.calculate the warping stress at edge,interior ,corner and
also calculate the friction stress.
E= 3x105 kg/ cm
=0.15

Bibliography
Khanna, S. K., & Justo, C. E. G. Highway
engineering. Nem Chand & Bros.
IRC Codes.

TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING-I
PCCI4302

Lecture-7
Traffic Engineering

Civil Engineering Department

College of Engineering and Technology(CET)

Bhubaneswar

Traffic Engineering
It is the science of measuring traffic and travel, the study of
the basic laws relating to traffic flow and generation and
application of this knowledge to the professional practice of
planning, designing and operating traffic systems to achieve
safe and efficient movement of persons and goods.
Objective of traffic engineering:
Achieve efficient free and rapid flow of traffic
Reduce the no. of accidents.

Various phases of traffic engineering are: (3Es)

Engineering (constructive i.e. geometric design of road)
Enforcement (traffic laws, regulation and control)
Education (publicity and through school and television)

Scope of traffic engg.

Traffic characteristics:-improvement of traffic
facilities( vehicle , human[road user])
Traffic studies and analysis
Traffic operation-control and regulation:- laws
of speed limit, installation of traffic control
device
Planning and analysis
Geometric design:-Horizontal and vertical
curve design
Administration and management:- 3Econcept

Traffic characteristics
Road user characteristics
Physical
Mental
Psychological
Environmental

Vehicular characteristics
Vehicle dimension
Weight of loaded vehicle
Power of vehicle
Speed of vehicle
Braking characteristics

Traffic studies
Traffic studies are carried out to analyse the traffic
characteristics. These studies helps in deciding the
geometric design features traffic control for save and
efficient traffic movement.
The various traffic survey studies generally carried out are:
Traffic volume study
Speed study
Spot speed study
Speed and delay study

Origin and destination study

Traffic flow characteristics
Traffic capacity study
Parking study
Accident studies

Traffic volume study

It is the number of vehicles crossing a section of
road per unit time at any selected period.
It is used as a quantity measure of flow: the
commonly units are vehicles/day or vehicles/hour
The objects and the used of traffic volume study
are:
It is generally accepted as a true measure of the
relative importance of roads and in deciding the
priority for improvement and expansion.
It is used in planning, traffic operation and control of
existing facilities and also for planning the new
facilities.

Cont..
It is used in the analysis of traffic patterns and trends.

Useful in structural design of pavement

Used in planning one-way streets and other
regulatory measure.
Turning movement study used in the design of
intersections, in planning signal timings,
channelization and control devices.
Pedestrian traffic volume study is used for
planning side walk, cross walks, subway and
pedestrian signals.

Counting of traffic volume

Mechanical count
These may be fixed type or portable type, it is
automatically record the total number of vehicle
crossing a section of the road in a desired period.
Other methods of working the mechanical detectors
are by videos, radar detector.
Advantage is that it can work throughout the day and
night for the desired period.

Manual count
It is possible to obtain data which can not be
collected by mechanical counter such as vehicle
classification, turning movement.

Presentation of traffic volume data

Average annual flow: (veh/year)
Annual average daily traffic(AADT or ADT): Average daily traffic
(ADT) represents the total traffic for a year divided by 365, or
the average traffic volume per day.(veh/day)
Hourly average traffic: (veh/hr)
Thirtieth highest hourly volume or the design hourly volume is
found from the plot between hourly volume and the number
of hours in a year that the traffic volume is exceeded. The 30th
highest hourly volume is the hourly volume that will be
exceeded only 29 times in a year and all other hourly volumes
of the years will be less than this volume. The 30th highest
traffic volume is found to be satisfactory from both facility and
economic considerations.

SPEED STUDY

Spot speed:- it is the instantaneous speed of a

vehicle at a specified location.
Average speed:- it is the average of spot speed of
all vehicles passing at given points on the
highway.
Space mean speed:- (harmonic mean)Average
speed of vehicles in a certain road length at a
given instant.
nL
V

Where,
n
t
Vs= space mean speed
Vs n
1
n= no. of vehicles

V= speed of the vehicle

V
i 1
i
s

i 1

Time mean speed:-(arithmetic mean)

Mean speed of vehicle at a point in space over a period of

time or It is the average of instantaneous speeds of
observed vehicles at the spot.
n

Vt

V
i 1

Where,
Vt= time mean speed
n= no. of vehicles
V= speed of the vehicle

n
Running speed:- it is the average speed maintained by a
vehicle over a particular stretch of road, while the vehicle
is in motion ; this is obtained by dividing the distance
covered by the time during which the vehicle is actually in
motion.
Journey speedor travel speed:- it is the effective speed
with which a vehicle traverse a particulars route between
two terminals, it includes delay and stoppages.

Types of speed study

1. Spot speed study
2. Speed and delay study
Use of spot speed study
To use in planning traffic control and in traffic
regulation.
To use in geometric design for redesigning the
existing highway.
To use in accident studies.
To study the traffic capacity.

Speed and delay study

The speed and delay studies give the running speeds,
overall speeds, fluctuations in speeds and the delay
between two stations of a road.
It gives the information such as the amount, location,
duration and cause of delay in the traffic stream.
The result of the spot and delay studies are useful in
detecting the spot of congestion.
The delay or time lost traffic during the travel period may
be either due to fixed delays or operational delays.
Fixed delay occurs primarily at intersections due to traffic
signals and at level crossings.
Operational delays are caused by the interference of traffic
movement, such as turning vehicles, parking vehicles,
pedestrians ..etc.

Presentation of spot speed data

A graph is plotted with the average value of each speed
group on X-axis and the cumulative percent of vehicles
travelled at or below the different speeds on Y-axis. From
the graph(i.e. Cumulative frequency distribution curve)
followings can be obtained.
98th percentile speed-Design speed
85th percentile speed-Maximum speed
50th percentile speed-Median speed
15th percentile speed-Minimum speed

Modal average speed(frequency distribution curve):

A frequency curve of spot speed is plotted with average value of
each speed group of vehicle in X-axis and the percentage of vehicle
in that group on the Y-axis.
The speed corresponding to peak value of curve is denoted as
modal speed

Methods of speed and delay study

Floating car or riding check method

License plate or vehicle number method
Interview method
Elevated observations
Photographic technique

Floating car or riding check method

In the floating car method a test vehicle is driven over a given course of
travel at approximately the average speed of the stream, thus trying to
float with the traffic stream. A number of test runs are made along the
study stretch and a group of observers record the various details. One
observer is seated in the floating car with two stop watches. One of the
stop watch is used to record the time at various control point like
intersections, bridges or any other fixed points in each trip.
The other stop watch is used to find the duration of the individual delays.
The time, location and cause of these delays are recorded by the second
observer.
the number of vehicle overtaking the test vehicle and the overtaken by
the test vehicle are noted in each trip by third observer.
The no. of vehicles travelling in the opposite direction in each trip is
noted by fourth observer.
In this method the detailed information is obtained concerning all phases
of speed and delay including location, duration and causes of delay.

Floating car or riding check method

t tw

ny
q

na ny
ta t w

where,
t= average journey time in minute
q= flow of vehicle(average volume) in one direction of the stream
na = average number of vehicles counted in the direction of the
Stream when the test vehicle travels in the opposite directions
ny= the average no. of vehicles overtaking the test vehicle minus
the no. of vehicles overtaken when the test is in the direction of q
Tw= average journey time, in minute when the test vehicle is
travelling with the stream q
Ta= average journey time, in minute when test vehicle is running
against the stream q

Example-1
The consolidated data collected from speed and delay studies by
floating car method on a stretch of urban road of length 3.5 km,
running North- South are given below. Determine the average values
of volume, journey speed and running speed of the traffic stream
along either direction.
Trip
No.

Direction
of trip

Journey
time
Min- Sec

Total stop
delay
Min- Sec

No. of
vehicles
overtaking

No. of
vehicle
overtaken

No. of vehicles
from opposite
direction

N-S

6-32

1-40

268

S-N

7-14

1-50

186

N-S

6-50

1-30

280

S-N

7-40

2-00

200

N-S

6-10

1-10

250

S-N

8-00

2-22

170

N-S

6-28

1-40

290

S-N

7-30

1-40

160

solution
direction

N-S

Journey time
Min- Sec

stopped
delay
Min- Sec

Number of vehicle
overtaking

overtaken

In opposite
direction

6-32

1-40

268

6-50

1-30

280

6-10

1-10

250

6-28

1-40

290

7-14

1-50

186

7-40

2-00

200

8-00

2-22

170

7-30

1-40

160

TOTAL
Mean
S-N

TOTAL
Mean

Origin and destination studies

The object of this study is
Plan the road network and other facilities for vehicular traffic
Plan the schedule of different modes of transportation for the
trip demand of commuters.

It gives the information like the actual direction of travel,

selection of routes and length of trip.
Used in planning new highway facilities and in improving
some of the existing system.
To plan the transportation system and mass transit facilities
in cities including route and schedules of operation
To locate expressway or major routes along the desire lines.
To locate terminals and to plan terminal facilities.

Cont
To locate new bridge as per traffic demands.
To locate intermediate stops of public transport.
Methods of O and D survey:
Road- side interview method
License plate method
Return post card method
Tag-on-car method
Home interview method

Traffic flow characteristics and studies

The basic traffic maneuvers are diverging, merging,
crossing and weaving.

Traffic Flow(q):- the rate at which vehicles pass at a fix

point (vehicles per hour)= N(3600/t).
Traffic Density(k):- no. of vehicles(N) over a stretch of
roadway(L) i.e. vehicles per kilometer = N/L
Time headway:- Time interval between the passage
of the fronts of the successive vehicles at a specified
point.

Cont
Average time headway= average travel time per unit
distance x average space headway
Space headway:- distance between front of successive
vehicles.
Average space headway= space mean speed x average
time headway

Flow Density Relationship

Flow= density x space mean speed

q= K x V
Density = 1/ space headway
1/hs
Space mean speed = flow x Space headway
q x hs
Density = flow x time per unit distance
K = q x t

Traffic capacity studies

Traffic capacity:
The ability of a roadway to accommodate traffic volume. It is
expressed as the maximum number of vehicle in a lane or a
road that can pass a given point in unit time, usually an hour.
Volume represent an actual rate of flow where as capacity
indicates a maximum rate of flow with a certain level of service.

Basic capacity:
It is the maximum no. of passenger car that can be pass a given
point on a roadway during one hour under the most nearly
ideal roadway and traffic conditions. It is otherwise known as
theoretical capacity.

Possible capacity:
It is the maximum no. vehicle that can pass a given point
on a roadway during one hour under prevailing roadway
and traffic conditions.

Practical capacity:
It is the maximum no. of vehicle that can pass a given
point on a roadway during one hour, without traffic
density being so great as to cause unreasonable delay,
hazard or restriction to the driver freedom to maneuver
under the prevailing roadway and traffic conditions.
C= 1000 V/S
S= average spacing of vehicle in m, C is the capacity in
vehicle per hour per lane.

Peak-Hour Factor
It is basically represent the variation in traffic flow
with in an hour.
Observations of traffic flow consistently indicate
that the flow rates are found in the peak.
A 15 minute period within an hour is not
sustained through out the entire period and that
is why we need to use the peak-hour factor.
Normally on freeways the peak-hour factor values
range from 0.80 to 0.95.

Passenger Car Unit (PCU)

The different vehicle classes have a wide range of statics
characteristics and dynamic characteristics, apart from
these the driver behavior of the different vehicle classes
is also found to vary considerable. Therefore mixed traffic
flow characteristics are very much complex when
compare to homogeneous traffic and it is difficult to
estimate the traffic volume , capacity of roadway under
the mixed traffic flow, unless the different vehicle classes
are converted to one common standard vehicle unit.
Therefore it is a common practice to consider the
passenger car as the standard vehicle unit to convert the
other vehicle classes and this unit is called passenger car
unit.

PCU value depends upon the several factors,

such as:
Vehicle characteristics
Transverse and longitudinal gaps or clearance
between moving vehicles.
Speed distribution of the mixed traffic stream,
volume to capacity ratio.
Roadway characteristics.
Regulation and control of traffic.
Environmental and climatic conditions.

Passenger car equivalency factor(PCU)

As per IRC:86-1983
S.L.
No.

Vehicle class

Equivalency factor

Motor cycle, Scooter and Pedal cycle

0.5

Passenger car, Tempo, auto rickshaw, Agricultural tractor, Pickup van

1.0

Cycle -rickshaw

1.5

Truck, Bus, Agricultural tractor-trailer

3.0

Horse-drawn vehicle

4.0

Small bullock-cart and Hand-cart

6.0

Large bullock-cart

8.0

Relation between speed, travel time, volume,

density and capacity
Refer page no.-208,209 and 210 of highway Engg.
by S.K. Khanna & C.E.G Justo

Cont
Maximum flow occurs when the speed is Vsf/2
and the density is Kj/2

qmax

sf

K J
4

Where,
Kj = jam density= 1000/spacing of vehicle
Vsf = free mean speed
K= q/v
q= average volume of vehicle, (veh./hr)
V= space mean speed of vehicle,kmph

Level of service(LOS)

It is define as a qualitative measure describing the operational

condition within a traffic stream, and their perception by
motorist and passengers.
Or Rating of acceptable level of congestion
LOS definitions
A: Free flow, low traffic, high speed
B: Stable flow, noticeable traffic
C: Stable flow, traffic interactions,
D: Unstable flow, High density, movement restrictions
E: Unstable flow, lower speed, volume is nearly equal to
capacity, little freedom
F: Unstable flow, no freedom, traffic volume can drop to
zero, stop & go

Cont
LOS- A

LOS- B

Free-flow operation

Reasonably free flow

no restriction in
maneuvering.

Ability to maneuver is
only slightly restricted
Effects of minor incidents
still easily absorbed

Cont.
LOS- C

LOS- D

Speeds at or near FFS

Freedom to maneuver is

Speeds decline slightly

noticeably restricted
Queues may form behind
any significant blockage.

with increasing flows

Density increases more
quickly
Freedom to maneuver is
more noticeably limited
Minor incidents create
queuing

Cont
LOS- E

LOS- F

Operation near or at capacity

No usable gaps in the traffic

Breakdown in flow
Queues form behind

stream
Operations extremely volatile
Any disruption causes
queuing

breakdown points
Demand > capacity

In India, As per IRC

LOS- B: for design of Rural Roads
LOS- C: for the design of Urban Roads

Traffic operations
Number of conflicts at intersection
Crossing conflicts
Merging conflicts
Diverging conflicts
Number of lanes

Number of potential conflicts

Road- A

Road- B

Both road twoway

A- Oneway
B- twoway

Both roads
Oneway

24

11

24

11

32

17

10

24

13

11

44

25

18

Bibliography
Khanna, S. K., & Justo, C. E. G. Highway
engineering. Nem Chand & Bros.
IRC Codes.