NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
CE3121 TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
Tutorial #6
Geometric Design of Highway and Streets
Review Problems
1. What are the different types of highway and street classification methods?
2. What are the key elements when choosing a design vehicle for a given highway
facility?
3. Name the three types of sight distances and explain the scenarios whereby they are
applicable (or should be used) for geometric design.
4. Identify the three key design considerations for design of horizontal alignment.
5. What are the key elements involved when designing a vertical curve? Is there any
difference in design considerations between crest and sag curves?
Computational Problems
Question 1 (Perception/reaction time)
A test on the driver’s perception/reaction time is being conducted on a special track
with wet pavement and a driving speed of 90 km/h. When the driver is sober, a stop
can be made just in time to avoid hitting an object that is first visible 160 m ahead.
After a few drinks and starting the test at the same conditions (i.e. initial driving speed
of 90 km/h), the driver fails to stop in time and strikes the object at a speed of 60
km/h. Determine the driver’s reaction/perception time before and after drinking.
Assume level grade.
(Hint: You may need to use Newton’s equations of motion to solve this problem.)
Question 2 (Design of straight/tangent section)
You are supposed to design the length of the straight/tangent section of a two-way
two-lane highway. The design speed of the highway is 80 km/h. Determine:
(a) The minimum stopping distance, if the road has a maximum grade of 4%
(b) The minimum decision sight distance if the road is urban and a driver may change
his speed or path for avoidance maneuver
(c) The minimum passing sight distance
(d) The minimum length of tangent section that has to be provided
Question 3 (Design of horizontal curves)
A developer is intending to construct a single lane racetrack with a design speed of
160 km/h. A curve on the racetrack has a radius of 650 m, a central angle of 30o and
a PI stationing at 43 + 00. If the design coefficient of side friction is 0.20, determine
the superelevation required at the design speed (do not ignore the normal component
of the centripetal force). Also, compute the degree of curvature, length of curve and the
stationing of PC and PT.
Question 4 (Design of vertical curves)
An equal-tangent (two-way) vertical curve was designed in 2005 (based on the 2004
AASHTO guidelines) for a design speed of 110 km/h to connect grades G1 = +1.0% and
G2 = – 2.0%. The curve is to be redesigned for a 110 km/h design speed in the year
2025. By then, vehicle braking technology would be advanced such that the
recommended design deceleration rates is 25% greater than the 3.4 m/s2 used in the
2004 guidelines, but due to the higher percentage of older persons in the driving
population, design reaction times have increased by 20%. Also vehicles have become
smaller so that the driver’s eye height can be assumed to be 0.9 m from the pavement,
and roadway objects can be assumed to be 0.3 m above the pavement surface.
Compute the difference in design curve lengths for the 2005 and 2025 designs.
Question 5 (Combined Horizontal and Vertical Alignment)
A section of highway has vertical and horizontal curves with the same design speed. A
vertical curve on this highway connects a + 1% grade and a + 3% grade and is 124 m
long. If a horizontal curve on this highway is on a two-lane section with 3.6 m lanes,
has a central angle of 37o, and has a superelevation of 6%, what is the length of the
horizontal curve?