TR 321
TR 321: HIGHWAY ROUTE AND GEOMETRIC DESIGN (3.0 UNITS)
INSTRUCTOR: DR. E. N. MASAOE and MR. EVARIST RUHAZWE
Consultation: Room No. B4-316
Consultation hours: Tuesdays 10:00 am – 12:30pm
Background
• Course Objectives:
• To impart students with knowledge for the design of the route and geometric
features of roadways
• Prerequisite:
• TR 111, TR 112, TR 221
• Delivery Format:
• 3 hour lectures + 1 hour tutorial/project per week (60 hours)
Learning Outcomes
•Awareness of the principles involved in route
location process.
•Understanding of the fundamentals of
geometric design of roadways.
•Ability to design the geometric elements in a
given terrain with due considerations of
financial, economic and environmental
constraints.
Evaluation
Tests (individual) 20%
Assignments (group) 10%
Final Project (group) 10%
University
(individual) 60%
Exams
Total 100%
Recommended Text/Reference books
• AASHTO, A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets. 4th Edition
(2004).
• TRL: Overseas Road Notes No. 6
• Chandra: Surveying: Problem Solving with theory and Objectives
• Schofield, W and M. Breach: Engineering Surveying. Sixth Edition (2007) .
• O’Flaherty, C. A. Traffic Planning and Engineering. Edward Arnold (1997)
• Garber, N. J. and Hoel, L. A.: Traffic and Highway Engineering. West Publishing
Company, 1988.
• Recommended References:
• PIARC: Road Safety Manual (2003)
• AustroadsRoad Safety Audit Manual : (1994)
Introduction Highway Route
and Geometric Design
Introduction
• Roadway design can be:-
• An Establishment of New route OR
• An upgrade of existing route into a higher standard route
• An establishment of the new route requires knowledge in Route
Location Techniques as well as geometric design techniques
• This Course covers the route location techniques as well as the
geometric design.
Components of Highway
1. Horizontal Alignment
Plan View
2. Vertical Alignment Profile View
3. Cross Section Section View
Horizontal Alignment
• Is the route of the road,
defined as a series of
horizontal tangents
and curves.
• It is a plan view of the road.
Horizontal Alignment
Tangents Curves
Vertical Alignment
• Is the vertical aspect of the
road, including crest and
sag curves, and the straight
grade lines connecting them.
• Vertical curves are used to
provide a gradual change from
one tangent to another
Cross Section
• A vertical section of the ground
and roadway at right angles to
the centerline of the roadway,
including all elements of a
highway or street from right-
of-way line to right-of-way line.
Geometric Design
•Defn: Is the process whereby the layout of
the road in the terrain is designed to meet
the needs of the road users.
•Geometric design involves determination of
the suitable highway parameters under
given conditions.