vf 17 The Vertical Alignment Design of Roundabouts R. Stockdale, BTech, MICE, MIHE Introduction Verte alignment design of roundabouts always presents problems and traional methods of design ae ofan inadequate, tapecially when. arall diameter round: bouts ere undar consideration. The ener devortoe 2 design echore based Goon tediignal nethoge Which hes Been ‘shown to. be satsfactory, especialy in ‘dieu suatione, forall 'ypes of round: ‘bout with any numberof legs, "Phe crown les dacusted are not necessariythe ‘highest points on the Cross-section of a given piece of road ‘They are imaginary nas! which usualy inuizete a change the degre of crose {all across @ toed and are the tines that Surfgelng equipment will work to. during tonetrustion. It" sssumed thatthe horizontal loyout 12) and thatthe levels of al the {aue of exiting roods, of have bee orally denned iy the cove of propoced rede Horizontal Design of Crown Protites Using 2 layout plan to 1/500 scale or larger, allocate two letter to each leg (ety or ext reads) and panel! in the Snetiged crcl”. This need not be = circle but should be a smooth. shepe tehieh touches each of the cuter kerb nes of the roundebout.Detlction islands should be. fgnores about crow tine can now be drawn the insoribed lel (Figure 1 “The entry ond ex row fines can also be constructed. These should be smooth fcurves between the contre Knee of the lage tnd the roundabout crown. tine (Figure Tel. Do the foreach ofthe legs of the roundabout. It 6 essential that the entry crown tne of one leg. does not overlap with the nit erown ne of the ext lg (igure 1d. The exact positon of these crown ines. snot Important ‘though ac 2 guide thay. should be ‘Soproxmately paral with the outor kerb fines, f should be borne in mind that 8 longitudinal join the surfacing wil ave to be formed along thie Ena Asctive one ofthe points where ‘Grown touches the roundabout er fe chainage of 2010, Then, proceeding Cockwee,” mark off tho’ roundabout Grown et Sa intervals ‘The exit crown fines can be. allocated cheinages. In 8 ‘Smir menner using the same. chsinege bese ae the crown ine. The entry crowns far aap orribed vhainages but they have {o increase a the entry crown approaches the roundabout so to ensure that the tntryerown chainage matches that of the BIOGRAPHY Mr Stockdale graduated from Bradford University in 1968. He has worked for then employed by Darlington BC inthe Copal Works Section, working on the design and supervision of construction of several urban road schemes. ‘He moved to Durham CC in 1974 end is now 2 Senior Section Leader in ‘the County Engineer's Highway Design Section, whore he has been Involved in the design of @ variety” of major County highway schemes SUMMARY The method described ip sis Paper tevses the phlosophy of the vertical ‘design of roundabouts. It simply, by ‘persuading the engineer fo present the ‘iformation ina particular way, makes the ramifications of any of his design deckions patently, ear. cannot ‘solve “impossible” vertical alignment ‘robles but et least the engineer can, Iminimise the sub-standerd elements Gnd con make a rational deckion as {fo wnich of his design standards rust becompromised.. Although the Imothod desorbed is manual, it lends isl! easly to computer-based desi¢n ‘ystems “THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER ae roundabout crown ine, it must be ‘aleulted backwards. "Somatimos the Droduees negative ehainages. A typical Grown ine layout shown (Figure 2 wa ero tines omited for the sake of clarity. ‘The possible combinations of entry an fate are great but a of thom can now bo Combined on ane long section 28 folows Dra tong section wih the horizontal scale “covering. the who range. ot thainages on the crown ines. The veri! Seale should Incorporate all the levels 10 be dealt with Mark on the long section the levels and grationts of each entry leg. Note: each sing cariageway will have ‘wo pontoon the graph, tne for the tntry ‘crown and one fot ext crown (Figure 33), and, in the caze of 8 single carlageway the leves. wil be identical the. gracienss wil be eqcal but arith Imaticaly oppesite (ie, one gradiant ve be -+ve and one ve) but the chainages ‘wa be casa. "The nant step to daw in 2 suggested profile long the roundabout crown, Ehainags aero and the ist chainage on the roundabout crown ae, act, the ‘ame point eo the level and bbe kept the same, With experience the ‘engineer can pik 8 suitable compound cure. but to stan with, smooth curves ‘should be deayn connecting each entry ta the next ext. The poins where the roune: ‘shout crown must touch have curves con be marked on them and a roundabout frown profile can then be sketched Berean thece curves (Figure 3b. Ie wil row be apparent how the entiy and ext frowns should be eisorted to maxirnse the fedus of curvature on the roundabout ‘crown wile stil pot making the radi on the ‘ent and exit crowns too. sme (igre 4. two erown lines run close to ‘ond another in the horaontal plane Important 19 ensure that thar ist 100 seat difference in the levels (ie. 100 ‘Racp 8 crossfal borweer. Tee vital hat roundabout can ‘Where entry lanes rise up toa reundabout ite essential thatthe ghve way lines can be seen from 0 suificent distance to peenit easy stopping. This may. some: {imes be sehioved by creating 2 crest on the entry toad so the drver ls actualy on ‘alight downgrade atthe give wey tne ‘The levels on tho long section may shen be transfered back arto the layout, 352 Sores of spat levels (Figure 8 Ancillary Levels ‘These can now be ereated by using Constant cosefals of “constant love Siferences between the crown lines and fearby ‘channels By this means the(Hecinantol Leyeut) aston of etry ang nit Crna ie AvQUST/SEPTEMOER 1978 a Deflection Yalan Fig.1 b. Grastion st roundabout Coun Line 4 Fe Oh ee ig.1 epee Ensuring enttyeng | a ee ee EE, "ThE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS 5‘channels round the outside ofthe round Stout and. the ‘cenal land channel {evels can be fred. Ensue thatthe central {sand terb does nat go trough too great 43 varation In level. Should edo, the ‘row ine shouldbe “Nattened™ The wil educe the degree of variation in he Ker line ves ‘etiection lands are inevitably sutreunded” by three cfown thos an ‘Should be poslionad at a higher level thon ‘ny of the tines, f possible. The loves ot ‘the comers should be Setermined fist by {aking a gracint up fem the two crown lines opposite and ereting a lovel which Would produce ‘an acceptable slope it ‘ech ease usualy the average of the S60 levels, but flat spote must bo avodad) “The direction of the slopes i¢indested Figure 6. Unless the island is very lage Intermediate levels can then ba ‘calcuated by interpolation af the comer levels ‘it thete ie no deflection island, only 2 “sing lovel is require, inthe centre ofthe ‘ivee-sided figure and tis obtained by taking a desirable graclnt up from each tide, creety opposite the centre. pom. fom. the roundabout crown towards the cental lend and from the entry and ext clowns towars tha outer kerblines should be made about ‘3.3044 por cont to provide superelevation {or wining tratfe, The erossfals beween Satlecion, lands oF dual cariggeway ‘central reservations and the crown ines, however, can be Between 2 per cent and T'per cent although 3354 per cent are sto be preferred onan ry an tt Fig. 3(b) (6 THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER AUGUST/SEFTeMBER 1978 &