German University in Cairo – Spring 2025

CIT 603 : Highway and Railway Design

Part One: Highway Design

Lecture 1: Introduction & Design Elements

Dr. Ehab Magdy Noureldin

Assistant Professor (Transportation Major)
Civil Engineering Program
[email protected]
Main References

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 Introduction
• Highways include all roads or streets. “Roads” is the term used in rural
areas while “Streets” is used in urban areas.

• Highway engineering discuss several topics as follows:

1. Alignment location and planning

Based on actual data of existing topography, roads, traffic volumes and

characteristics and financial analysis.

2. Highway functional classification

These are based on the degree of mobility and accessibility the highways
are providing.

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 Introduction
3. Highway financing

Responsible authorities, structure of the sector, sources of financing,

procedures,….. etc.

4. Highway economy

Feasibility studies of construction and maintenance alternative projects.

5. Traffic engineering

Deals with speed, volumes, driver behavior, service volumes and

capacities,…. etc.

6. Geometric design of highways

Deals with all visible features of the highway.

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 Introduction
7. Structural design of pavements

Stresses, strains, loadings and their repetitions, pavement thickness,

subgrade properties, …. etc.

8. Composition design

Highway materials, composition of mixtures and mix design methods.

9. Construction and maintenance management systems and techniques

Deals with main distress features, methods of maintenance and

construction management systems and techniques.

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 Design Control and Criteria
A. Primary Controls

 Highway Classification.

 Highway Location.

 Traffic.

B. Dependent Controls

 Speed.  Pedestrians.
 Design Vehicle.  Bicycle facilities.
 Level of Service (capacity).  Safety.
 Highway type.

 Driver.

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Highway Classification

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 Functional Classification
 Depends on:

1. Traffic volume.

2. Types of traffic.

3. Road purpose.

4. Importance and/or priority.

 Recognizable stages in most trips:

1. Main movement.

2. Transition.

3. Distribution.

4. Collection

5. Access.

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 Functional Classification
 Urban Roads:

1. Expressway.

2. Arterial Street.

3. Sub- Arterial Streets.

4. Collector Streets.

5. Local Streets.

 Rural Roads:

1. National Highways

2. State Highways.

3. District Roads.

4. Village Roads.

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 Mobility Vs. Accessibility
 Mobility refers to the ability to travel to
many different destinations, while
accessibility refers to the ability to gain
entry to a particular site or area.

 With increasing of mobility, the ability to

access development decreases and vice
versa.

 A good transportation system must

provide for both mobility and accessibility
and should be designed to separate the
functions to a possible extent to ensure
both safety and efficiency.

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 Highway Location
The exact route location is chosen in a series of stages as follows:

1. Exploration Study

a) Examination of the area between terminal points to determine routes

deserving further study (e.g. fixed points, rivers, lakes, … etc.).

b) Further examination of possible route alternatives to determine the most

feasible ones.

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 Highway Location
2. Preliminary Planning Surveys

a) Based on the exploration study results, a three preferable locations are

established within a reasonable narrow band. The preliminary survey comprises
running an accurate traverse line (P-line) which follows closely to the apparent
position of the final centerline.

b) Survey data may be reduced to maps and profiles (scale 1:1000 or 1:2000 hz.
and 1:100 or 1:200 vl.)

c) Record important data on topo features and others which may affect the final
location and design.

d) Prepare a map called the preliminary survey map.

e) Locate the centerline of the proposed highway on the preliminary survey map.

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 Highway Location
3. Final Location Survey

a) Routine surveying work for the setting-out the centerline and installing bench
marks for easy location during construction.

b) Detailed information should be obtained about terrain and soil properties to

help designing the road x-section and drainage structure requirements.

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Typical Sheet Plan of Highway

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 Traffic
 Traffic characteristics that influence the geometric design of highway: traffic
volume, composition and speed.

 Average Daily Traffic (ADT) is the general unit of measure for traffic volume.

 ADT is defined as the total volume during a given time period (whole days)
divided by the number of days in the same time period (˃ 1 day & ˂ 1 year).

 Truck traffic and its effect upon geometric design features.

 Speed is an important element in all design features.

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 Traffic Characteristics (PHV)
 Traffic volumes for an interval of time shorter than a day more appropriately
should be used for design.

 In nearly all cases, a practical and adequate time period is one hour.

 Design Hourly Volume (DHV) is predicted on a design year usually after 20 yrs.

 Design Hour Vehicle (DHV) for rural highways is representative of the 30th
highest hourly volume of the future year chosen for design. The 30-HV also
applies in general to urban areas.

 DHV = K * AADT

 Percentage range of AADT for 30 HV estimation (k):

 Rural Roads = 12-18%.

 Urban Roads = 8-12%.

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Traffic Characteristics (PHV)

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 Design Vehicle
 Definition: It is a selected motor vehicle whose weight, dimensions and operating
characteristics are used to establish highway design controls to accommodate
vehicles of a designated type.

 The SU vehicle is generally the smallest vehicle used in design of public highways.

 Dimensions and turning path of a design vehicle affect the following features:

 Width and radius of turning roadways in both at-grade intersections and

interchanges.

 Longitudinal grades and their lengths.

 Vertical clearance at underpasses.

 Vertical curve length (sight distance).

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Design Vehicle Dimensions

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Turning Radius

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Turning Radius (Passenger Car)

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Turning Radius (Single-Unit Truck)

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Turning Radius (Bus)

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 Types of Speed
 Operating Speed: It is the speed at which drivers are observed operating their
vehicles during free-flow conditions..

 Running Speed (85th percentile): It expresses the speed of an individual

vehicle travels over a highway section which is the length of the highway section
divided by the running time for the vehicle to travel through the section.

 Design Speed (95th percentile): It is the maximum safe operating speed under
the prevailing roadway and traffic conditions. The relation between design and
running speeds depends on traffic volume.

 At low volumes, the running speed approaches the design speed and vice versa.

 Cumulative distribution of speed has a typical “S” shape.

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 Cumulative Distribution Function
Vehicles % with speed less than shown

Running Design
Speed = Speed =
58 mph 62 mph

Minimum
Speed =
45 mph

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 Minimum Design Speeds (kph)
Freeways
Terrain Rural Urban
Level 115 80
Rolling 100 80
Mountainous 80 80
Arterial Highways (Rural)
ADT = 50-750
Terrain DHV ˃ 200
DHV ˂ 200
Level 80 115
Rolling 65 100
Mountainous 50 65
Arterial Highways
Urban Sub-urban
50-65 kph 65-80 kph
(All types of terrain and traffic volumes) (All types of terrain and traffic volumes)

Local Roads and Streets (Rural)

ADT ˃400
Terrain ADT ˂250 ADT = 250-400
DHV ˃ 100
Level 65 80 80
Rolling 50 65 65
Mountainous 30 30 50
Local Roads and Streets (Urban)
Collector Streets Local Streets
30-65 kph 30-50 kph
(All types of terrain and traffic volumes) (All types of terrain and traffic volumes)
 Level of Service (LOS)
 LOS reflects speed and travel time, traffic interruptions, freedom to maneuver,
safety, comfort, convenience and economy.
 For application, LOS is reduced to two measures: travel speed and density of
traffic flow.

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