Transportation Engineering I

Tutorial
1. General:

A. Design criteria:
1. Determine the capacity of a single lane pavement for the design speed of 60 kmph. The average
length of the car is 5m. The perception – brake reaction time has to be taken as 2.5 sec. The
coefficient of friction can be assumed to be 0.6.
B. Camber:
1. In a region of heavy rainfall a district road of WBM pavement is to be constructed. If the width
of road is 3.75m, find the height of crown with respect to edge. What would be the height of
crown with respect to the edges if 7.5 m width bituminous concrete pavement is to be
constructed?

2. The width of pavement is 7.0 m. If the centerline of the road has an elevation 412.23m, find the
elevation of the road edge of the pavement and the center of lane if:
a) Straight line camber is provided
b) Parabolic camber is provided

3. The centerline of a double lane road has an elevation of 320.5 m as recorded from longitudinal
profile. The camber is 2.5% and cross fall of the shoulder is 5%. Calculate the elevation of road
surface at the center of lane edges of the pavement and road edge if the shoulder is 1.5 m wide
and i) straight line camber is provided ii) parabolic camber is provided. Take the lane width
equal to 3.5m.

C. Superelevation:
1. Calculate the elements of circular curve for with radius R = 400m. The deviation angle is 450.
Give a neat sketch showing all elements calculated.
2. Super elevation provided to the road surface at a horizontal curve is 5%. How much should be
the outer edge of the pavement is raised against the inner one if the pavement width is 7m and
is rotated about the inner edge?
3. The radius of horizontal circular curve is 140m. The design speed is 60kmph and the coefficient
of lateral friction is 0.15.
a) Calculate the super elevation required if full lateral friction is assumed to develop
b) Calculate the coefficient of friction needed if no super elevation is provided.
c) Calculate the equilibrium super elevation if the pressure on inner and outer wheels should be
equal.
4. The design speed of the road is 80kmph. There is horizontal curve of a radius R=100m on a
certain locality. Calculate the super elevation needed to maintain this speed, if the maximum
super elevation of 1:15 should not exceed. Calculate the maximum comfortable speed.

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5. Calculate the super elevation required on a road curve of 240m radius. The road is operating
dominantly in mixed traffic condition. The design speed is 80 kmph. The coefficient of friction
is 0.15. The road is passing through the rolling terrain.
6. How much should be the edges of the pavement be raised with respect to the centre line on a
two lane road design to cater for mixed traffic at a speed of 65kmph a horizontal curve of radius
160m if the superelevation is obtained by rotating the pavement with respect to the
a) centre line b)inner edge
7. Calculate the maximum permissible speed on a horizontal curve of radius 125m of highway
design for a 65kmph to carry mixed traffic, if the super elevation is not exceed 7%.
8. The radius of a horizontal curve is 100m. The design speed is 50kmph. Assuming required data
and calculate:
a. The super elevation required, if full lateral friction is to develop.
b. The coefficient of friction needed if no super elevation is provided and
c. Equilibrium super elevation if the pressure on inner and outer wheel should be equal.
9. The radius of horizontal circular curve is 100m. The design speed is 60kmph. The coefficient of
lateral friction is 0.17.
a. Calculate the super elevation if full lateral friction is called into play.
b. Calculate the coefficient of friction needed if no super elevation is provided.
10. Calculate the values of ruling minimum and absolute minimum radius of horizontal curve of a
NH in plain terrain. Assume ruling design speed and minimum design speed values as 100 and
80 kmph respectively.
11. At a horizontal curve in certain locality, the pavement due to certain restriction cannot be
superelevated. Calculate the radius of the curve line of the outer lane of that road if the vehicle
along that curve should move with the speed equal to100kmph and camber 2.5%.
12. Calculate the minimum radius of the circular curve required for a road with a design speed of
90kmph. Assume other data suitably.
13. Super elevation of 5% is provided to the road surface at a horizontal curve. How much the outer
edge of the pavement should be raised against the inner one if the pavement (7m wide) is
rotated about the inner edge
14. Prove that a vehicle moving along the outer lane of the road section with a horizontal curve of
R=40m, with a speed of 100kmph, will overturn if there is a chamber of 2.5%
15. The design speed of a highway is 80kmph. There is a horizontal curve of radius 140m on a
certain locality. Calculate the super elevation needed to maintain this speed. What should be the
restricted speed to have a comfortable journey?

D. Transition Curves:

16. A highway with 2 lanes, each lanes 3.5m wide has 0.4m of extra width at a horizontal curve of
radius R=150m. Design the length of transition curve if the design speed is 65kmph. Desired
rate of introducing super elevation is 1 in 80.
17. The radius of a circular curve of two-lane highway with a design speed of 70 kmph is 220m.
Assuming extra widening is not necessary; calculate the length of transition curve and shift of
the curve. Assume other suitable data.

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 18. A transition curve is provided to connect a circular curve with a straight section of a road. If the
design speed of the road is 100 kmph and radius of circular section is 250m, determine the
length of transition curve for comfort and for introducing superelevation at your suitably
selected desirable rate. The width of the pavement at straight section is 7.0 m and length of
wheelbase of the vehicle is 6.0m.
19. Calculate the length of transition curve and required shift if the design speed is 60 kmph. The
radius of circular curve is 220m. An allowable rate of change of centrifugal acceleration is 60
cm/sec3. Allowable rate of change of superelevation is 1 in 120. The pavement width including
extra widening is 7.2m.
20. A national highway passing through rolling terrain in heavy rainfall area has a horizontal curve
of radius 150m. Design the length of transition curve if the sped is 65 kmph. Desired rate of
introducing superelevation is 1 in 80.
21. Calculate the amount of extra width required on a horizontal curve of radius 300m on a two-
lane highway. The design speed is 80 kmph. Assume wheel base length is 6.1 m.
22. Calculate the amount of extra widening to be done in a horizontal curve of radius 150m for the
road for the road with design speed of 100 kmph. The road has 6 lanes and the length of weel
base is 8.0 m.
23. While aligning a road in a build up area with mixed traffic, it was necessary to provide a
horizontal curve of maximum radius R=320m. Design the following geometric features
assuming the following data or else suitable. Design speed= 65kmph. Length of wheelbase
=6.1m, pavement width = 10.5m.
a) Super elevation
b) extra widening
c) Transition curve

2. Sight Distance

1) Calculate the minimum sight distance required to avoid head on collision with a car
approaching from the opposite direction if both the cars are speeding at 60km/hr. Use a total
perception and brake reaction time of 2sec. coefficient of longitudinal fraction 0.40 and brake
efficiency 50%. The section of the road under consideration has a grade 10%.
2) Calculate the minimum sight distance for a design of 50km/hr, for
a) Two way traffic in a two lane road,
b) Two way traffic in a single lane road &
c) One way traffic in a two lane road. Assume all data suitably.

3) Calculate the values of i) Head light sight distance & ii) Intermediate sight distance for a
highway with a design speed of 80km/hr.

3. Overtaking sight distance

1) A vehicle moving at a speed of 70 km/hr decided to overtake another slow moving vehicle.
Calculate safe overtaking sight distance. Consider

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 A) Two lane road with two way traffic
b) Two lane with one ways traffic, take acceleration = 2.5km/hr/sec
2) The speed of overtaking & overtaken vehicle is 60km/hr & 40km/hr respectively on a two way
traffic road. If the acceleration of the overtaking vehicle is 3.6km/hr/sec
a) Calculate the safe overtaking sight distance.
b) Determine the minimum length of overtaking zone.
3) What will be the safe OSD for a vehicle moving at a speed of 70km/hr, to overtake a vehicle at a
speed of 30km/hr?
a) Double lane two way traffic road?
b) Four lane road with two traffic separator?

4. Extra widening

1) Calculate the amount of extra width required on a horizontal curve of radius R= 300m on a two
lane highway. The design speed is 80km/hr.Assume wheel base= 6.1m
2) Calculate the amount of extra widening to be done in a horizontal curve of a radius 150m for
the road with design speed of 100km/hr. The road has 6 lanes & the length of wheel base is 8m.
3) Find the total width of a pavement on a horizontal curve for a new national highway to be
aligned along a rolling terrain with a ruling minimum radius.

5. Set back Distance

1) A four lane divided carriage has a curve 1000m along & a radius of 550m. The safe stopping
sight distance is 250m. Calculate the minimum set back distance from the inner edge of a road
to the edge of building to ensure safe visibility. The pavement width per lane is 3.5m.
2) The radius of centre line of circular curve is 650m & the sight distance required is 400m, the
length of curve is 300m. Find out the set back from an obstruction to the centerline.

6. Vertical Curves
Grade compensation
1) The ruling gradient in a road is 4% or 1 in 25 & the radius of the horizontal curve is 100m.
Determine the compensated gradient on the curve.
2) The grade along the inner edge of the road is 6%. The carriageway is 7m wide. If the
carriageway is to be super elevated to a maximum of 6.7% at the rate of 1 in 100 entirely within
a 75m along transition curve, determine the actual grade along the outer edge of the pavement.
Assume other data suitable if required.
Vertical Curve
3) Calculate the elements of vertical curves from the following data.
Ascending grade= 5%
Descending grade=2%
Radius= 10,000m
Give a neat sketch showing all elements.
4. An ascending grade of 4% meets with 0 grade section. The radius of vertical curve is 2500m.
Calculate N, T, and L & distance to the highest from the tangent point.

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5. Design a vertical curve for the following data: i1= +2.5%, i2= -1.2%, OSD = 245m, height of
driver's eye from the road surface=1.22m.
6. A 2% gradient meets a -0.25% gradient at a chainage of 1085m & at the reduced level of
76.55m, if the sight distance be 304.8m determine the length of the vertical curve & the reduced
levels of the tangent points & the height point on the curve. Assume that the eye level of the
river eye is 1.143m & the height of the obstruction is 0.1m.
7. A parabolic vertical summit curve connects a +4.5% grades with -3.0% grades on a single lane
with two way traffic rural highway at station 10+525 and elevation of 1212.6m above the mean
sea level. The curve should be designed to provide the inter-visibility of a truck & car aimed to
prevent head on collision. Locate the starting highest & end point of the vertical curve.
Calculate the elevation of road at all these points along the curve & at a 60m right & left from
the point of vertical intersection. Height of the driver eye from the road surface for the truck
ascending along 4.5% grade is 1.3m & that of car is 1.1m, reaction time for both drivers is 2.5
sec & coefficient of friction is 0.4. The truck is approaching at 40km/hr while the car is
approaching at 80km/hr.
8. Design the total length of the valley curve at the junction of the descending gradient of 1 in 40
& an ascending gradient of 1 in 30 if the speed is 100km/hr. So as to fulfill both comfort
condition & head light sight distance for night driving. Locate the lowest point & the end of the
curve point too. Calculate their elevation of the beginning of the curve is 312.56m above sea
level. Assume other necessary data reasonably.
9. An ascending gradient meets the descending gradient; the grades are 5% & 4% respectively.
Locate the chainage at the beginning & end of the vertical curve. Calculate the elevation of the
road at a distance of every 300m on either side of the point of the vertical intersection (PVI).
The elevation & chainage of PVI is 500.50m & 5+050 respectively. Assume R= 10,000m.
10. A vertical valley curve connects a -3% grades with +4.5% grades on a rural highway at station
6+525m & elevation 411.6m above the mean sea level. The curve should be designed at to
provide the visibility of the road surface to a distance of 250m at night time. Locate the starting
lowest & end point of vertical curves. Calculate the elevation of road at all these points along
the curve & at a distance of 50m left & right from the point of vertical intersection. Assume the
head light beam angle & height of the head light from the road surface for the design vehicle is
2º & 0.6m respectively.
11. A descending grade tangent of 4% meets with an ascending grade tangent of 2%. The radius of
vertical curve is 10000m. Elevation & chainage of BVC is 200m & 40+000, respectively.
Calculate the elements of vertical curve. Locate the chainage & elevation of PVI. EVC & the
lowest point.
12. A vertical summit curve is to be designed when two grades, +1/50 & -1/40 meet on a highway.
The stopping sight distance & overtaking sight distance required are 200m & 650m
respectively. But due to site condition the length of vertical curve has to be restricted to a
maximum value of 800m if possible. Calculate the length of summit curve needed to fulfill the
requirements of
a) Stopping sight distance
b) Overtaking sight distance or at least intermediate sight distance & discuss the result.

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