CT - 263

Transportation Engineering

Lecture 2

Elements of a Typical Cross - Section of

Road
 OUTLINE OF TODAY’S LECTURE
Introduction

Cross section elements

Typical road cross section

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INTRODUCTION
Geometric roadway design can be divided into three main
parts: horizontal alignment, vertical alignment , and cross-
section. Combined, they provide a three-dimensional layout
for a roadway.
The horizontal alignment (plan view) is the route of the road,
defined as a series of horizontal tangents and curves.
The vertical alignment (profile view) is the vertical aspect of
the road, including crest and sag curves, and the straight
grade lines connecting them.
The cross section shows the number of lanes, shoulders and
sidewalks, along with their cross slope. Cross sections also show
median, kerbs, drainage features and pavement structure.

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 Introduction
2-Lane, 4-lane, 6-lane and 8-Lane Highways

2-Lane 4-Lane 6-Lane 8-Lane

Highway Highway Highway Highway

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TYPICAL ROAD CROSS-SECTION

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ROAD CROSS-SECTION ELEMENTS

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CROSS-SECTION ELEMENTS
The cross section of a road includes some or all of the
following elements:

1. Right of way 7. Cross – Slope (Camber)

2. Roadway 8. Drainage channels and Side
Slope
3. Carriage way
9. Sidewalks / Footpaths
4. Shoulder 10. Bicycle and pedestrian lane
5. Median 11. Traffic Barriers
6. Curbs / Kerbs
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1. RIGHT OF WAY (Total width of road + future expansion)
The right of way can be described generally as the publicly
owned area of land that includes all the various cross-section
elements.
The right of way is the land set aside for use as a “highway
corridor”.
Rightsof way are purchased prior to the construction of a new
road, and generally enough extra land is purchased.
Sometimes, rights of way are left vacant after the initial roadway
facility is constructed to allow for future highway expansion.

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1. RIGHT OF WAY
Requirements of area for right of way are as follows:

No. of Lanes Width of Area (Feet)

2 150
4 250
6 275
8 300
(AAHSTO)

Right of way can also be used for plantation purposes,

drainage system installation, improve sight distance (to
increase visibility), footpaths, services like telephone cables.

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2. ROAD-WAY
The portion of a highway provided for vehicular use that
includes both carriageway and shoulders is called roadway.

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3. TRAVELED WAY OR CARRIAGE WAY

The central paved width provided for vehicular traffic,

exclusive of shoulders is called carriage way.
LANE: The carriage way for single line of traffic movement is
called “traffic lane.”

Number of lanes are decided on the basis of expected traffic

volumes and type and suitable level of service (quality)
required for the facility.

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3. TRAVELED WAY OR CARRIAGE WAY
 Lane width depends upon the vehicle width and
minimum side clearance provided for safety purposes.
 Lane width strongly influences traffic safety and
comfort.
 Lane width ranges from 2.7-3.6 m with 3.6 m (12 ft)
lane predominant on high-type highways.
 Two-lane two-way highways with the 3.6 m lane
provide safe clearance between large commercial
vehicles.

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4. SHOULDERS

Shoulders are the strips provided adjacent to the carriageway outer

edge.
Functions:
1. Refuge for vehicles in case of emergency stops
2. Accommodation of stopped vehicles (disabled vehicles, bus stops)
3. Temporary extra traffic lanes
4. Improves the horizontal sight distance and visibility
5. Structural support to the road pavement (lateral stability)
6. Decrease accident risk
7. Space for roadside facilities
8. Space for bicycles and pedestrians
9. Driving comfort (freedom from strain)
10. Improvement in capacity
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 WIDTH OF SHOULDERS
1. Low-type roads -- minimum 0.6 m, recommended 1.8-2.4 m
2. Shoulder provided for bicycles -- minimum 1.2 m wide
3. High-type roads -- minimum 3.0 m, recommended 3.6 m
 Shoulders are generally narrow than the traffic lane.

Cross Slopes for various shoulders:

Shoulders Type Cross Slopes

Bituminous & concrete 2–6%
Gravel & crushed rock 4–6%
Turf 8%
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4. SHOULDERS
Shoulders should be continuous.
Shoulders on bridges should have the same width as on the
approach sections.
Shoulder can be surfaced by using: gravel, crushed rock, asphalt or
concrete pavements , mineral or chemical additives, bituminous
treatment.
Different color and surface of the shoulder discourage drivers from
using it as a traveled way.
Depressed rumble strips alert drivers that cross over onto the
shoulder.
Paved shoulders reduce regular maintenance.
Edge lines should be used when the whole roadway is paved. 15
 5. MEDIAN OR TRAFFIC SEPARATORS
It is the physical or painted separation/obstruction provided on
divided highways between two adjacent roadways.
Width of medians ranges from 1.2 to 24 m.
Functions:
1. Separate opposing traffic
2. Recovery area for out-of-control vehicles
3. Stopping area in case of emergencies
4. Storage of right-turning and U-turning vehicles
5. Minimize headlight glare
6. Provision for future lanes

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 MEDIAN TYPES
1. Depressed Median:
Which have bed level below the road. Occur on freeways. It’s
width depends upon availability of land; generally range from
4 to 40 feet and sometimes even 4 to 80 feet.
Advantages:
1. Reduces head on collision.
2. Reduces the headlights glare of opposing vehicles.
3. It gives aesthetic appearance.
4. It is used for drainage purposes.
5. It is used for future expansion (increasing width of road).

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Depressed Median

CE-315 TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING I 18

 MEDIAN TYPES
Disadvantages:
Uneconomical (not suitable where land is costly).

2. Raised Median:
Which have bed level above the road. Mainly occur on arterial. It
have two types;
a) Mountable raised median:
These are simply soil mass bounded by kerbs. Its height ranges from 2
to 6 inches.
b) Non – Mountable raised median:
It is a physical obstruction of concrete of height 6 to 8 inches between
the opposing traffic stream.
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Wide median without a physical
barrier

CE-315 TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING I 20

Narrow median with a physical
barrier

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Narrow median without a physical
barrier

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Painted
Median

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6. CURBS / KERBS
It is the dividing line between
carriageway and footpath.

Functions:
1. Drainage control
2. Roadway edge mark out
3. Delineation of pedestrian walkways
4. Assistance in roadside development
5. Retaining the carriageway edge to
prevent “spreading” and loss of
structural integrity
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 TYPES OF CURBS
There are a number of types of curb, classified on the basis of
height, material and shape.
HEIGHT:
1. Low or Class I Kerb: Height 7 - 9 cms
2. Class II Kerb: Height 15 - 20 cms
3. Class III Kerb: High speed barrier, Height 23 - 45 cms

MATERIAL:
Curbs are constructed of many materials, including asphalt,
stone or masonry blocks and Portland cement concrete.

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TYPES OF CURBS
SHAPE:
1. Vertical Curbs: (6 inches in height)
It is used to discourage vehicles from leaving the roadway.
Not desirable on high speed highways.
Desirable on urban roads, along long walls, tunnels to protect
safety walks.

2. Sloping Curbs: (4 inches in height)

Vehicle can cross them easily when required. (such as
automobiles and wheelchairs)
They are used at median edges, to outline channelizing islands,
at the outer edge of shoulder.
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7. CROSS SLOPE (CAMBER) Convexity of the carriageway
cross-section
It is the slope provided to the carriage way in transverse direction to
drain off rain water from the road.
As 6 mm film of water can reduce friction coefficient to near zero, thus
making braking and turning almost impossible.
Cross slope generally falls in both directions from the center line of two
lane highway is known as “normal crown”.

The amount of cross slope depends upon:

1. Amount of rainfall
2. Type of pavement surface (High type or low type surface)

Standards: 2% cross slope for carriage way and 3% for shoulders. In the
areas of intense rainfall a maximum cross slope is 2.5%.
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 7. CROSS SLOPE (CAMBER)
Functions:
1. To prevent rain or flood water to enter into the subgrade soil.
2. Increase stability of pavement.
3. To drain the surface water quickly from the road (avoids water
ponding on road thus reduce slippery action).
4. Reduces accidents. (As keeps the road dry)

TYPES:
1. Straight line or slope camber
2. Parabolic camber (rounded)
3. Composite
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7. CROSS SLOPE (CAMBER)
Unidirectional
cross slope

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 7. CROSS SLOPE (CAMBER)

Normal Crown slope

Unidirectional slope
Unidirectional slope
Inward
Outward, 4 lanes

Depressed Median Unidirectional slope

outward

Unidirectional slope
6 lanes
Outward, 4 lanes
Raised Median
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8. DRAINAGE CHANNELS AND SIDE SLOPES
Drainage channels and side slopes are provided along the
length of road for storm water drainage.
“Side slopes” refer to the slopes of areas adjacent to the
shoulder and located between the shoulder and the right-of-way
line.
For safety reasons, it is needed to design flat areas adjacent to
the travel way so that out-of-control vehicles are less likely to
turn over or impact the side of a drainage channel.
Flatter slopes improve slope stability and traffic safety, reduce
maintenance costs.

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 DRAINAGE CHANNELS AND SIDE SLOPES

Side slopes should

1. Insure the stability of the roadway
2. Provide opportunity for recovery of an out-of-
control vehicles

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CROSS SECTION ELEMENTS

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 DRAINAGE CHANNELS AND SIDE SLOPES
1. Hinge-point:
Hinge point at the top of the slope contributes to the loss of
steering control as an errant vehicle tends to become airborne.
Thus rounded hinge point are recommended to reduces this
action.
2. Fore slope:
The slope adjacent to the shoulder is called the fore slope.
Fore slope of 1:6 (V:H) or flatter provide a good chance of
recovery for errant vehicles.
3. Back Slope:
The back slope is typically at a slope of 1:4 (V:H) or flatter.
Standard size slope for rock cuts is 2:1 and fill is 4:1 or flatter
(these are recoverable slopes).
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8. DRAINAGE CHANNELS AND SIDE SLOPES

General Considerations:
Drainage channels should:
1. Prevent sedimentation of the particles carried by water.
2. Minimize damage to the highway caused by unusual storm
water.
3. Minimize risk for motorists.
4. Be resistant to the high speed water flows.
5. Have suitable capacity for the design runoff.

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 9. FOOT PATH OR SIDE WALKS
Side walks are an integral part of urban roads.
These are raised strips constructed along both the edges of
roads.
Their minimum recommended width is 1.3 m.
The side walk should be separated from the traveled way with
a curb and planted strip of minimum 0.6 m width.
Sidewalks width is 2.4 m in commercial areas and near
schools.

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10. BICYCLE AND PARKING LANE
Bicycle lane is a portion of the roadway specified by striping,
signing, pavement markings for exclusive use by bicycles and
other non-motorized vehicles.
Parking lane is an additional lane provided on urban roads for
on-street parking.

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BICYCLE AND PARKING LANE
Minimum Width Requirements

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 11. TRAFFIC BARRIERS
Six alternatives of dealing with roadside hazard:
1. Remove the obstacle
2. Relocate the obstacle
3. Use a breakaway device
4. Use barriers
5. Delineate the obstacle
6. Do nothing

 Roadside barriers should be installed only if it is clear that they

offer the least crash and casualty potential.
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 11. TRAFFIC BARRIERS
Types:
1. Longitudinal barriers:
A. Flexible: these barriers have dynamic deflection upon impact,
these are designed to contain rather than redirect vehicles.
B. Semi rigid: Redirect vehicles along the path.
C. Rigid: these barriers does not deflect, dissipates energy by
deformation of vehicle sheet metal.

2. Crash Cushions:
Shield rigid objects by decelerating the vehicle.
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TRAFFIC BARRIERS

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END

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