Plotting the centre lines of composite and wholly transitional curves

Despite the widespread use of computer plotting facilities, there are still
occasions during the initial horizontal alignment design when it is necessary
to undertake a hand drawing of the proposed centre line. For composite and
wholly transitional curves the following procedure is recommended. It
assumes that there is an existing plan of the area available.
1. Draw the intersecting straights in their correct relative positions on a sheet of
tracing paper.
2 Calculate the length of each tangent using IT = IU = ( R + S ) tan( / 2) + LT / 2
3 Plot the tangent points by measuring this distance along each straight on
either side of the intersection point at the same scale as the existing plan.
4 To plot the entry and exit transition curves, use the offsets from the tangent
x = y 3 / 6 RLT to prepare a table of offset values x for suitable y
lengths. Use
values and ensure that the y values chosen will provide a good definition of
the centre line.