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"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." - Will Durant

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The number of lanes should be capable of accommodating the anticipated type & volume of traffic. Roads currently in the use include two-lane, three-lane, multilane undivided & multilane divided.
The Highway Capacity Manual recommends simple planning analysis to determine the probable number of lanes required & whether a multilane highway is appropriate for the expected conditions. The procedure requires: 1. The general terrain through which the highway is to be built. 2. The annual average daily traffic (AADT) for the design year. 3. The percent of traffic in the peak direction of flow (D). 4. The peak hour factor (PHF) for the design year. 5. The percent of trucks in the traffic system (T). 6. The type of multilane highway & its development environment.

The first step, the AADT is converted to a directional design hourly volume (DDHV) by using the following equation:

=
K percent of AADT that occurs in the peak hours, typically ranging from 10% for urban environments to as much as 20% for rural environments. D directional factor, depends on the route being planned. Typically 0.50 for urban circumferential, 0.55 for an urban radial & 0.65 for rural highway.

The next step, a per lane service flow rate, , for a specified level of service i is chosen from table 13-1.
Finally, the number of lanes, N, is estimated by the equation:

fe an adjustment factor for the type of multilane highway & amount of development (table 13-2). PHF peak hour factor, defined as the ratio of the total hourly volume to the maximum 15min rate of flow within the hour.

Stated as an equation,

V hourly volume in veh/hr V15 volume during the peak 15 minutes of the peak hour, in veh/15min

Sample:
An undivided highway is to be built in a suburban environment with rolling terrain. The forecast AADT is 20,000 veh/day, w/ 10% trucks. The fraction of traffic in the peak direction of flow is 0.60. The peak hour factor is 0.95 & the desired level of service is B. Assume K = 0.15. Determine the number of lanes that will be needed in each direction.

Most design standards permits the lane width to be less than 12ft, there is general agreement that 12ft width is more desirable. On high-speed & high-volume roads, 13ft & 14ft were used. Widths in excess of 14ft are not recommended because some drivers will use the roadway as a multilane facility. On some multilane divided highways, combined 12ft & 13ft are used especially where large truck combination occur.

In urban areas: Local residential streets varies between 27ft-36ft, providing safe movement of one lane traffic in each direction, even where occasional curb parking can occur.

Residential collector streets 36ft minimum

High density development at least 40ft

To provide protection against conflict of opposing traffic, highways are frequently divided by a median strip. The width of these median strips varies 4ft-60ft, or more. Median strip less than 4ft-6ft is highly discouraged, except to special conditions. If narrow medians is to be used, many agencies must provide & install median barriers to separate physically opposing streams of traffic to minimize the number of head-on collisions. A variety of median barriers can be used, including steel W-beam guard rail, box beam, cables, high strength plastic water tanks & concrete barriers with side slopes. While medians of 14ft-16ft are already sufficient, medians 16ft-60ft are now widely recommended. The median must also have sufficient width to maintain vegetation & to support low-growing shrubs that reduce headlight glare on opposing traffic.

A parking lane is a lane separate & distinct from the traffic lane. In rural highways it is prohibited but in some rural areas parking adjacent to the traffic cannot be avoided. For this purpose, extra lanes must be provided. In urban & suburban locations the parking area often includes the gutter section of the roadway & may vary from 6ft-8ft. The minimum width of parking lane or parallel parking is 8ft, with 10ft preferred. For angle parking, the width of the lane increases with the angle. Angle is recommended to be less than or up to 45o. Parking at the approaches to a intersection is prohibited.

Use of sidewalks in the highway cross-section is an integral part of city streets. In rural areas, sidewalks has a little consideration since pedestrian traffic is light. The Institute of Transportation Engineers recommends sidewalk be provided along subdivision streets where the development density exceeds two dwellings per acre.

A sidewalk width of 4ft-6ft is recommended if necessary.

Right of way is a term first used to describe the right to travel unhindered, to access a route regardless of land ownership or any other legality.

Vehicles often come into conflict with other vehicles and pedestrians because their intended courses of travel intersect, and thus interfere with each other's routes. The general principle that establishes who has the right to go first is called "right of way", or "priority". It establishes who has the right to use the conflicting part of the road and who has to wait until the other does so.

Two-lane secondary highway with average daily traffic volume of 400-1000 vehicles, 66ft minimum (80ft desirable). On the Interstate System, minimum widths will vary depending on conditions from 150ft without frontage roads to 250ft with frontage roads. Eight-lane divided highway without frontage roads requires a minimum of 200ft & with frontage is 300ft. Rural areas high-type two-lane highways, 100ft minimum (120ft desirable). Divided highways, 150ft minimum (250ft desirable). Local subdivision, 60ft & Collectors street, 70ft.

Pavement crown or slope is necessary for the proper drainage on the road surface to prevent ponding on the pavement.

Pavement crowns have varied through the years. On the early low-types roads, high crowns were 1/2in or more per foot (rise-over-run). Present high type pavements with good control drainage now has low crowns of 1/8in per foot. For more than four-lanes, it is desirable to provide a higher rate of crown for the inner lanes.

Pro Deo, Familia et Patria

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