Year Four

Highway and airport Engineering

Dr. Mohamed Mostafa Hassan

BSc., MSc., Suez Canal University, Egypt
PhD, University of Liverpool, UK

[email protected]
1. Concepts
2. Vertical Alignment
a. Fundamentals
b. Crest Vertical Curves
c. Sag Vertical Curves
d. Examples
 Alignment is a 3D problem
broken down into two 2D
problems
 Horizontal Alignment (plan
view)
 Vertical Alignment (profile
view)
 Stationing
 Along horizontal alignment
Piilani Highway on Maui
Horizontal Alignment

Vertical Alignment
From Perteet Engineering
 Objective:
 Determine elevation to ensure
 Proper drainage
 Acceptable level of safety
 Primary challenge
 Transition between two grades
 Vertical curves
Sag Vertical Curve
G1 G2
G1 G2
Crest Vertical Curve
The vertical alignment of a transportation facility
consists of:

 tangent grades: straight line in the vertical

plane.

 vertical curves: vertical alignment is

documented by the profile.
Tangent grades are designated according to their
slopes or grades.

Maximum grades vary depending on the type of

facility, and usually do not constitute an absolute
standard.

The effect of a steep grade is to slow down the

heavier vehicles and increase operating costs.
 Parabolic function
 Constant rate of change of slope
 Implies equal curve tangents

y  ax  bx  c
2

 y is the roadway elevation

 x stations (or feet) from the beginning of the
curve
PVI
G1 δ
PVC G2
PVT
L/2

L
x

y  ax  bx  c
2
Choose Either:
• G1, G2 in decimal form, L in feet
• G1, G2 in percent, L in stations
At thePVC : x  0 and Y  c
dY
At the PVC : x  0 and  b  G1
dx

d 2Y G2  G1 G2  G1
Anywhere: 2
 2a  a
dx L 2L
PVI
G1 δ
PVC G2
PVT
L/2

L
x
A 400 ft. equal tangent crest vertical curve has a PVC
station of 100+00 at 59 ft. elevation. The initial grade is
+2.0% and the final grade is -4.5% percent. Determine the
elevation and stationing of PVI, PVT, and the high point of
the curve.
PVI

PVT

PVC: STA 100+00

EL 59 ft.
PVI

PVT

PVC: STA 100+00

EL 59 ft.
400 ft. vertical curve, therefore:
•PVI is at STA 102+00 and PVT is at STA 104+00

Elevation of the PVI is 59’ + 0.02(200) = 63 ft.

Elevation of the PVT is 63’ – 0.045(200) = 54 ft.

High point elevation requires figuring out the equation for a vertical curve
•At x = 0, y = c => c=59 ft.
•At x = 0, dY/dx = b = G1 = +2.0%
•a = (G2 – G1)/2L = (-4.5 – 2)/(2(4)) = - 0.8125

•y = -0.8125x2 + 2x + 59
•High point is where dy/dx = 0
•dy/dx = -1.625x + 2 = 0
•x = 1.23 stations

Find elevation at x = 1.23 stations

•y = -0.8125(1.23)2 + 2(1.23) + 59
•y = 60.23 ft
•G1, G2 in percent
G1 x •L in feet

PVT
PVC

Y
Ym G2

PVI Yf
A  G1  G2

A 2 AL AL
Y x Ym  Yf 
200 L 800 200
 K-Value (defines vertical curvature)
 The number of horizontal feet needed for a 1%
change in slope

L
K
A

high / low pt.  x  K G1

The rate of change of grade, in turn, is given by

Vertical curves are classified as sags where g2 > g1 and

crests otherwise. Note that r (and hence the term rx2 /2)
will be positive for sags and negative for crests.

If grades are in percent, horizontal distance must be in

stations

If grades are dimensionless ratios, horizontal distances

must be in meters.
Design standards for vertical curves establish their minimum
lengths for specific circumstances
 based on sight distance,

 on comfort standards involving vertical acceleration,

 or appearance criteria.

 In most cases, sight distance or appearance standards will

govern for highways.
 the equations used to calculate minimum lengths of
vertical curves based on sight distance depend on whether
the sight distance is greater than or less than the vertical
curve length.
SSD (stopping sight distance)

PVI
Line of Sight

PVC PVT G2
G1

h2
h1

For SSD < L For SSD > L

L
ASSD 
2

L  2SSD  
200 h1  h2   2


100 2h1  2h2 
2
A
 Assumptions for design
 h1 = driver’s eye height = 3.5 ft.
 h2 = tail light height = 2.0 ft.

 Simplified Equations

For SSD < L For SSD > L

ASSD 
2
L  2SSD  
2158
L
2158 A
 Minimum lengths are about 100 to 300 ft.
 Another way to get min length is 3 x (design
speed in mph)

 Assuming L > SSD…

SSD 2
K
2158
from AASHTO’s A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets 2001
from AASHTO’s A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets 2001
(SSD)

G1 headlight beam (diverging from LOS by β degrees)

G2

PVC PVT
h1 PVI h2=0

L
For SSD < L For SSD > L

A SSD 2
200h1  SSD  tan  
L L  2SSD  
200h1  S tan   A
 Assumptions for design
 h1 = headlight height = 2.0 ft.
 β = 1 degree

 Simplified Equations:

For SSD < L For SSD > L

ASSD   400  3.5SSD  

2
L L  2SSD    
400  3.5SSD   A 
 What can you do if you need a shorter
sag vertical curve than calculated?

Provide fixed-source street lighting

 Minimum lengths are about 100 to 300 ft.

 Another way to get min length is 3 x
design speed in mph
 Assuming L > SSD…

2
SSD
K
400  3.5SSD
from AASHTO’s A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets 2001
from AASHTO’s A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets 2001
A car is traveling at 30 mph in the country at
night on a wet road through a 150 ft. long sag
vertical curve. The entering grade is -2.4
percent and the exiting grade is 4.0 percent. A
tree has fallen across the road at approximately
the PVT. Assuming the driver cannot see the
tree until it is lit by her headlights, is it
reasonable to expect the driver to be able to
stop before hitting the tree?
Assume that S>L (it, usually, is not but for example we’ll
do it this way), therefore S = 146.23 ft. which is less
than L
Must use S<L equation, it’s a quadratic with roots of
146.17 ft and -64.14 ft.
The driver will see the tree when it is 146.17 feet in front
of her.
Available SSD is 146.17 ft.
Required SSD = (1.47 x 30)2/2(32.2)(0.35 + 0) + 2.5(1.47 x
30) = 196.53 ft.
Therefore, she’s not going to stop in time.
OR
L/A = K = 150/6.4 = 23.43, which is less than the
required K of 37 for a 30 mph design speed
Stopping sight distance on level ground at 30 mph is
approximately 200 ft.
Similar to Example 1 but for a crest curve.

A car is traveling at 30 mph in the country at night

on a wet road through a 150 ft. long crest vertical
curve. The entering grade is 3.0 percent and the
exiting grade is -3.4 percent. A tree has fallen
across the road at approximately the PVT. Is it
reasonable to expect the driver to be able to stop
before hitting the tree?
Assume that S>L (it usually is), therefore SSD = 243.59
ft. which is greater than L
The driver will see the tree when it is 243.59 feet in
front of her.
Available SSD = 243.59 ft.
Required SSD = (1.47 x 30)2/2(32.2)(0.35 + 0) + 2.5(1.47
x 30) = 196.53 ft.
Therefore, she will be able to stop in time.
OR
L/A = K = 150/6.4 = 23.43, which is greater than the
required K of 19 for a 30 mph design speed on a
crest vertical curve
Stopping sight distance on level ground at 30 mph is
approximately 200 ft.
A roadway is being designed using a 45 mph
design speed. One section of the roadway must
go up and over a small hill with an entering grade
of 3.2 percent and an exiting grade of -2.0
percent. How long must the vertical curve be?

For 45 mph we get K=61, therefore L = KA =

(61)(5.2) = 317.2 ft.