Road Design

Recommended Prerequisites

There are no specific requirements beyond the general conditions for admission to the study cycle.

Teaching Methods

Theoretical presentations of basic principles and theories relating to the different topics, using audiovisual tools complemented by practical exercises resolution when adequate.
Students are also required to solve real-life problems with only limited tutorial support, with most of the work to be carried out in group work during practical classes. This enables the consolidation of concepts and the understanding of how the analysis of real life problems and the search for adequate solutions implies the integrated use of different design rules and models.

Learning Outcomes

The unit makes a basic but comprehensive introduction to Highway and Traffic Engineering, enabling the student to acquire the concepts and tools needed to solve standard problems.
He should be able to apply simplified demand models and use the results as support elements in the design of basic highway infrastructure elements.
Specifically, he should gain the competencies enabling him to estimate the capacity and level of service of normal stretches of roads and of priority intersections, as well as to design their geometric characteristics.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Basic Highway Engineering Components
2. The project: Road vs Street
3. Road Geometric Design
4. Earth moving in highways
5. Traffic Analysis and Forecasting
6. Levels of service
7. Intersection Types
8. Geometric design, and capacity and level of service evaluation of Priority junctions
9. Environmental Impacts´evaluation

Head Lecturer(s)

Arminda Maria Marques Almeida

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Course assessment can also be made by exam as an alternative to the midterm exam assessment.: 100.0%

Assessment
Project: 30.0%
Frequency: 70.0%

Bibliography

Branco, E.F.; Picado-Santos, L.; 2006; “Vias de Comunicação: Vol. I”
Manual de Planeamento das Acessibilidades e da Gestão Viária (2010), Edição CCRDN
Capacidade e N.S.: Estradas 1x1 e Multivias (2006), Edição fCTUC
Norma de Traçado (1994), Junta Autónoma de Estradas, Lisboa
Norma de Intersecções (1990), Junta Autónoma de Estradas, Lisboa
Austroads, Guide to Road Design, part 1 to 8 (2021-2023) (available on: https://austroads.com.au/safety-and-design/road-design/guide-toroad-desig)
Acceleration, Deceleration, and Stopping Sight Distance Criteria for Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (2024). NCHRP (National Cooperative Highway Research Program) - Research Report 1081.
Highway Capacity Manual 7th Edition (2022): A Guide for Multimodal Mobility Analysis. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Highway Safety Manual 1st Edition (2010): AASHTO; TRB (2nd edition expected in 2024).