transportation engineering workshop

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Transportation EngineeringWorkshop

Matt Sneed, P.E. (TX)[email protected]

Dallas, Texas

mailto:[email protected]


TransportationWorkshopTable of Contents

1. Speed/Flow/Density .................................................................................................................... 32. Toll Booth .................................................................................................................................. 43. Vertical Curves ........................................................................................................................... 54. Horizontal Curve ........................................................................................................................ 95. Horizontal Curve ...................................................................................................................... 106. Bearing Angle ........................................................................................................................... 127. Sight Distance ........................................................................................................................... 128. Superelevation .......................................................................................................................... 139. HCM .......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.10. Speed ........................................................................................................................................ 1411. Acceleration/Deceleration ......................................................................................................... 1412. Parking ..................................................................................................................................... 1513. Engineering Economics: Present Worth .................................................................................... 1614. Engineering Economics: Benefit-Cost ....................................................................................... 1715. Pedestrian LOS ......................................................................................................................... 1716. Freeway LOS ............................................................................................................................ 1817. Roadside Clearance ................................................................................................................... 1918. MUTCD ................................................................................................................................... 1919. Rigid Pavement Design ............................................................................................................. 2020. Flexible Pavement..................................................................................................................... 23


1. Speed/Flow/DensityGiven the following information on a highway, answer the following questions.

Total Volume = 3,240 vphMeasured average speed = 52 mphPosted speed = 50 mphDesign speed = 60 mph

A. The Density in one direction for the two lane highway is most nearly:a. 31.2 veh/mib. 32.4 veh/mic. 62.3 veh/mid. 64.8 veh/mi

B. The Headway is most nearly:a. 1.0 secb. 1.1 secc. 2.0 secd. 2.2 sec

C. The Spacing is most nearly:a. 84.1 ftb. 114.4 ftc. 161.7 ftd. 168.2 ft


2. Toll BoothOne automated toll booth services cars at 55 mph separated at 120 feet and another manual boothservices cars at 5 mph with 30 feet spacing between cars. How many additional manual booths areneeded to equate the capacity of the automated booth?

A. OneB. TwoC. ThreeD. Four


3. Vertical CurvesThe tangent vertical alignment of a section of proposed roadway is shown below.

A. The vertical curve elevation at station 80+00 is most nearly:a. 509.70 ftb. 509.95 ftc. 513.70 ftd. 513.95 ft

B. The station of the high point on curve 1 is most nearly:a. 82+40b. 84+00c. 85+60d. 87+80


C. The vertical curve elevation at the high point on Curve 1 is most nearly:a. 502.62 ftb. 506.39 ftc. 516.98 ftd. 524.62 ft

D. According to the 2004 AASHTO Highway Geometric Design Standards, the design speed forcurve 1 is most nearly:

a. 55 mphb. 60 mphc. 65 mphd. 70 mph

E. What is the minimum length of curve to provide adequate stopping sight distance for curve 1using the previously calculated design speed?

a. 645 ftb. 1000 ftc. 1062 ftd. 1200 ft

For questions F and G, assume the river valley is in vicinity of curve 2 floods to an elevation of 431feet.

F. The minimum station to which flooding would extend is most nearly:a. 108+00b. 110+41c. 111+00d. 115+00

G. The maximum station to which flooding would extend is most nearly:a. 110+41b. 115+00c. 116+79d. 119+59


H. The station on vertical curve 2 which has a tangent grade of -1% is most nearly:a. 110+00b. 110+80c. 111+20d. 112+00

I. The horizontal distance between PVI1 and PVI2 is most nearly:a. 31 ftb. 310 ftc. 3100 ftd. 3100 m

J. The vertical clearance between the bridge structure at station 114+00 and the vertical curve ismost nearly:

a. 15.0’b. 15.5’c. 16.0’d. 16.5’

K. The vertical clearance between the bridge and curve 2 meets the minimum design verticalclearance on a highway according to AASHTO.

a. Trueb. False


L. According to the 2004 AASHTO Highway Geometric Design Standards, the design speed forcurve 2 is most nearly:


M. What is the minimum length of curve to provide adequate stopping sight distance for curve 2using the previously calculated design speed?

a. 910 ftb. 1103 ftc. 1155 ftd. 1400 ft

N. What is the minimum length of curve to provide adequate undercrossing sight distance for curve2 using the previously calculated design speed?

a. 60 ftb. 300 ftc. 910 ftd. 1155 ft


4. Horizontal CurveA horizontal curve constructed through a forest has a radius of 500 ft. The clear area parallel to thecurve through the forest is 40 feet wide on each side of the centerline.

A. A driver at the PC can see a vehicle at the PT if the central angle (I) is 90 degrees.a. Trueb. False

B. If the design speed is 50 mph, does the curve provide adequate stopping sight distance?a. Yesb. No

C. If the pavement is coated with ice and the superelevation rate is 8%, the maximum speed that canbe driven by a passenger vehicle around the curve without sliding is most nearly:


D. The degree of curve is most nearly:a. 5°b. 10°c. 15°d. 20°

E. If the PI is located at station 1325+50, the station of the PT is most nearly (assume I = 90°):a. 1320+50b. 1326+50c. 1328+35d. 1329+35


5. Horizontal Curve

The tangent vertical alignment of a section of proposed roadway is shown below.

A. Determine the station of the PCB. Determine the station of the PTC. Determine the middle ordinate (M)D. Determine the external distance (E)E. Determine the station of the railroad line’s intersection with the highway


(BLANK PAGE)


6. Bearing AngleA curve with a bearing of the back tangent of N 60° E has a deflection angle from the back tangent tothe forward tangent of 20° right. The bearing of the line from the PI to the origin is most nearly:

A. S 20° 00’ EB. S 20° 00’ WC. S 10° 00’ ED. S 10° 00’ W

7. Sight DistanceA. Approach sight triangles must be provided for intersection approaches controlled by stop signs or

traffic signals.a. Trueb. False

B. Hardin Road has a 5% approach grade to El Dorado Parkway in rural area. The intersectionoperates without any traffic control. If Hardin Road has a design speed of 45 mph, the length ofthe sight triangle leg along El Dorado Parkway is most nearly:

a. 150 ftb. 200 ftc. 250 ftd. 300 ft

C. A parabolic vertical curve of length 900 feet connects a tangent grade of +5% to a grade of -5%.The maximum safe design speed based on stopping sight distance is most nearly:



8. SuperelevationA horizontal curve has a PI at station 34+00 and a tangent length of 1200 feet. Two 12 ft lanes arebeing rotated with an 8% superelevation rate for a 60 mph design speed. Assume 80% of the runoffoccurs before the curve, and the road has a 2% normal crown.

A. The station where the transition begins is most nearly:a. 18+12b. 18+48c. 18+64d. 19+44

B. The station where there is zero cross slope is most nearly:a. 18+64b. 19+02c. 19+44d. 22+64

C. The station where the transition ends is most nearly:a. 22+00b. 22+64c. 22+80d. 23+07

D. The total length of the transition is most nearly:a. 80 ftb. 320 ftc. 400 ftd. 440 ft

E. What is the minimum radius of curvature allowed for this roadway, assuming a maximumsuperelevation rate of 12%?

a. 960 ftb. 1000 ftc. 1090 ftd. 1225 ft


9. AASHTOWhich of the following is an AASHTO design vehicle?

A. MotorcycleB. Sport Utility VehicleC. Farm TractorD. None of the above

10. SpeedFive vehicles travel along a street at constant speeds of 40, 35, 30, 25, and 20 mph. What is theirapproximate space mean speed and time mean speed, respectively?

A. 26.3 and 28.3 mphB. 28.3 and 30.0 mphC. 30.0 and 30.0 mphD. None of the above

11. Acceleration/DecelerationA. A two lane highway has a grade of +4 percent and a 60 mph design speed. The expected braking

distance is most nearly:a. 310 ftb. 538 ftc. 570 ftd. 600 ft

B. Vehicle 1 has a length of 18 feet and is stopped at an intersection. Vehicle 2 is 100 feet awaytraveling at 35 mph in the perpendicular approach within a 12 feet lane. What is the accelerationrate that must be used by vehicle 1 to get across the lane of vehicle 2 before it enters theintersection?

a. 10 ft/s2

b. 11.2 ft/s2

c. 15.2 ft/s2

d. 15.8 ft/s2


C. Two cars are traveling in the same lane in the same direction. They are 150 feet apart and both aretraveling at 70 mph. The leading car hits a disabled truck and comes to an instantaneous stop. Theperception and reaction time of the driver in the trailing car is 0.40 seconds. The driver of thetrailing car locks the brakes and skids into the lead car. The coefficient of friction between theroadway and skidding tires is 0.70.

a. How far does the trailing car skid after the brakes lock?b. What is the speed of the trailing car at the moment it collides with the stationary lead car?c. If the trailing car is able to skid past (not into) the stationary lead car, what length of skid

marks would it leave?

12. ParkingBased on entry-exit records in a gated parking lot, 300 cars parked during a typical day between 8 AMand 5 PM. Of these cars, approximately 15% of the cars were parked for 1 hour, 30% for 2 hours, 20%for 3 hours, and the remaining for 4 hours. On average, about 14% of the bays are vacant throughout theday. Assume an efficiency factor of 80%.

A. What is the space-hour demand?B. What is the total number of parking spots in the lot?


13. Engineering Economics: Present WorthThe analysis period for the given alternatives is 20 years and the annual interest rate is 8%. All data are inthousands of dollars. Major maintenance will NOT be done in the 20th year.

Transaction Existing Alternative A Alternative BInitial Cost None $2000 $3000Annual Maintenance $100 $60Annual Maintenance

1st 10 years $202nd 10 years $40

Major MaintenanceEvery 5 years $125Every 10 years $125

Residual Value $300 $600 $500

A. What is the equivalent uniform annual highway cost of Alternative A?B. What is the present worth of costs for Alternative B?C. An overlooked landscaping maintenance cost was just discovered for the existing alternative.

This maintenance cost will be $1,000 in year 1, $1,100 in year 2, and will continue to increase by$100 every year. What is the equivalent uniform annual cost for this landscaping maintenanceover a 20-year period?


14. Engineering Economics: Benefit-CostA new bypass is being studied by the local transportation agency. It has been concluded that the newbypass will provide a user cost savings of $1 million annually in fuel and $3.5 million annually inreduced accidents. The bypass has an equivalent annual user cost of $4.3 million. It is anticipated thatthe annual maintenance will equate to $0.3 million. Determine the benefit-cost ratio for the proposedbypass project. Is it a feasible project based on the benefit-ratio analysis?

15. Pedestrian LOS

A. Pedestrian level-of-service is based on which of the following performance measures:a. Walking Speedb. Queue Lengthc. Spaced. None of the above

B. Determine the minimum walkway width of an off-street sidewalk to provide a level of service Cfor the following criteria:

Highest peak 15-min flow rates are 400 peds, 450 peds, and 500 pedsSidewalk has parking meters on one side and trees on the other side

a. 3.3 ftb. 3.3 mc. 7.3 ftd. 9.3 ft


16. Freeway LOSA new suburban freeway facility is being planned with a forecasted opening day AADT of 100,000veh/day, in a rolling terrain. How many lanes will be needed to provide LOS C during peak periodsgiven the following information?

PHF = 0.92Trucks = 8%K = 0.10D = 60/40FFS = 70 mph

A. TwoB. ThreeC. FourD. Five


17. Roadside ClearanceA. What is the minimum required clear zone for a roadway with the following criteria:

55 mph design speedBackslope of 1V:6HADT = 8000 veh/day

a. 16 ftb. 22 ftc. 24 ftd. 30 ft

B. What is the minimum required clear zone distance based on AASHTO guidelines for a roadwaywith the following criteria:

Foreslope of 1V:5HPosted speed = 35 mphTraffic volume = 2000 veh/day in summer, 4000 veh/day during schoolDesign speed = 45 mph

a. 14 ftb. 16 ftc. 18 ftd. 20 ft

18. MUTCDA. The minimum sign height, measured vertically from the bottom of the sign to the elevation of the

near edge of the pavement, in rural and non-rural locations, respectively, is:a. 5 feet and 5 feetb. 5 feet and 7 feetc. 7 feet and 7 feetd. None of the above

B. What is the required size for a speed limit sign on a Freeway?a. 24” x 30”b. 30” x 36”c. 36” x 48”d. 48” x 60”

C. The minimum width for a crosswalk marking is most nearly:a. 24 inchesb. 12 inchesc. 6 inchesd. 4 inches


19. Rigid Pavement DesignDetermine the required thickness of reinforced concrete pavement for the following conditions:

Asphalt shoulder with dowels.f’c = 4000 psiS’c = 600 psiInitial serviceability index = 4.5Final present serviceability index = 2.5Reliability = 90 %Standard Deviation = 0.3Soil resilient Modulus = 6000 psiGood drainage20 year design life

Loads:

250 daily passes of Single-Unit Truck: 350 daily passes of Semitrailer with tandem axle:- 8,000 lb steering single axle - 6,000 lb steering single axle- 20,000 lb drive, single axle - 16,000 lb drive, tandem axle

- 28,000 lb trailer, tandem axle


(Source: AASHTO Guide for Design of Pavement Structures, 1993)


20. Flexible PavementDetermine the structural number for the flexible pavement given the following conditions:

Reliability = 90 %Standard Deviation = 0.3Poor subgrade CBR = 1Initial serviceability index = 4.5Final present serviceability index = 2.510 year design life

Loads:

250 daily passes of Single-Unit Truck: 350 daily passes of Semitrailer with tandem axle:- 8,000 lb steering single axle - 6,000 lb steering single axle- 20,000 lb drive, single axle - 16,000 lb drive, tandem axle

- 28,000 lb trailer, tandem axle


(Source: AASHTO Guide for Design of Pavement Structures, 1993)

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