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Traffic Demand or Design
Volume:
◦ number of vehicles, pedestrians,
etc. that desire to travel
between locations during a
specific period
2
Design Volume
Usually hourly volume
Which hour?
◦ Average hourly volume – inadequate design
◦ Maximum peak hour – not economical
◦ Hourly volume used for design should not be
exceeded very often or by very much
◦ Usually use 30th highest hourly volume of the year
◦ On rural roads 30 HHV is ~ 15% of ADT
◦ Tends to be constant year to year
3
Traffic Demand
⚫ Design Hourly Volume (DHV) – future hourly
volume (both directions) used for design -
typically 30th HHV (highest hourly volume) in
the design year
⚫ Why 30th HHV?
⚫ Breakpoint of 2-28
⚫ Compromise: too high is wasteful, too low poor
operation
⚫ Approximately median weekly peak hour volume
(top highest week peak hours)
(30th HHV exceed 29 times in year)
4
Example : 1
The table shows the
volumetric data observed
at an intersection.
Calculate the peak hour
volume (V), peak hour
factor (PHF), and the
actual (design) flow rate
for this approach.
Solution
Locate the hour with the highest volume
and the 15 minute interval with the highest
volume. (5:00 – 6:00)
Find peak hour volume flow (219).
The peak 15 minute volume is 65 in this
case.
The peak hour factor (PHF) is found by
dividing the peak hour volume by number
of traffic count intervals (In this case it is 4)
with the peak 15 minute volume.
Peak Hour Factor (PHF)
PHF = peak-hour volume
60/n(peak n-min volume)
PHF = 219 / (4×65) = 0.84
7
Design Flow Rate
The actual (design) flow rate can be calculated by dividing the peak
hour volume by the PHF
Design Flow rate (Design Hourly volume) (DHV)= PHV / PHF
DHV= 219/0.84 = 260 vehicles/hr,
or by multiplying the peak 15 minute volume by no. of traffic count
intervals (four),
= 4 × 65 = 260 vehicles per hour. (depends on data)
Flow is not uniform throughout an hour
HCM considers operating conditions during most congested 15-
minute period of the hour to determine service level for the hour
as a whole
Directional Distribution (example)
If traffic is directionally split 60/40, what is
directional distribution of traffic for previous
example (Design hourly volume = 420 veh/hr)?
Directional Design Hourly Volume (DDHV) =
0.6 x 420 = 252 veh/hr
Notice we use 0.6 not 0.4!!
9
Example 2
10
DHV = PHV
PHF
Peak hour volume = 375 vph
PHF = 0.625
DHV = 375 = 600 vph
0.625
Note: the traffic you design for is the busiest
15 minutes during the peak hour …
another way to think of it is 150 vehicles
per 15 minutes = 600 vehicles per 60
minutes 11
Example 3
The table shows
the volumetric
data collected at
an intersection:
Calculate the
peak
hour volume,
peak hour factor
(PHF), and the
actual (design)
flow rate for this
approach.
Passenger Car Equivalence Units
Solution
The first step in this solution is to find the
total traffic volume for each 10 minute
period in terms of passenger car units.
For this purpose the PCU values given in
the table are used.
Solution (contd.)
Flow converted in Passenger Car Units
(PCU)
Solution (contd.)
Once PCU for each type of vehicle is
found, locate the hour with the highest
volume (PHV) and the 10 minute interval
with the highest volume.
Then PHV along with Design flow rate is
to be found.
Solution (contd.)
The actual (design) flow rate can be
calculated by dividing the peak hour
volume by the PHF,
DHV = 743.6/0.85 = 879 PCU/hr,
or by multiplying the peak 10 minute
volume by six, 6 × 146.5 = 879 PCU/hr.
Design Hourly Volume
DHV is a representation of peak hour traffic,
usually for the future, or horizon year
K-factor represents proportion of AADT that
occurs in the 30th HHV
K-factor = __DHV x 100
AADT
K = 8 to 12% urban, 12 to 18% rural
18
Design Hourly Volume (Example)
If AADT is 3500 vpd and the 30th
highest hourly volume for the year is 420 vph
what is the K-factor for that facility?
K-factor = __DHV x 100
AADT
K-factor = __420 x 100 = 12
3500
19
Question: What’s the impact of choosing different
K factor for design?
If AADT is 3500 vpd, how will the design volume differ for K-
factor = 8% vs. 12%?
DHV = K-factor x AADT
100
DHVk=8% = 8 x 3500 = 280 vph
100
DHVk=12% = 12 x 3500 = 420 vph (diff of 140
100 veh)
20
Traffic Demand (cont.)
D = directional distribution = one way
volume in peak direction (expressed as a
percentage of two-way traffic) Rural 55
to 80%
Can also adjust for how traffic is
distributed between lanes (e.g., 3 lanes,
highest/outside lane may be 40% of total
directional flow)
21
Highway Design Standards
(Traffic Elements Considerations - Design
Flow rate (V)
V = DHV/PHF
The design peak 15-minute flow rate (V)
is computed by dividing the design hourly
volume (DHV) by the peak hour
factor(PHF).
The PHF is a function of the population in
the surrounding area.
Highway Design Standards
(Design Speed)
AASHTO defines design speed as “a selected
speed to determine the various geometric
features of a roadway”
Design Speed depends on the functional
classification of the highway, the topography of
the area and the adjacent land use.
Topography:
◦ Level
◦ Rolling
◦ Mountainous
Design Speeds range from 20 mph to 70 mph in
increments of 10 mph.
Highway Design Standards
(Design Speed-Terrain Classification)
From economic consideration, highway
standards vary with terrain
Steep terrain: Cross slope > 60%
Mountainous terrain: Cross slope 25-60%
Rolling terrain: Cross slope 10-25%
Level terrain: Cross slope < 10%
Highway Design Standards
(Design Speed)
Freeways are designed for 60 to 70 mph
speeds.
Design speeds are selected to achieve a
desired level of operation and safety on a
highway.
In the future you may see higher design
speeds than 70 mph for interstate
systems.
Highway Design Standards
(Design Vehicle)
Design vehicles are selected to represent
all vehicles on the highway.
The vehicle type selected is typically the
largest vehicle likely to use the highway
with considerable frequency.
The weight, physical dimensions, and
operating characteristics of the design
vehicle will be used to establish the
geometric features of the highway.
Highway Design Standards
(Design Vehicle)
Vehicles data affecting Highway design:
•Axle and wheel load
•Axle spacing
•Wheels, basses, overall length
•Width
•Height
•Minimum turning radius
Highway Design Standards
(Design Vehicle – Max. Dimentions)
Highway Design Standards
(Corrections):
Correction is expensive and difficult
(once the road is built) for geometric
features like;
◦ Gradient
◦ Curvature
◦ Sight Distance
Highway Economics
For best Highway design, the cost per Km
per year must be minimum (Rule of
Highway Economics)
◦ Initial construction cost
◦ Maintenance cost
◦ Operation cost
Economic Analysis
◦ Cost benefit ratio
◦ Rate of return
Highway Capacity
•Maximum no. of vehicles that can pass over a given
section of lane or roadway during a give time period (an
hour)
•Expressed in passenger car units (PCUS)
•Quantitative measure of the effect of
•Speed
•Travel time
•Traffic interruption
•Freedom to maneuver
•Driver comfort and convenience etc
Passenger Car Equivalent (PCES)
Carriage way width and Highway
Capacity
Carriageway width
Highway Design Standards
(Cross-Section Elements)
Travel lanes
Shoulders
Medians
Roadside barriers
Guardrails
Side Slopes
Curb and Gutter (in urban areas)
Highway Design Standards
(Cross-Section Elements)
Cross-Section Elements:
Travel lane widths vary from 9 feet to 12
feet.
12-foot lanes are desirable for all new
facilities
Typical Cross-section
Typical Cross-Section of Highway
