CEE 320

Winter 2006

Multilane Highway LOS

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Multilane Highway LOS

Multilane Highway LOS

Multilane Highway LOS

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Similar to Freeway LOS

A few minor differences

Multilane Highway LOS

Base Conditions for Multilane Highway

Level terrain, with grades no greater than 2 percent

Minimum lane width = 12 ft
Objects no closer than 6 ft from the edge of the traveled
pavement (at the roadside or median)
No direct access points along the roadway
Divided highway
Traffic stream composed entirely of passenger cars
HOW TOM DEAL WITH IT

Free flow speed of 60 mph or more

HOW THIS

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Driver population composed principally of regular users

Multilane Highway LOS

Free Flow Speed (FFS)

Measure FFS in the field
Low to moderate traffic conditions

Use a baseline and adjust it (BFFS)

FFS BFFS f LW f LC f M f A
FFS = free-flow speed (mph)
BFFS = base free-flow speed, 60 mph is typically used
HOW TO GET THIS

CEE 320
Winter 2006

fLW = adjustment for lane width (mph)

fLC = adjustment for right-shoulder lateral clearance (mph)
fM = adjustment for median type (mph)

Multilane Highway LOS

Lane Width Adjustment (fLW)

Base condition (fLW = 0)
Average width of 12 ft. or wider across all lanes

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Same as Freeway LOS

From Highway Capacity Manual, 2000

Multilane Highway LOS

Lateral Clearance Adjustment (fLC)

TLC LC R LC L

Base condition (fLC = 0) ANY BACKGROUND INFO

DIFFENRENT FROM FREEWAY LOS
12 ft or greater TLC

LCL = 6 ft for undivided highways

CEE 320
Winter 2006

LCL = 6 ft for two-way left-turn lanes

From Highway Capacity Manual, 2000

(accounted for in median type adjustment)

Multilane Highway LOS

Median Adjustment (fM)

Base condition (fM = 0)
Divided highway

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Not there in free LOS BUT THERE IS LANE

ADJUSTMENT FACTOR

From Highway Capacity Manual, 2000

Multilane Highway LOS

Access-Point Density Adjustment (fA)

Not there in Free Los. Smt lse Interchange density is
there
For each access point/mi FFS decreases by 0.25 mph
Base condition (fA = 0)
0 access points per mile

CEE 320
Winter 2006

For NAPM 40: fA = 0.25 NAPM

For NAPM > 40: fA = 10

From Highway Capacity Manual, 2000

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Multilane Highway LOS

Determining Flow Rate

Adjust hourly volumes to get pc/ln/hr

V
vp
PHF N f HV f p
vp = 15-minute passenger-car equivalent flow rate (pcphpl)
V = hourly volume (veh/hr)
PHF = peak hour factor

CEE 320
Winter 2006

N = number of lanes in one direction

fHV = heavy-vehicle adjustment factor
fP = driver population adjustment factor

Same as Freeway LOS

Multilane Highway LOS

Heavy Vehicle Adjustment (fHV)

Base condition (fHV = 1.0)
No heavy vehicles
Heavy vehicle = trucks, buses, RVs

Two-step process

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Determine passenger-car equivalents (ET)

Determine fHV

Same as Freeway LOS

Multilane Highway LOS

Passenger-Car Equivalents (ET)

Extended segments method

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Determine the type of terrain and select ET

No one grade of 3% or more is longer than 0.5 miles
OR
No one grade of less than 3% is longer than 1 mile

From Highway Capacity Manual, 2000

Multilane Highway LOS

Passenger-Car Equivalents (ET)

Specific grades method

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Any grade of 3% or more that is longer than 0.5 miles

OR
Any grade of less than 3% that is longer than 1 mile

From Highway Capacity Manual, 2000

From Highway Capacity Manual, 2000

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Multilane Highway LOS

Same as
Freeway LOS

Multilane Highway LOS

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Passenger-Car Equivalents (ET)

Same as Freeway LOS

Multilane Highway LOS

Passenger-Car Equivalents (ET)

Composite grades method
Determines the effect of a series of steep
grades in succession
Method OK if
All subsection grades are less than 4%
OR
Total length of composite grade is less than 4000 ft.

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Otherwise, use a detailed technique in the

Highway Capacity Manual (HCM)
What is this
Same as Freeway LOS
From Highway Capacity Manual, 2000

Multilane Highway LOS

Determine fHV
f HV

1 PT ET 1 PR ER 1

fHV = Heavy vehicle adjustment factor

ET, ER = Passenger-car equivalents for trucks/buses and RVs
PT, PR = Proportion of trucks/buses and RVs in traffic stream

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Same as Freeway LOS

Multilane Highway LOS

Driver Population Adjustment (fP)

Base condition (fP = 1.0)
Most drivers are familiar with the route
Commuter drivers

Typical values between 0.85 and 1.00

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Same as Freeway LOS

Multilane Highway LOS

Determine Average PC Speed (S)

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Use vp and FFS curve to find average passenger car speed (S)

From Highway Capacity Manual, 2000

Multilane Highway LOS

Determine Average PC Speed (S)

For 55 < FFS 60 mph AND vp > 1400
3
v p 1400

S FFS
FFS 13
10
28FFS 880

For 50 < FFS 55 mph AND vp > 1400

219
34
S FFS
FFS

41
205

1.31

v p 1400

171

FFS 1181
5

CEE 320
Winter 2006

For 55 < FFS 75 mph AND vp < (3400 30FFS)

1.31
1

56 v p 1400

S FFS FFS
5
9
36
FFS

1120

For vp < 1400

S FFS

1.31

Multilane Highway LOS

Determine LOS

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Use vp and passenger car speed (S)

From Highway Capacity Manual, 2000

Multilane Highway LOS

Determine Density
Calculate density using:

vp
S

D = density (pc/mi/ln)
vp = flow rate (pc/hr/ln)

CEE 320
Winter 2006

S = average passenger-car speed (mph)

Multilane Highway LOS

From Highway Capacity Manual, 2000

CEE 320
Winter 2006

LOS Criteria for Multilane Highways

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Design Traffic Volumes

Design Traffic Volumes

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Need to select the appropriate hourly

traffic volume to get the design LOS

Definitions
Annual average daily traffic (AADT)
Annual traffic averaged on a daily basis

Design hourly volume (DHV)

Traffic volume used for design calculations
Typically between the 10th and 50th highest volume hour
of the year (30th highest is most common)

K-factor

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Relationship between AADT and DHV

DHV
K
AADT

Definitions
Directional distribution factor (D)
Factor reflecting the proportion of peak-hour traffic
traveling in the peak direction
Often there is much more traffic in one direction than
the other

Directional design-hour volume (DDHV)

CEE 320
Winter 2006

DDHV K D AADT

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Hourly volume as a proportion of AADT

Typical Graph
Highest 100 Hourly Volumes Over a One-Year
Period for a Typical Roadway

0.15
0.14
0.13
0.12
0.11
0.10
0

20

40
60
80
Number of hours (annually) with
specified or greater volumes

100

WSDOT Graphs

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Primary References

Mannering, F.L.; Kilareski, W.P. and Washburn, S.S. (2005). Principles

of Highway Engineering and Traffic Analysis, Third Edition. Chapter 6

Transportation Research Board. (2000). Highway Capacity Manual

2000. National Research Council, Washington, D.C.