GEOMETRIC DESIGN OF HIGHWAY SHOULDERS
THE GEOMETRIC ASPECTS OF HIGHWAY SHOULDER DESIGN ARE THOSE THAT THE DRIVER SEES AND FEELS AS HIS VEHICLE OPERATES EITHER ON THE ADJACENT THROUGH TRAFFIC LANE OR THE SHOULDER ITSELF. GEOMETRIC FEATURES INVOLVED TO PROVIDE A SHOULDER OF SUCH CHARACTER AND EXTENT AS TO INSURE THE EFFICIENCY, SAFETY, AND MOBILITY OF VEHICLE OPERATIONS ON THE HIGHWAY ARE: THE SHOULDER WIDTH, CONTINUITY, DISTINCTIVENESS AS COMPARED WITH PAVEMENT AND OUTER AREAS, DIRECTION AND AMOUNT OF CROSS SLOPE, INCLUSION OF CURVES AND DRAINAGE INLETS, OUTER EDGE ROUNDING, AND THE SLOPES BEYOND. THESE FEATURES ARE DISCUSSED WITH THE FINAL AGREEMENT THAT MOST HIGHWAY DEPARTMENTS CONCUR IN CONCLUSIONS THAT CONTINUOUS, STABLE, AND WIDE SHOULDERS ARE THE PROPER PARTS OF EXPRESSWAYS, BOTH RURAL AND URBAN, AND RURAL MAJOR HIGHWAYS. A CONTINUOUS, STABILIZED SHOULDER 8 TO 12 FEET WIDE ALONG AN EXPRESSWAY IS NEEDED TO PREVENT BLOCKING OF ALL LANES WHEN A VEHICLE IS STOPPED ON THE ROADWAY. ON DIVIDED HIGHWAYS, THE ADVANTAGE OF A LEFT OR MEDIAN SHOULDER IS BEING RECOGNIZED IN SOME AREAS. QUESTIONS OF SHOULDER WIDTH INVOLVE THE SIZE AND PLACEMENT OF PRINCIPAL DIRECTION AND DESTINATION SIGNS WITH LETTERS LEGIBLE TO HIGH-SPEED TRAFFIC. MORE TRAFFIC STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO PROVIDE THE BEST GEOMETRIC SHOULDER DESIGN.
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Supplemental Notes:
- No 151, pp 11-12 Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Authors:
- Loutzenheiser, D W
- Publication Date: 1957
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Pagination: 2p
- Monograph Title: Symposium on Highway Shoulders
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Serial:
- Highway Research Board Bulletin
- Issue Number: 151
- Publisher: Highway Research Board
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Culvert inlets; Geometric design; Highway design; Road shoulders; Soil stabilization; Surface drainage; Traffic surveys; Width
- Uncontrolled Terms: Inlets; Traffic studies
- Old TRIS Terms: Highway drainage; Shoulder stabilization
- Subject Areas: Design; Geotechnology; Highways;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00203411
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Jul 7 1994 12:00AM