DESCRIPTION : MULTILANE HIGHWAY CAPACITY

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Determination of the capacities of transportation system and facilities is a major

issues in the analysis of transportation flow. The capacity of a transportation system or
facilities is defined as the maximum of vehicles, passengers, per unit time, which can be
accommodated under given conditions with a reasonable expectation of occurrence.

Capacity is independent of demand in the sense that it does not depend on the total
number of vehicles or whatever demanding service. It is expressed in term of units of some
specific thing, however, so that it does depend on traffic composition such as for highway,
the percentage of the trucks or others vehicles. It is dependent on physical and
environmental condition, such as the geometric design of facilities or the weather.

Moreover, it is to be expected that there will be random variations in the number of

vehicles that can be accommodated over very short time intervals, so that capacity is often
best thought of as the maximum average flow rate that can be sustained indefinitely, so long
as there is no lack of demand.

Such a facility is considered as an ideal facility and for such facilities the following values can
be taken as capacity

1. A capacity of 2000 vehicle per hour per lane for a speed of 115kmph
2. A capacity of 1900 vehicles per hour per lane for a speed of 80kmph
3. A capacity of 2800 vehicle per hour for both direction at 100kmph

HIGHWAY CAPACITY

Capacity may be defined as the maximum sustainable flow rate at which vehicles or
persons reasonably can be expected to traverse a point or uniform segment of a lane or
roadway during a specified time period under given roadway, traffic, environmental, and
control conditions; usually expressed as vehicles per hour, passenger cars per hour, or
persons per hour. There are two types of capacity, possible capacity and practical capacity.
Possible capacity is defined as the maximum number of vehicles that can pass a point in
one hour under prevailing roadway and traffic condition. Practical capacity on the other hand
is the maximum number that can pass the point without unreasonable delay restriction to the
average driver's freedom to pass other vehicles.

Highway systems are composed of a number of different elements, any one of which
can limit their capacity. In the case of freeways, these include the basic freeway segment
itself, onramp and offramp junctions, and weaving sections. In the case of urban arterial
streets, the capacity of signalized intersections is usually the controlling urban arterial
streets, the capacity of signalized intersections is usually the controlling freeways, either the
basic roadway segment or intersections may be critical.

Highway Classification

There are various ways of classification of highways; we will see classification of highways
according to number of lanes. (Figure 1.0)

i. Two lane highways.

ii. Multilane highways

iii. Divided highways

i. Two Lane Highway

Two-lane highway operations are characterized by passing maneuvers, formation of

platoons within the traffic stream, and delay experienced by trailing vehicles while unable to pass
lead vehicles. For increased passing demand, passing capacity decreases due to limited passing
opportunities. Quality of service becomes unacceptable even for lower volume-to-capacity (v/c)
ratio. A two-lane road or two-lane highway is a single carriageway with one lane for each
direction. A single-track road has a single lane with passing places for traffic in both
directions. Road traffic safety is generally worse for high-speed single carriageways than for dual
carriageways due to the lack of separation between traffic moving in opposing directions.

ii. Multilane Highways

Multilane highways generally have posted speed limits of between 40 and 55 miles
per hour (mph). They usually have four or six lanes, often with physical medians or two-way
left-turn lane medians, although they may also be undivided (have no median). Unlike
freeways, multilane highways are interrupted by intersections or driveways. The level of
service criteria for multilane highways are similar to the criteria for freeways. The LOS
calculation method is identical to the calculation method for freeways. The only difference is
the range of V/Cs and speeds for each LOS designation. The maximum ideal lane capacity
for a multilane highway segment is 2,200 vehicles per hour.

iii. Divided Highways

A dual carriageway (British English) or divided highway (American English) is a class

of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by
a central reservation. Roads with two or more carriageways which are designed to higher
standards with controlled access are generally classed as motorways, freeways, etc., rather
than dual carriageways.

A road without a central reservation is a single carriageway regardless of the number

of lanes. Dual carriageways have improved road traffic safety over single carriageways and
typically have higher speed limits as a result. In some places, express lanes and
local/collector lanes are used within a local-express-lane system to provide more capacity
and to smooth traffic flows for longer-distance travel.

LEVEL OF SERVICE
 Level-of-Service(LOS) of a traffic facility is a concept introduced to relate the quality
of traffic service to a given flow rate. Level-of-Service is introduced by HCM to denote the
level of quality one can derive from a local under different operation characteristics and
traffic volume. HCM proposes LOS as a letter that designate a range of operating conditions
on a particular type of facility. Six LOS letters are defined by Highway Capacity Manual
(HCM), namely A, B, C, D, E, and F, where A denote the best quality of service and F
denote the worst. These definitions are based on Measures of Effectiveness of that facility.
Typical measure of effectiveness include speed, travel-time, density, delay etc. There will be
an associated service volume for each of the LOS levels. A service volume or service flow
rate is the maximum number of vehicles, passengers, or the like, which can be
accommodated by a given facility or system under given conditions at a given LOS.

Level of Service (LOS) Density Range (pc/km/ln)

A 0-7
B > 7-11
C > 11 -16
D > 16 - 22
E > 22 - 28
F > 28

Level of Service A

 Free-flow traffic with individual users virtually unaffected by the presence of others in
the traffic stream.

Level of Service B:

 Stable traffic flow with a high degree of freedom to select speed and operating
conditions but with some influence from other users.

Level of Service C

 Restricted flow that remains stable but with significant interactions with others in the
traffic stream. The general level of comfort and convenience declines noticeably at
this level

Level of Service D
  High-density flow in which speed and freedom to maneuver are severely restricted
and comfort and convenience have declined even though flow remains stable.

Level of Service E

 Operations are unstable at or near capacity. Densities vary, depending on the free-
flow speed. Vehicles operate at the minimum spacing for which uniform flow can be
maintained. Disruptions cannot be easily dissipated and usually result in the
formation of queues and the deterioration of service to LOS F. For the majority of
multilane highways with free-flow speed between 70 and 100km/h, passenger-car
mean speeds at capacity range from 68 to 88 km/h but are highly variable and
unpredictable. Average spacing between vehicles is a minimum of 150 m or 24 car
length

Level of Service F:

 Forced traffic flow in which the amount of traffic approaching a point exceeds the
amount that can be served. LOS F is characterized by stop-and-go waves, poor
travel times, low comfort and convenience, and increased accident exposure.

2.0
AN
ALYSIS AND CALCULATION

The determination of level of service for a multilane highway involves three steps:

1. Determination of free-flow speed

2. Determination of flow rate

3. Determination of level of service

Determination of free-flow speed

a) Field Measurement Method

Average of all passenger-car speeds measured in field under low-volume condition
can be used directly as the FFS if such measurement were taken at flow rates at or
below 1400 pc/hr/ln

b) Estimation method
FFS can be estimated from 85th percentile speed or posted speed limits. It can
be assumed that the base free speed (BFFS) is 3 km/h lower than the 85th
percentile speed.

FFS = BFFS – fLW – fLC – fM – fA

Where
FSS = estimated free-flow speed
BFFS = base free flow speed
fLW = adjustment for lane width
fLC = adjustment for right-shoulder lateral clearance
fM = adjustment for medium type
fA = adjustment for access point density

Determination of flow rate

The next step in the determination of the LOS is the computation of the peak hour factor.
The fifteen minute passenger-car equivalent flow rate (pc/h/ln), is determined by using
following formula:
Vp = the 15-min passenger-car equivalent flow rate (pc/h/ln),
V = the hourly volume (veh/h),
PHF = peak-hour factor ,
N = number of lanes,
fHV = heavy-vehicle adjustment factor
fp = river population factor.

The PHFs for multilane highways have been observed to be in the range of 0.75 to
0.95. Lower values are typical of rural or off-peak conditions, whereas higher factors are
typical of urban and suburban peak-hour conditions. Where local data are not available, 0.88
is a reasonable estimate of the PHF for rural multilane highways and 0.92 for suburban
facilities. Heavy vehicle adjustment factor is determined using the following equation

fhv = 1/ 1+ PT (ET – 1 )

Determination of Level of Service

The level of service on a multilane highway can be determined directly from Fig. 12 or Table-
2 based on the free-flow speed (FFS) and the service flow rate (vp) in pc/h/ln. The procedure
as follows:

1. Define a segment on the highway as appropriate. The following conditions help to

define the segmenting of the highway,
o Change in median treatment
o Change in grade of 2% or more or a constant upgrade over 1220 m
o Change in the number of travel lanes
o The presence of a traffic signal
o A significant change in the density of access points
o Different speed limits
o The presence of bottleneck condition

In general, the minimum length of study section should be 760 m, and the limits
should be no closer than 0.4 km from a signalized intersection.

2. On the basis of the measured or estimated free-flow speed on a highway segment,

an appropriate speed-flow curve of the same as the typical curves is drawn.
 3. Locate the point on the horizontal axis corresponding to the appropriate flow rate (vp)
in pc/hr/ln and draw a vertical line.
4. Read up the FFS curve identified in step 2 and determine the average travel speed at
the point of intersection.
5. Determine the level of service on the basis of density region in which this point is
located. Density of flow can be computed as

where, is the density (pc/km/ln), Vp is the flow rate (pc/h/ln), and is the
average passenger-car travel speed (km/h). The level of service can also be
determined by comparing the computed density with the density ranges shown in
table given by HCM. To use the procedures for a design, a forecast of future traffic
volumes has to be made and the general geometric and traffic control conditions,
such as speed limits, must be estimated. With these data and a threshold level of
service, an estimate of the number of lanes required for each direction of travel can
be determined. Determination of LOS is LOS determined from the speed-flow
diagram. LOS = D (for upgrade) LOS = D (for downgrade).

QUESTION

A 1.58 km segment of an east- west five – lane highway with two travel lanes in each
direction and its separated by a two – way right – turn lane.
Criteria of the road :

1) Rolling terrain – 2.5

2) Speed of 85th percentile - 82.0 km/h
3) Lane width – 3.6 m
4) Peak hour volume – 1500 veh/h
5) Percent of trucks and buses – 6 %
6) Number of access point of two directions –
 12 access points/km ( westbound )
 8 access points / km ( eastbound )
7) PHF – 0.95
8) Lateral clearance – 3.6 m and greater lateral clearance for westbound and
eastbound.
Calculation :

BFFS = 82.0 – 3.0 = 79 km/h

Eastbound

fLW = 0.0 (from Table 2.1)

fLC = 0.0 (from Table 2.2)
fM = 0.0 (from Table 2.3)
fA = 5.3 (from Table 2.4)
FFS = BFFS – fLW – fLC – fM – fA
= 79.0 – 0.0 – 0.0 – 0.0 – 5.3
= 73.7 km/h

PT = 0.06
ET = 2.5 (from Table 2.5)
fhv = 1/ 1+ PT (ET – 1 ) = 1/ 1 + 0.06 ( 2.5 – 1 ) = 0.9174
fp = 1.0 (assuming all are regular drivers)
V = 1500
PHF = 0.95
N=2

vp = V / PHF x N x fhv x fp = 1500 / ( 0.95 x 2 x0.9174 x 1.0 ) = 861 pc/h/ln

Density = vp / S = 861/ 72.7 = 11.7 pc/km/ln

LOS LOS C (using Figure 2.3)

Westbound

fLW = 0.0 (from Table 2.1)

fLC = 0.0 (from Table 2.2)
fM = 0.0 (from Table 2.3)
fA = 8.0 (from Table 2.4)
FFS = BFFS – fLW – fLC – fM – fA
= 79.0 – 0.0 – 0.0 – 0.0 – 8.0
= 71 km/h
PT = 0.06
ET = 2.5 (from Table 2.5)

fhv = 1/ 1+ PT (ET – 1 ) = 1/ 1 + 0.06 ( 2.5 – 1 ) = 0.9174

fp = 1.0 (assuming all are regular drivers)
V = 1500
PHF = 0.95
N=2
vp = V / PHF x N x fhv x fp = 1500 / ( 0.95 x 2 x0.9174 x 1.0 ) = 861 pc/h/ln
Density = vp / S = 861/ 71 = 12.13 pc/km/ln

LOS LOS C (using Figure 2.3)

Figure 2.3
 From the data that I get, we can see that the Level of service for lane eastbound and
westbound is LOS C. This is because the traffic density begins to influence operations. The
ability to manoeuvre within the traffic stream is affected by other vehicles. Travel speeds
show some reduction when free-flow speeds exceed 80 km/h. Minor disruptions may be
expected to cause serious local deterioration in service, and queues may begin to form.

The area or terrain of the lane is rolling which is any combination of horizontal and
vertical alignment that causes heavy vehicles to reduce their speed substantially below
those of passenger cars but does not cause heavy vehicles to operate at their limiting speed
for the given terrain for any significant length of time or at frequent intervals.

For Driver Population Adjustment it show that under base conditions, the traffic
stream is assumed to consist of regular weekday drivers and commuters. Such drivers have
a high familiarity with the roadway and generally maneuver and respond to the maneuvers of
other drivers in a safe and predictable fashion. However, weekend drivers or recreational
drivers are a problem. Such drivers can cause a significant reduction in roadway capacity
relative to the base condition of having only familiar drivers.

Free-Flow Criteria (LOS) (LOS) (LOS) (LOS) (LOS)

Speed A B C D E

100 km/h Max. density 7 11 16 22 25

(pc/km/ln)

Average speed 100 100 98.4 91.5 88

(kmph)

Max. volume 0.32 0.50 0.72 0.92 1.00

capacity ratio

Max. service 700 1100 1575 2015 2200

flow rate

(pc/h/ln)

Table 2 : Level of Service criteria for a typical free flow speed of 100 kmph proposed
in HCM 200
CONCLUSION

Based from this analysis the multilane highway capacity of a road segment with two
travel lanes in each direction and it’s separated by a two-way right-turn lanes can determine
the level of service and capacity for a given road segment. As conclusion, the capacity of a
transportation system or facilities is defined as the maximum sustainable flow rate at which
vehicles or persons reasonably can be expected to traverse a point or uniform segment of a
lane or roadway during a specified time period under given roadway, traffic, environmental,
and control conditions; usually expressed as vehicles per hour, passenger cars per hour, or
persons per hour.

The level of service (LOS) provides a qualitative ranking of the traffic operational
conditions experienced by users of a facility. An understanding of the relationship between
speed and flow rate is the key to determining capacity and LOS for a specific freeway
section. In general, freeways are designed to accommodate relatively large numbers of
vehicles at higher speeds than other roadways.

Multilane highway usually have four or six lanes, often with physical medians or two-
way left-turn lane medians, although they may also be undivided (have no median). Unlike
freeways, multilane highways are interrupted by intersections or driveways. The level of
service criteria for multilane highways are similar to the criteria for freeways.

From the data that I get, we can see that the Level of service for lane eastbound and
westbound is LOS C. This is because the traffic density begins to influence operations. The
ability to manoeuvre within the traffic stream is affected by other vehicles. Travel speeds
show some reduction when free-flow speeds exceed 80 km/h. Minor disruptions may be
expected to cause serious local deterioration in service, and queues may begin to form.

It is to be expected that there will be random variations in the number of vehicles that
can be accommodated over very short time intervals, so that capacity is often best thought
of as the maximum average flow rate that can be sustained indefinitely, so long as there is
no lack of demand.