WIDTH OF WIDENING OF A

CURVE SECTION OF ROAD

 OFFTRACKING is the characteristic in which the rear wheels
do not follow precisely the same path as the front wheels
when the vehicle negotiates a horizontal curve or makes a
turn.
 The amount of widening needed increases with
the size of the design vehicle and decreases
with increasing radius of curvature.
1) The design vehicle (especially larger ones) occupies
a greater width because the rear wheels do not
follow precisely the same path as the front wheels
(offtracking) when the vehicle traverses a horizontal
curve or makes a turn, or
2) Drivers experience difficulty in steering their
vehicles in the center of the lane.
• The amount of widening (w) of the travelled way on
a horizontal curve is the difference between the
width needed on the curve (Wc) and the width used
on a tangent (Wn):
The travelled way width needed on a curve (Wc) has
several components related to operation on curves,
including:
a) the track width of each vehicle meeting or passing, U
b) the lateral clearance for each vehicle, C
c) width of front overhang of the vehicle occupying the
inner lane or lanes, Fa
d) width allowance for the difficulty of driving on
curves, Z
Exhibit 3-50. Widening on Open
Highway Curves ( Two-Lane Highways,
One-Way or Two-Way).
Reference: Policy on Geometric
Design of Highways and Streets
(AASHTO, 2011)
• To determine width on the curve, Wc, it is necessary
to select an appropriate design vehicle.
• The design vehicle should usually be a truck because
offtracking is much greater for trucks than for
passenger cars.
• also known as the swept path width.
• It is the sum of the track width on tangent (u) (2.44
or 2.59 m depending on the design vehicle) and the
amount of offtracking.
 Exhibit 3-47. Track Width for Widening of Traveled Way on Curves
Reference: Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (AASHTO, 2011)
• It provides for the clearance between the edge of the
travelled way and nearest wheel path and for the
body clearance between vehicles passing or meeting.
• Lateral clearance per vehicle is assumed to be 0.6 m,
0.75 m, and 0.9 m for tangent lane widths (Wn)
equal to 6.0 m, 6.6 m, and 7.2 m respectively.
• It is the radial distance between the outer edge of the tire
path of the outer front wheel and the path of the outer
front edge of the vehicle body.
• For curves and turning roadways, FA depends on the radius
of the curve R, the extent of the front overhang of the
design vehicle A, and the wheelbase of the unit itself L.
 Exhibit 3-48. Front Overhang for Widening of Traveled Way on Curves
Reference: Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (AASHTO, 2011)
• It is an additional radial width of pavement to allow
for the difficulty of maneuvering on a curve and the
variation in driver operation.
• This additional width is an empirical value that varies
with the speed of traffic and the radius of the curve.
Exhibit 3-49. Extra Width Allowance for Difficulty of Driving on Traveled Way on Curves
Reference: Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (AASHTO, 2011)
• Widening is costly and very little is actually gained
from a small amount of widening.
• It is suggested that a minimum widening of 0.6 m
(2ft) be used and that lower values on Exhibit 3-51
be disregarded.
Values in the table are for a WB-15 design vehicle.

Reference: Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (AASHTO, 2011)

For other design vehicles, an adjustment should be applied.

Reference: Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (AASHTO, 2011)

Reference: Policy on Geometric Design of
Highways and Streets (AASHTO, 2011)