Course

Roadway Geometric Design Principles and Traffic Operations (RGDPTO) Workshop

Time limit: 1 day
4 CEUs
Instructor: John McFadden

$50 Enroll

Full course description

Roadway Geometric Design Principles and Traffic Operations (RGDPTO)

Four-Hour workshop; virtual classroom format; up to 30 attendees

Curriculum Description

  • Duration: Four hours

  • Format: Lecture, interactive discussion, and case studies (approximately 1 hour per topic)

  • Delivery mode: In person or virtual

  • Prerequisites: Working knowledge of roadway design fundamentals and basic traffic operations analysis

  • Instructor(s): John McFadden, Ph.D., P.E.

Workshop Objective

Participants will explore geometric design history and fundamentals (plan, profile, cross section, and intersections) and the operational effects of design decisions, grounded in current FHWA, AASHTO, TRB, and peer-reviewed research. They will gain hands-on familiarity with operational analysis tools and learn to interpret results to support data-driven, performance-based decision making.
Note: The course covers non-freeway facilities only.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Explain the historical evolution of geometric design practice.

  • Identify critical geometric design elements and their operational implications.

  • Apply current research to optimize design for safety, mobility, and multimodal use.

  • Use and compare operational analysis tools for different non-freeway facility types.

  • Conduct design–operation trade-off evaluations.

  • Interpret and present operational performance results to decision makers.

Target Audience

Highway engineers; transportation planners and analysts; DOT staff; municipal engineers; consultants; graduate students in transportation engineering.

Delivery Details

  • Duration: Four Hours 

  • Includes: Lecture, case studies, group exercises, and discussion

  • Objective: Equip participants to make data-driven, cost-effective design and operations decisions consistent with Safe System principles.

Materials Provided

  • Slide deck (PDF) with embedded online resources and references

  • Example case studies

  • List of publicly available resources (FHWA, state DOTs, NCHRP)

  • Relevant links

Workshop Draft Agenda

Session 0: Administration

  • Registration and classroom preparation

  • Welcome and introductions

  • Participant expectations

  • Overview of workshop goals

Session 1: Historical Review of Geometric Design and U.S. Policy (Lecture)

  • Pre-1930s: early highway practices; influence of railroad engineering; lack of national standards

  • 1930s to 1950s: first AASHO policy; functional classification; early speed–design relationships; sight distance, curve design, pavement width

  • 1956 to 1970s: Interstate era; standardized criteria; 1965 MUTCD; rise of traffic engineering and the HCM

  • 1980s to 1990s: evolution of AASHTO Green Book; roadside safety concepts; context-sensitive design; multimodal integration

  • 2000s to 2010s: Performance-Based Practical Design; Highway Safety Manual; NACTO Urban Street Design Guide; increased flexibility for multimodal streets

  • 2020s and beyond: complete streets and resilience; integration of operations into design decisions; connected and automated vehicles; sustainability and climate adaptation

Session 2: Geometric Design Fundamentals and Horizontal Alignment

  • Design controls; area type and functional class

  • Design consistency; design speed; workload models; operating speed profiles

  • Tangents and horizontal curves; superelevation

  • Operational implications; speed profile prediction for two-lane rural highways

  • Sight distance

  • Case study 1: Horizontal curve redesign on a two-lane rural highway, including operational implications

Session 3: Geometric Design Fundamentals and Vertical Alignment

  • Grades, vertical curves, and sight distance (SSD and PSSD) for freight and passenger vehicles

  • Vertical tangents; sag and crest vertical curves

  • Operational implications; length and grade combinations

  • Speed profile prediction for two-lane rural highways; HCM climbing lanes

  • Case study 2: Redesign of a vertical curve

Session 4: Geometric Design Fundamentals and Cross Section

  • Pavement types and implications (overview)

  • Cross-section elements: divided vs. undivided; lane width; shoulder width; medians (types and width); side slopes; drainage; clear zone and horizontal clearance

  • Operational implications of cross-section elements

  • Case study 3: Illustrative example of speed prediction based on cross-section design

Session 5: Combining Horizontal, Vertical, and Cross-Section Elements

  • Design controls and criteria

  • Interactive effects of line, grade, and section

  • Design consistency using performance measures; illustrative example

Session 6: Intersection Design (Part 1)

  • Introduction; intersection forms

  • Sight distance; curvature and transitions

  • Auxiliary lanes; pedestrian facilities

  • Measures of effectiveness for operational evaluation by intersection type

Session 7: Intersection Design (Part 2)

  • Design attributes by intersection type: rural vs. urban; signalized vs. unsignalized; number of legs

  • Intended and unintended consequences of design decisions

  • Case study 4: Intersection redesign

Session 8: Pedestrian and Bicycle Facility Design

  • Safe System Approach

  • Design attributes for pedestrian and bicycle facilities using SSA

  • Operational implications of design decisions for non-motorized users

  • Case study 5: Pedestrian and bicycle facility design

Session 9: Operational Tools and Roadway Design

  • HCM 7th Edition; Synchro and SimTraffic; VISSIM; SIDRA; Highway Safety Software

  • When to use microsimulation; interpreting outputs; using visuals for stakeholders

  • Using performance measures to inform geometric design trade-offs

  • Example: Comprehensive application of multiple concepts from the course

Session 10: Course Close-Out

  • Instructional methods: lecture with visuals from current design manuals (AASHTO Green Book, MUTCD, NACTO, HCM), hands-on demonstrations, open discussion to apply concepts to participant projects (as time permits)

  • Materials provided: printed or downloadable workbook; research summaries and references; links to free or public-domain operational tools

Students who complete this non-credit course will receive 4 PDHs (Professional Development Hours) issued by the Maryland Board for Professional Engineers.

Note: CEU is a general term for continuing education units. The continuing education units this course offers are not issued by the University of Maryland.