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Title:

Horizontal Clearance Offsets to Objects Higher Than Sight Lines

Accession Number:

01514505

Record Type:

Component

Availability:

Transportation Research Board Business Office

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Washington, DC 20001 United States
Order URL: http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/171937.aspx

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Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780309295345

Abstract:

Sight distance is an important design element of curved highway sections. To ensure that design sight distance is provided on curved sections, AASHTO guidelines require that the insides of horizontal curves be cleared of sight obstructions. However, the guidelines’ analytical method for determining the extent of clearance is suitable only for the middle sections of horizontal curves that are longer than sight distance. The guidelines suggest the use of computational or graphical methods for determining the clearance offsets for cases in which the AASHTO model is inapplicable. The computational method is useful only for curves that are longer than sight distance but have unknown analytical aspects. The graphical method works for all lengths of horizontal curves but is tedious, time-consuming, and outdated. An analytical model for the determination of horizontal clearance offsets for sections that are not covered by the AASHTO model was developed and verified. The offsets were derived as ordinates from driver path to a roadside curve that acts as a boundary for the area that accommodates sight lines. Main factors in the equations were driver location, sight distance, curve radius, and curve length. With the use of the analytical model, a new design chart was developed for use by practitioners on both short and long simple curves. These results have dual applications: for controlling the proximity of high objects to highways and for input into research on the acceptable heights of roadside objects (e.g., safety barriers) so that they do not block sight distance.

Monograph Accession #:

01550529

Report/Paper Numbers:

14-0781

Language:

English

Authors:

Mauga, Timur

Pagination:

pp 23–31

Publication Date:

2014

Serial:

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

Issue Number: 2436
Publisher: Transportation Research Board
ISSN: 0361-1981

ISBN:

9780309295345

Media Type:

Print

Features:

Figures (7) ; References (16) ; Tables (1)

Uncontrolled Terms:

Subject Areas:

Design; Highways; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure

Files:

PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Created Date:

Jan 27 2014 2:20PM

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