Wayne K. Kittelson

Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Portland, OR

Kenneth G. Courage

Gainesville, FL

Michael D. Kyte

University of Idaho

Moscow, ID

George F. List

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY

Roger P. Roess

Garden City, NY

William M. Sampson

Gainesville, FL

SUBJECT AREAS

Research Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

in Cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD

Washington, D.C.

2003

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM

Systematic, well-designed research provides the most effective approach to the solution of many problems facing highway administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local interest and can best be studied by highway departments individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation develops increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research.

In recognition of these needs, the highway administrators of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials initiated in 1962 an objective national highway research program employing modern scientific techniques. This program is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of the Association and it receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration, United States Department of Transportation.

The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies was requested by the Association to administer the research program because of the Board’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. The Board is uniquely suited for this purpose as it maintains an extensive committee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; it possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; its relationship to the National Research Council is an insurance of objectivity; it maintains a full-time research correlation staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those who are in a position to use them.

The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators of the highway and transportation departments and by committees of AASHTO. Each year, specific areas of research needs to be included in the program are proposed to the National Research Council and the Board by the American  Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Research projects to fulfill these needs are defined by the Board, and qualified research agencies are selected from those that have submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National Research Council and the Transportation Research Board.

The needs for highway research are many, and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program can make significant contributions to the solution of highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement rather than to substitute for or duplicate other highway research programs.

Note -- The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research Council, the Federal Highway Administration, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the individual states participating in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturer’s names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of this report.

HCMAG

This document, the Highway Capacity Manual Applications Guidebook, is the result of NCHRP Project 3-64, which was initiated in FY 2002.

© 2003 Transportation Research Board

NOTICE -- The project that is the subject of this report was part of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. Such approval reflects the Governing Board’s judgment that the program concerned is of national importance and appropriate with respect to both the purposes and resources of the National Research Council.

The members of the technical committee selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and with due consideration for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research, and while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical committee, they are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, or the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical committee according to procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research Board Executive Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research Council.

Published Reports of the

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM

are available from:

Transportation Research Board

Business Office

500 Fifth Street, NW

Washington, DC 20001

and can be ordered through the Internet at:

http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisors to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the  Academy, the Council has become the  principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both the Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

The Transportation Research Board is a division of the National Research Council, which serves the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. The Board’s mission is to promote innovation and progress in transportation by stimulating and conducting research, facilitating the dissemination of information, and encouraging the implementation of research results. The Board’s varied activities annually engage more than 4,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.

www.TRB.org

www.national-academies.org

COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS STAFF FOR NCHRP PROJECT 3-64

ROBERT J. REILLY, Director, Cooperative Research Programs

CRAWFORD F. JENCKS, Manager, NCHRP

B. RAY DERR, Senior Program Officer

NCHRP PROJECT 3-64 PANEL

Thomas F. Creasey, American Consulting Engineers (Chair)

Husham Al-Kaisy, Hillsborough County, FL

Richard G. Dowling, Dowling Associates

Dirk B. Gross, Ohio DOT

Steven L. Hague, California DOT

Ann B. Kreis, Vermont Agency of Transportation

Karen L. Olson, Wisconsin DOT

David R. P. Gibson, FHWA Liaison Representative

John A. Halkias, FHWA Liaison Representative

Richard A. Cunard, TRB Liaison Representative

AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Highway Capacity Manual Applications Guidebook (HCMAG) was prepared under NCHRP Project 3-64 by Kittelson &  Associates, Inc., in association with Kenneth G. Courage, Michael D. Kyte (University of Idaho), George F. List (Rensselaer Polytechnic University), Roger P. Roess, and William M. Sampson. Wayne K. Kittelson was the Principal Investigator.

Additionally, the following members of the research team should be considered to be co-authors of the HCMAG, since they also contributed significantly to the preparation and production of this Guidebook (they are identified in alphabetical order):

Ralph Bentley assisted in the artistic layout and thematic development of the HCMAG. Joe Bessman provided excellent editorial comments and assistance, and was instrumental in the translation of the document into HTML format and in the final editing process; he was also instrumental in developing the index systems that aid users in navigating through the HCMAG. Karen Giese provided technical oversight and error-checking, edited and contributed to significant sections of the document, and also assisted in the final production process. Stacy Eisenman provided original technical and writing support in large parts of Case Studies 2 and 4, including the development of several sub-problems; she was also an important contributor to the development and authoring of Case Study 1, Problem 5. Peter Koonce provided technical oversight and error checking, and also helped develop and prepare original text for several sub-problems in Case Studies 1 and 5. Eric Lindstrom was responsible for the set-up, implementation, and application of a microscopic simulation model in conjunction with Case Study 4. Thuha Nguyen conducted the initial analyses and provided background information in conjunction with Case Study 3. Mark O'Brien provided technical editing support in conjunction with the production process for the HCMAG. Sanjeev Pradhan and Tan Sarihan both provided technical computer support in the HTML production and implementation process. John Zegeer served as the Project Principal and provided strategic guidance throughout the course of the project.