Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
CEEN 176 Traffic Characteristics and Design
| 2006-2007 Catalog Description | #CEEN176-Traffic Characteristics and Design 3 Sem. Hrs.
Components of the traffic system: vehicle and road user characteristics, geometric design and traffic controls. Intersection types, cross-section design elements and typical dimensions. Basic variables of traffic flow, observed traffic flow values. Freeway operations. Signalized intersections: flow, capacity, level of service. Projects addressing: intersection existing conditions (traffic, geometry, signalization); approach delay; safety performance; capacity; suggestions for improvements. Use of the Highway Capacity Manual and the Highway Capacity Software. Emphasis on technical report-writing and presentation. Offered fall term. Prereq: CEEN 170 or cons. of instr. Also carries graduate credit. |
| Prerequisites by topic: | Dynamics, Mathematics 082, Horizontal and Vertical alignment basic design principles, Basic traffic signalization principles (Dilemma zones, change interval duration). |
| Course Materials: | Course student notes. |
| References: | 1. "Highway Capacity Manual, 2000" (U.S. Customary Units),
Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, D.C. , 2000. 2. Roess, Roger P., Prassas, Elena S., Mcshane, William R., "Traffic Engineering" 3rd Edition, January 2004, Prentice Hall. 3. “Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices,” Millennium Edition, U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2003 Update 4. Handouts. 5. Course web site "Class Notes," updated after each lecture. |
| Coordinator: | Dr. Alexander Drakopoulos, Associate Professor. |
| Objectives: | Upon completion of the course students will be familiar with: i) the components of the traffic system; ii) intersection component characteristics and dimensions; iii) basic variables of traffic flow for interrupted and uninterrupted facilities; iv) basic freeway section operations; v) signalized intersection capacity analysis; and vi) use of the Highway Capacity Manual methods and the Highway Capacity Software to address these topics. |
| Topics: | a. Components of the Traffic System: Vehicle and Road User characteristics,
geometric design, traffic controls.
b. Intersection types, cross-section design elements and typical dimensions. c. Basic variables of traffic flow, observed traffic flow values. d. Freeway operations. e. Signalized intersections: flow, capacity, level of service. Use of the Highway Capacity Software. |
| Projects: | Four inter-related projects, focused on an existing intersection in the City of
Milwaukee or the City of Wauwatosa. The forth project entails compiling all
projects into one comprehensive technical report.
1. Volume counts and condition diagram. 2. Delay study and intersection safety analysis. 3. Capacity analysis using Highway Capacity Software (HCM). 4. Written recommendations for improvements and oral presentation of findings. |
| Class Schedule: | Approximate Schedule for Course:
In-class meetings: 28 In-Class examinations: 1 Final examination: 1 (Each meeting is 75 minutes-final examination: 100 minutes) |
| Contributions to Professional Component: | The course contributes to the engineering topics part of the professional component by providing an appropriate Engineering Design experience for the students, using the industry standard design references and software, addressing an existing intersection, and requiring students to identify problems and present reasonable and practical solutions. |
| Assessment Procedures: | Assessment occurs at two levels: (a) inside the University and (b) outside the
University. Both assessment sources are used to improve course content.
(a) Inside the University: i) student performance assessment is based on four semester projects, homework problems, an in-class examination, and a comprehensive final examination, ii) course content and pace of instruction (students' perspective ) are evaluated based on Instructional Asessment System (IAS) forms filled out by students at the end of the semester. (b) Outside the University: i) the opinion of former students who have taken the course and are currently working in Traffic Engineering will be sought using a survey-the outside survey will collect opinions about the current content of the course and the need to update materials, in order to keep course content current, ii) the opinion of professionals attending student presentations and reviewing student final reports is sought in order to revise course content, iii) a web page listing former student current employer and e-mail addresses serves as a means to keep the instructor in touch with former students in order to gather feedback: http://www.eng.mu.edu/~drakopoa/students/transpo.htm |
| Relationship of Course to Program Objectives: | The course requires students to use current design standard references and software to assess an existing intersection and evaluate its needs for improvements; it cultivates engineering judgement by requiring students to identify problems and appropriate realistic solutions. Group projects help students develop the ability to effectively work together in teams. Project reports and the oral presentation of the final report in front of practicing engineers and faculty help students improve their technical writing abilities and technical presentation skills. |
| Prepared By: | Dr. Alexander Drakopoulos, Associate Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering August 2006. |