MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL CONSTRUCTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

CEEN 4640 TRAFFIC CHARACTERISTICS AND DESIGN

SYLLABUS FALL 2015

INSTRUCTOR

                                    Dr. Alexander Drakopoulos

                                    Associate Professor

                                    Office: Room 263

                                    Phone: 288-5430 (voice mail available 24 hours)

                                    e-mail: Alexander.Drakopoulos@Marquette.Edu

                                    Web page: www.eng.mu.edu/drakopoa/

                                    Mailbox #15 (General Engineering Office–Room 201 Olin Engineering)

 

OFFICE HOURS: 

Tuesday and Thursday 3:30 pm - 5:50 pm and Wednesday 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

            Available many more hours by appointment (call, e-mail or stop-by the office)

 

CLASS RESOURCES:

                        1.         "Highway Capacity Manual, 2010,"  Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, D.C. , Fifth Edition, 2010, Volumes 1-3. ISBN-13: 9780309160773 (set of three volumes)  or 9780309160780 (Volume 1)  9780309160797 (Volume 2)  9780309160803 (Volume 3)

 

                        2.         William R. McShane, Roger P. Roess, Elena S. Prassas, “Traffic Engineering,” Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Prentice Hall, 4th edition, June 2010, Prentice Hall. ISBN-10: 0136135730 ISBN-13:  9780136135739

 

                        3.         “Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices,” 2009 Edition, U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, ATSSA/ITE/AASHTO, ISBN: 978-1-56051-473-2.

 

                        4.        "Highway Safety Manual 2010," American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington D.C., ISBN 9781560514770.

 

                        5.         Others as distributed.

 

                        6.        Course web site "Daily class schedule/deadlines," updated after each lecture.

 

CLASS SCHEDULE: 

Tuesday and Thursday 2:00 pm - 3:15 pm, Engineering Hall Room 236.

 

MAKE-UP OF FINAL GRADE:

                                    Test[1].............................................  15%

                                    Final Exam ................................        25%

                                    Projects.......................................       55%

                                    Homework[2] ...............................     5%

 

TEST and FINAL EXAMINATION:

There will be one test during the semester and a final examination during finals week (see class dates).

Tentative test date: Thursday, October 8.

  

ABSENCE POLICY:

That of the College of Engineering-see class web site for direct connection to web link (https://bulletin.marquette.edu/undergrad/academicregulations/#attendance). Attendance will be taken daily. Four unexcused absences will result in lowering the class grade by half a letter grade. Excessive absences will result in student being withdrawn from the course with a grade of WA (Withdrawn due to Absences).

 

COURSE OBJECTIVE:

To provide an understanding of the basic characteristics on uninterrupted and interrupted traffic flow, design and traffic operations of signalized intersections. To provide hands-on experience with: the Highway Capacity Manual; the Highway Capacity Software; data collection, data analysis, report-writing and oral presentation of geometry, capacity, safety and signalization recommendations for an existing signalized intersection. To provide students with feedback from practicing traffic engineers.

 

Course Outcomes:
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) signalized intersection capacity analysis; v) signalized intersection safety improvement methods and evaluation; and, vi) use of the Highway Capacity Manual methods, the Highway Capacity Software and the Highway Safety Manual to address these topics.
 

COURSE PROJECTS:

Team projects consisting of intersection evaluation and design involving an actual intersection within Milwaukee, addressing:

1. Volume counts and condition diagram

2. Delay study

3. Safety analysis and safety improvements

4. Capacity analysis and capacity improvements

5. Written recommendations for improvement

6. Oral Presentation

Four inter-connected projects lead the student team through data gathering, report writing and oral presentation of findings.

 

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

Periodic announced and unannounced quizzes; homework problems. Software-based traffic analysis will be required.

 

CREDITS:       3

 

PLAGIARISM/ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

Student papers should represent original work by the report’s authors. Copying passages verbatim from sources is not acceptable, except for short, appropriately indicated passages that are necessary to make a point in a report. Software may be used to detect plagiarism. Reports containing plagiarized materials will receive a zero grade–other consequences may also apply according to College of Engineering and University guidelines.

 

For a more comprehensive coverage of the topic, please visit:

https://bulletin.marquette.edu/undergrad/academicregulations/

 

 

GRADING SCALE:

 


From

A

93

%

A-

91

%

B+

88

%

B

85

%

B-

82

%

C+

79

%

C

75

%

C-

70

%

D+

65

%

D

60

%

F

Below 60%



[1] This includes periodic announced and unannounced quizzes.

[2] Homework and Project grades will be partially based on the professional quality of completed work, which includes neatness, legibility, clarity and timeliness.