Approximate Perspective Design of Roads
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 125, Issue 4
Abstract
Coordination of horizontal and vertical alignments is an important principle in road geometric design, and it should begin with preliminary design. Perspective drawings and sketches are considered to be effective means for evaluating this coordination. In the present paper, an approximate method is developed for the quick and adequately accurate drawing of the perspective of a road, and a relevant example is given. The method is based on the use of vanishing points and the properties of an equal-tangent parabola. It is assumed that the spatial curve of the centerline of a road element—defined as a road section along which the horizontal and vertical curvatures are constant—is an equal-tangent parabola. The proposed method does not substitute computer-aided drawing of the perspective, which is essential during the detailed design stage. It is nevertheless judged to be useful and more appropriate during the preliminary design stage, for it allows an engineer, designer, or researcher to reliably trace the perspective view of various horizontal and vertical alignment combinations and to obtain the desired coordination.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
A policy on geometric design of highways and streets. (1994). American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Washington, D.C.
2.
Babkov, V. F. (1975). Road conditions and traffic safety. Mir Publishers, Moscow.
3.
Cron, F. W. ( 1959). “The art of fitting the highway to the landscape.” The highway and the landscape, W. B. Snow, ed., Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, N.J., 78–109.
4.
Geissler, E. H. (1968). “A three-dimensional approach to highway alignment design.” Hwy. Res. Rec. 232, 17–28.
5.
Giannini, F. (1990). Costruzione di strade, ferrovie ed aeroporti. Masson S.p.A., Milano, Italy (in Italian).
6.
Hassan, Y., Esa, S. M., and Abd El Hallim, A. O. (1997). “Design considerations for combined highway alignments.”J. Transp. Engrg., ASCE, 123(1), 60–68.
7.
Krylov, N., Lobandievsky, P., and Men, S. (1971). Descriptive geometry. Mir Publishers, Moscow.
8.
Lorenz, H. (1971). Trassierung und Gestaltung von Strassen und Autobahnen. Bauverlag GmbH, Wiesbaden, Germany, and Berlin (in German).
9.
Mannering, F. L., and Kilareski, W. P. (1990). Principles of highway engineering and traffic analysis. Wiley, New York.
10.
Park, R. A., Rowan, N. J., and Walton, N. E. (1968). “A computer technique for plotting of roadways.” Hwy. Res. Rec. 232, 29–45.
11.
Pushkarev, F. ( 1963). “The paved ribbon: The esthetics of freeway design.” Manmade America: Chaos or control? Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn., 157–206.
12.
Sanchez, E. (1994). “Three-dimensional analysis of the sight distance on interchange connectors.” Transp. Res. Rec. 1445, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 101–108.
13.
Smith, B., and Lamm, R. (1994). “Coordination of horizontal and vertical alignment with regard to highway aesthetics.” Transp. Res. Rec. 1445, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 73–85.
14.
Snowden, W. H. (1966). “Formulas for beauty.” Proc., 18th California St. and Hwy. Conf.
15.
Taiganidis, I. ( 1994). “Perspective design of roads.” Working Paper, Dept. of Transp. Plng. and Engrg., National Technical University of Athens, Greece.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 125 • Issue 4 • July 1999
Pages: 314 - 323
History
Received: Mar 17, 1998
Published online: Jul 1, 1999
Published in print: Jul 1999
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.