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How do you determine the appropriate shoulder width for a highway?

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Shoulder width is an important factor in highway geometric design, as it affects the safety, operation, and maintenance of the road. Shoulder width refers to the distance between the edge of the travel lane and the edge of the pavement or the roadside. In this article, you will learn how to determine the appropriate shoulder width for a highway, based on various criteria and guidelines.

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Amit B.

Regional Head @Jk LakshmiCementLtd | C????E??????? | IGBC AP? | ICI M?????? ??| B2C & ?C?? B2B B?s???ss ?? |…
Ashley H.

Principal at Griffman Consulting; Principal at Engineering You Pty Ltd

1 Highway classification

The first step to determine the appropriate shoulder width for a highway is to identify its classification. Highways are classified into different categories, such as freeways, expressways, arterials, collectors, and locals, depending on their function, traffic volume, speed, and access control. Each category has different requirements and recommendations for shoulder width, depending on the design standards and policies of the relevant agency or jurisdiction. For example, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) suggests a minimum shoulder width of 3 meters for freeways and 2.4 meters for other rural highways.

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Amit B.

Regional Head @Jk LakshmiCementLtd | C????E??????? | IGBC AP? | ICI M?????? ??| B2C & ?C?? B2B B?s???ss ?? | T?????M?????????| B?s???ssD???????? ??
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It's done based on assessment of traffic, safety & design standards. Collaboration with transportation engineers/planners and regulatory authorities is essential to ensure that the shoulder width meets the needs of all users and enhances the overall safety and functionality of the highway

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Hamdy Hammam

BIM Management | Digital Delivery | AEC
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Freeways are high-speed, controlled-access roads designed for uninterrupted traffic flow. Typically, they have the widest shoulders among all highway categories. The AASHTO recommends a minimum shoulder width of 3 meters for freeways to accommodate emergency stopping, vehicle breakdowns, and safe maneuvering. Expressways are also high-speed roads with controlled access, but they may have more closely spaced intersections compared to freeways. Shoulder width recommendations for expressways are usually similar to those for freeways. Arterial roads serve as major traffic arteries within a transportation network and often have signalized intersections.

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2 Traffic characteristics

The second step to determine the appropriate shoulder width for a highway is to analyze the traffic characteristics of the road. Traffic characteristics include the volume, composition, speed, and variation of the vehicles that use the highway. These factors affect the demand and need for shoulder width, as well as the potential benefits and costs of providing it. For example, higher traffic volumes and speeds increase the risk of accidents and the need for emergency stopping and maneuvering, which require wider shoulders. Similarly, heavier and larger vehicles, such as trucks and buses, need more shoulder width to accommodate their dimensions and loading.

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Sérgio Moraes

Técnico de Manuten??o - Brasil
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Minha opini?o é que o texto oferece uma abordagem bastante sensata e pragmática para determinar a largura adequada do acostamento em uma rodovia. Ao considerar cuidadosamente as características do tráfego, como volume, composi??o e velocidade dos veículos, é possível tomar decis?es mais informadas que levam em conta a seguran?a e eficiência do sistema viário. Essa abordagem é fundamental para garantir que as rodovias atendam às necessidades de todos os usuários, desde veículos leves até caminh?es e ?nibus, promovendo a fluidez do tráfego e reduzindo os riscos de acidentes.

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3 Roadside features

The third step to determine the appropriate shoulder width for a highway is to consider the roadside features and conditions. Roadside features include the slope, drainage, vegetation, barriers, utilities, signs, and lighting of the area adjacent to the pavement. These features affect the usability, visibility, and stability of the shoulder, as well as the safety and comfort of the drivers and passengers. For example, steeper slopes and poor drainage reduce the effective shoulder width and increase the risk of runoff and erosion. On the other hand, vegetation and barriers can provide a buffer zone and a visual cue for the drivers.

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4 Operational and maintenance aspects

The fourth step to determine the appropriate shoulder width for a highway is to evaluate the operational and maintenance aspects of the road. Operational and maintenance aspects include the frequency and duration of activities such as inspection, repair, resurfacing, snow removal, and mowing that are performed on the shoulder or the pavement. These activities affect the availability, reliability, and quality of the shoulder, as well as the traffic disruption and delay that they cause. For example, wider shoulders can facilitate the access and movement of maintenance vehicles and equipment, as well as provide a temporary lane for traffic diversion.

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Ashley H.

Principal at Griffman Consulting; Principal at Engineering You Pty Ltd
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What future maintenance will be required and how it will be undertaken is a critical design decision. Using the hierarchy of control, elimination is the first consideration. Can future maintenance hazards be eliminated by decisions made during design phase? Yes they can. The scale of response diminishes as you work down the hierarchy. Too often maintenance, and how it will be safely performed on the infrastructure, is placed way down the priorities list. In my opinion this is wrong as infrastructure exists for many orders of magnitude longer than the construction phase. Often people can be too obsessed with construction safety (rightly so), however, I have seen where focus on construction safety has led to poor long term maintenance safety.

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5 Environmental and economic impacts

The fifth step to determine the appropriate shoulder width for a highway is to assess the environmental and economic impacts of the road. Environmental and economic impacts include the effects of the shoulder width on the natural resources, land use, noise, air quality, energy consumption, and social welfare of the surrounding area. These impacts affect the sustainability, feasibility, and acceptability of the shoulder width, as well as the trade-offs and constraints that it involves. For example, wider shoulders can increase the pavement area and the stormwater runoff, which can have negative impacts on the soil, water, and wildlife habitats. On the other hand, wider shoulders can also reduce the crash frequency and severity, which can have positive impacts on the human health and safety.

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6 Design alternatives and optimization

The sixth step to determine the appropriate shoulder width for a highway is to compare and select the design alternatives and optimization methods. Design alternatives and optimization methods include the options and techniques that can be used to modify, enhance, or supplement the shoulder width, depending on the site-specific conditions and objectives. These options and techniques can include the use of variable, tapered, or intermittent shoulders, the application of different pavement materials or treatments, the installation of rumble strips or edge lines, and the implementation of intelligent transportation systems or dynamic shoulder use. These options and techniques can help to optimize the performance, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of the shoulder width, as well as to address the challenges and limitations that it faces.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Ashley H.

Principal at Griffman Consulting; Principal at Engineering You Pty Ltd
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Road safety on longer routes is also a consideration. Having safe areas for people to stop and take a break when they are feeling tired or fatigued is critically important. While this does not necessitate road shoulders to be present along an entire route, suitable wider areas of road shoulder need to be provided at reasonable intervals to allow people to safely pull off the road to rest. Naturally dedicated rest areas with driver amenities are the gold standard, however, on country roads with not a lot of traffic and long distances between towns, frequent areas where people can safely pull off the road, which can be provided for a much lower cost than dedicated rest areas, are an extremely important inclusion for road safety.

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How do you determine the appropriate shoulder width for a highway?

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2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Highway classification

2 Traffic characteristics

3 Roadside features

4 Operational and maintenance aspects

5 Environmental and economic impacts

6 Design alternatives and optimization

7 Here’s what else to consider

Civil Engineering

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How do you determine the appropriate shoulder width for a highway?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Highway classification

2 Traffic characteristics

3 Roadside features

4 Operational and maintenance aspects

5 Environmental and economic impacts

6 Design alternatives and optimization

7 Here’s what else to consider

Civil Engineering

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