Roadway Vertical Alignments

Roadway vertical alignments are a combination of parabolic curves and connecting tangent grades. Along with the roadway cross section (lanes and shoulders, curbs, medians, roadside slopes and ditches, sidewalks) and horizontal alignment (tangents and curves), the vertical alignment (grades and vertical curves) helps provide a three-dimensional roadway model. Its ultimate goal is to provide a safe, smooth-flowing facility that is crash-free.

In today’s environment, engineers must do more than apply design standards and criteria to ‘solve’ a problem – they must understand how various roadway elements contribute to safety and facility operation, including the vertical profile.

This course focuses on the geometric design of vertical alignments for modern roads and highways. Upon course completion, you should be familiar with the general design of these alignments. The course objective is to give engineers and designers an in-depth look at the principles to be considered when designing roadway vertical alignments.

Once you complete your course review, you need to take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of twenty (20) questions to earn 4 PDH credits

Learning Objectives

This course is intended to provide you with the following specific knowledge and skills

Sight Distance
Stopping
Decision
Passing
Intersection
Vertical Alignment
Grades
Climbing lanes
Passing opportunities
Emergency escape ramps
Vertical Curves
Sag
Crest
Coordination of Horizontal & Vertical Curves

Download the Course to review and begin earning your PDH credits.

We provide technical courses for PDH credits that meet Board requirements for Professional Engineers, Geologists and Land Surveyors. This courses is guaranteed to be accepted in AK, AL, AR, FL, GA, IA, IL, ID, IN, KS, KY, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, and WY. Before purchasing this course, please confirm that your state Board is listed above.