Capacity and Level

of Service for
Highway Segments
Two – Lane Highways Characteristics
• Level terrain
• Lane widths 3.6 m or greater
• Clear shoulders 1.8 m wide or greater
• Passing permitted with absence of no – passing zones
• No impediments to through traffic due to traffic control or turning vehicles
• Passenger cars only in the traffic streams
• Equal volume in both directions (for analysis of two – way flow
Two classes of two – lane highways are
analyzed. They are defined according to their
function in the following:
• Class I. Two – lane highways that function as primary arterials, daily
commuter routes, and links to other arterial highways. Motorist’s
expectations are that travel will be at relatively high speeds.
• Class II. Two – lane highways where the expectation of motorist is that
travel speeds will be lower than for Class I roads. These highways may serve
as access to Class I two – lane highways; they may serve as scenic byways or
may be used by motorists for sightseeing. They also may be located in rugged
terrain. Average trip lengths on Class II highways are shorter that on Class I
highways.
For highway segments, there are two levels
of analysis
• Operational level of analysis
• Planning level of analysis
Operational level of analysis
• Operational level of analysis – level of service is determined based on
existing or future traffic conditions and specific roadway characteristics. The
Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) procedure is designed to analyze two – lane
highway segments for
• Two – way traffic
• For a specific direction
• For directional segment with passing lane.
Calculating the Value of PTSF for Two – Way
Segments
𝑃𝑇𝑆𝐹 = 𝐵𝑃𝑇𝑆𝐹 + 𝑓𝑑/𝑛𝑝
• BPTSF = the base percent time spent following for both directions and is
computed using this formula
𝐵𝑃𝑇𝑆𝐹 = 100 1 − 𝑒 −0.000879𝑣𝑝
• 𝑓𝑑/𝑛𝑝 = adjustment in PTSF to account for the combined effect of (1)
percent of directional distribution of traffic and (2) percent of no 0 passing
zones.
• 𝑣𝑝 = passenger – car equivalent flow rate for the peak 15 – min period and is
computed using this formula
𝑉
𝑣𝑝 =
(𝑃𝐻𝐹)(𝑓𝐺 )(𝑓𝐻𝑉 )
• V = demand volume for the entire peak hour, veh/h
• PHF = peak hour factor, V/(4) (peak 15 – min volume)
• 𝑓𝐺 = grade adjustment factor for level or rolling terrain
• 𝑓𝐻𝑉 = adjustment factor to account for heavy vehicles in the traffic stream
and is computed using this formula
 1
𝑓𝐻𝑉 =
1 + 𝑃𝑇 𝐸𝑇 − 1 + 𝑃𝑅 𝐸𝑅 − 1
• 𝑃𝑇 and 𝑃𝑅 =the decimal portion of trucks (and buses) and RVs in the traffic
stream.
• 𝐸𝑇 and 𝐸𝑅 =the passenger – car equivalent for trucks and RVs respectively
Determine the value of PTSF for 9.6 km two – lane
highway in rolling terrain. Traffic data are as follows
• V = 1600 veh/h(two – way)
• Percent trucks = 15
• Percent RVs = 4
• Peak hour factor = 0.95
• Percent directional split = 50 – 50
• Percent no – passing zones = 50
• Step 1.
• Compute peak 15 – min hourly passenger car equivalent 𝑣𝑝 ,
• Trail value for 𝑣𝑝 is V/PHF = 1600/0.95 = 1684 pc/h
• Determine 𝑓𝐺 = 1.00 (Table 9.4)
• Determine 𝐸𝑇 = 1.00 and 𝐸𝑅 1.00 (Table 9.5)
1
𝑓𝐻𝑉 =
1 + 𝑃𝑇 𝐸𝑇 − 1 + 𝑃𝑅 𝐸𝑅 − 1

1
𝑓𝐻𝑉 =
1 + (0.14) 1.00 − 1 + (0.04) 1.00 − 1

𝑓𝐻𝑉 = 1.00
 𝑉
𝑣𝑝 =
(𝑃𝐻𝐹)(𝑓𝐺 )(𝑓𝐻𝑉 )
1600
𝑣𝑝 =
(0.95)(1.00)(1.00)
𝑝𝑐
𝑣𝑝 = 1684
ℎ
Note: Since 1684 < 3200, this section is operating below capacity.
• Step 2.
• Compute base percent time – spent – following (BPTSF)
BPTSF = 100 1 − 𝑒 −0.000879𝑣𝑝
BPTSF = 100 1 − 𝑒 −0.000879(1684)
BPTSF = 77.2%

1
𝑓𝐻𝑉 =
1 + (0.14) 1.00 − 1 + (0.04) 1.00 − 1

𝑓𝐻𝑉 = 1.00
• Step 3.
• Compute percent time – spent – following (PTSF)
PTSF = 𝑃𝑇𝑆𝐹 + 𝑓𝑑/𝑛𝑝
𝑓𝑑/𝑛𝑝 = 4.8 (𝑏𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 9.3)

PTSF = 77.2 + 4.8

PTSF = 82%
Calculating the Value of ATS for Two – Way
Segments
𝐴𝑇𝑆 = 𝐹𝐹𝑆 − 0.0125𝑣𝑝 − 𝑓𝑛𝑝
• ATS = average travel speed for both directions of travel combined (km/h)
• FFS = free – flow speed, the mean speed at low flow when volumes are
<200 pc/h
• 𝑓𝑛𝑝 = adjustment for the percentage of no – passing zones (Table 9.6)
• 𝑣𝑝 = passenger – car equivalent flow rate for the peak 15 – min period
(Equation 9.3 is used to compute 𝑣𝑝 with values of 𝑓𝐺 from Table 9.7 and 𝐸𝑇
and 𝐸𝑅 from Table 9.8)
• Field measurements at volumes <200 pc/h, 𝑆𝐹𝑀
• Field measurements at volumes >200 pc/h, computed using Eq. 9.6
𝑉𝑓
FFS = 𝑆𝐹𝑀 + 0.01249
𝑓𝐻𝑉
km
• 𝑆𝐹𝑀 = mean speed of traffic measured in the field h

• 𝑉𝑓 = observed flow rate, veh/h for the period when speed data were obtained
• 𝑓𝐻𝑉 = heavy – vehicle adjustment factor (Eq. 9.4)
• Indirect estimation, when field data are unavailable, is computed using the
formula
FFS = 𝐵𝐹𝐹𝑆 − 𝑓𝐿𝑆 − 𝑓𝐴
• 𝐹𝐹𝑆 = estimated free − flow speed (km/h)
• 𝐵𝐹𝐹𝑆 = base flow speed (km/h)
• 𝑓𝐿𝑆 = adjustment for lane and shoulder width (table 9.9)
• 𝑓𝐴 = adjustment for number of access point per mi (table 9.10)
The base free – flow speed (BFFS) depends upon local conditions regarding the desired
speeds of drivers. The transportation engineer estimates BFFS based on knowledge of the
area and the speeds on similar facilities. The range of BFFS is 45 to 65 mi/h (72 to 104
km/h). Posted speed limits or design speeds may serve as surrogates for BFFS.
Use the data provided in first example to estimate the average travel
speed (ATS). Assume that the base free – flow speed (BFFS) is the
posted speed of (96 km/h). The section length is 9.6 km, lane width is
3.35, shoulder width is 1.2m, and there are 20 access points per km.
• Step 1: Compute the free – flow speed under the given conditions
using the formula
𝑉𝑓
FFS = 𝑆𝐹𝑀 + 0.01249
𝑓𝐻𝑉
𝑘𝑚
𝑓𝐿𝑆 = 2.7 𝑇𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 9.9
ℎ
𝑘𝑚
𝑓𝐴 = 8.0 (𝑇𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 9.10)
ℎ
 𝑉𝑓
FFS = 𝑆𝐹𝑀 + 0.01249
𝑓𝐻𝑉
FFS = 96 − 2.7 − 8.0
FFS = 85.3 𝑘𝑚/ℎ
Step 2. Compute average travel speed using this formula
𝐴𝑇𝑆 = 𝐹𝐹𝑆 − 0.0125𝑣𝑝 − 𝑓𝑛𝑝
FFS = 85.3 𝑘𝑚/ℎ
Calculate 𝑉𝑝
𝑉
𝑣𝑝 =
(𝑃𝐻𝐹)(𝑓𝐺 )(𝑓𝐻𝑉 )
1600
𝑣𝑝 = = 1827 𝑝𝑐/ℎ
(0.95)(0.99)(0.931)
 𝐷𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝐻𝑉 𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔
1
𝑓𝐻𝑉 =
1 + 𝑃𝑇 𝐸𝑇 − 1 + 𝑃𝑅 𝐸𝑅 − 1
1
𝑓𝐻𝑉 =
1 + (0.14) 1.5 − 1 + (0.04) 1.1 − 1

𝑓𝐻𝑉 = 0.931
𝑓𝑛𝑝 = 1.28 (𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 9.6, 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑉𝑝
= 1827 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑛𝑜 − 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑧𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠 = 50

ATS = 85.3 – (0.01249)(1827) – 1.28

ATS = 61.2 km/h
Calculating other Traffic Performance Measures for
Two – way, Two – lane Highway
Additional measures that can be computed are follows:
The formula for each performance measure is:
𝑣𝑝
𝑣Τ𝑐 =
𝑐
𝑣Τ𝑐 = volume – to – capacity ratio
𝑣𝑝 = passenger car equivalent flow rate for peak 15 – min period
(pc/h)
c = two – way segment capacity (32000 for a two – directional
segment, 1700 for a directional segment)
 𝑉
𝑉𝑀𝑇15 = 0.25 𝐿𝑡
𝑃𝐻𝐹
𝑉𝑀𝑇15 = total travel on the analysis segment during the peak 15 –
min (veh/km)
𝑉 = hourly volume (veh/h)
PHF = peak hour factor = V/4 (peak 15 – min volume)
𝐿𝑡 = total length of the analysis segment (km)
 𝑉𝑀𝑇60 = 𝑉 𝐿𝑡
𝑉𝑀𝑇60 = total number of vehicle – miles traveled during the peak
hour
𝑉 = hourly volume (veh/h)
𝐿𝑡 = total length of the analysis segment (km)
 𝑉𝑀𝑇15
𝑇𝑇15 =
𝐴𝑇𝑆
𝑇𝑇15 = Total travel time, vehicle – hour, during the peak 15 – min
period
𝑉𝑀𝑇15 = total travel on the analysis segment during the peak 15 –
min (veh/km)
𝐴𝑇𝑆 = average travel speed
Level of service and performance measure for two –
lane, two – directional highways
Use the data and result in first and second example to determine
the following:
• Volume – to – capacity ratio, 𝑣Τ𝑐
• Total number of veh – km during the peak 15 – min period,
𝑉𝑀𝑇15
• Total number of veh – km during the peak hour, 𝑉𝑀𝑇60
• Total travel time of veh – km during the peak 15 – min period,
𝑇𝑇15
• Volume – to – capacity ratio, 𝑣Τ𝑐
𝑣𝑝
𝑣Τ𝑐 =
𝑐
1872
𝑣 Τ𝑐 =
3200
𝑣Τ𝑐 = 0.57
• Total number of veh – km during the peak 15 – min period,
𝑉𝑀𝑇15
𝑉
𝑉𝑀𝑇15 = 0.25 𝐿𝑡
𝑃𝐻𝐹
1600
𝑉𝑀𝑇15 = 0.25 (9.6)
0.95

𝑉𝑀𝑇15 = 4042 𝑣𝑒ℎ − 𝑘𝑚

• Total number of veh – km during the peak hour, 𝑉𝑀𝑇60
𝑉𝑀𝑇60 = 𝑉 𝐿𝑡
𝑉𝑀𝑇60 = 1600 9.6
𝑉𝑀𝑇60 = 15630 𝑣𝑒ℎ − 𝑘𝑚
• Total travel time of veh – km during the peak 15 – min period,
𝑇𝑇15
𝑉𝑀𝑇15
𝑇𝑇15 =
𝐴𝑇𝑆
4042
𝑇𝑇15 =
61.2
𝑇𝑇15 = 66 𝑣𝑒ℎ − 𝑘𝑚
Directional Segments
Three categories of directional segments are considered:
• Extended segments located in level or rolling terrain of at least 1.2 km
• Specific upgrades or downgrades located in mountainous terrain or with
grades of at least 3 percent for segments of at least 1 – km
• Passing Lane added within a section in level or rolling terrain or as a truck
climbing lane
Calculating the Value of PTSF for Directional
Segments
𝑃𝑇𝑆𝐹𝑑 = 𝐵𝑃𝑇𝑆𝐹𝑑 + 𝑓𝑛𝑝
• 𝑃𝑇𝑆𝐹𝑑 = percent time spent following in the directional analyzed
• 𝐵𝑃𝑇𝑆𝐹𝑑 = the base percent time spent following in the directional analyzed
𝐵𝑃𝑇𝑆𝐹𝑑 = 100 1 − 𝑒 𝑎𝑣𝑜
• 𝑓𝑛𝑝 = adjustment for percentage of no – passing zones in the analysis
direction (table 9.11)
Calculating the Value of PTSF for the peak
Direction on a two – lane highway
During the peak hour on a class I two – lane highway in rolling
terrain, volumes northbound are 1200 veh/h and volumes
southbound are 400 veh/h. The PHF is 0.95, and there are 14%
trucks/buses and 4% RVs. Lane widths are 3.35 m, and
shoulder widths are 1.2m. The roadway section is 8 km in
length, and there are 12 access points per km. There are 50% no
– passing zones and the base free – flow speed is 96 km/h.
Determine the PTSF in the peak direction of travel.
• Step 1.
• Compute peak 15 – min hourly passenger car equivalent in the peak direction, 𝑣𝑑 , and
in the opposite direction 𝑣𝑜 .
• Trail value for 𝑣𝑑 is 𝑣𝑑 /PHF = 1200/0.95 = 1263 pc/h
• Determine 𝑓𝐺 = 1.00 (Table 9.4)
• Determine 𝐸𝑇 = 1.00 and 𝐸𝑅 1.00 (Table 9.5)
1
𝑓𝐻𝑉 =
1 + 𝑃𝑇 𝐸𝑇 − 1 + 𝑃𝑅 𝐸𝑅 − 1

1
𝑓𝐻𝑉 =
1 + (0.14) 1.00 − 1 + (0.04) 1.00 − 1

𝑓𝐻𝑉 = 1.00
 𝑉
𝑣𝑑 =
(𝑃𝐻𝐹)(𝑓𝐺 )(𝑓𝐻𝑉 )
1600
𝑣𝑝 =
(0.95)(0.95)(0.935)
𝑝𝑐
𝑣𝑝 = 479
ℎ
• Step 2.
• Compute base percent time – spent – following (BPTSF)
𝑎𝑣 𝑏
BPTSF𝑑 = 100 1 −𝑒 𝑑

• Determine the values a and b from tabe 9.12 by interpolation

• 𝑎 = −{0.057 + (0.043)(79Τ200)} = −0.74
• 𝑏 = 0.479 − (0.066)(79Τ200) = −0.453
(−0.074)(1263) 0.453
BPTSF𝑑 = 100 1−𝑒
BPTSF𝑑 = 84.7 %
• Step 3.
• Compute percent time – spent – following (PTSF)
PTSF𝑑 = BPTSF𝑑 + 𝑓𝑛𝑝
𝑘𝑚
𝑓𝑛𝑝 = 50 % 𝑛𝑜 − 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐹𝐹𝑆 96
ℎ
• Use table 9.11 to determine 𝑓𝑛𝑝
PTSF𝑑 = BPTSF𝑑 + 𝑓𝑛𝑝
PTSF𝑑 = 84.7 + 11.5
PTSF𝑑 = 96.2%