Day 1 – Foundations of Geometric Design
Geometric Design Context
- Planning perspectives
- General Plan circulation/mobility elements
- Roadway classifications/Roadway topology
- Project development flow charts
Design Philosophy
- Core “anchors”: safety, operations, comfort, equity
- Moving from motor-centric to multimodal design
- Balancing safety, mobility, and accessibility
Design Criteria, Standards & Guidance
- National/Federal:
- AASHTO: Greenbook, Roadside Design Guide
- NACTO Urban Street & Bikeway Guides; requests for experimentation
- NCHRP design research
- ADA/PROWAG
- HCM-7 (operations)
- California:
- Caltrans HDM (primary guidance)
- Caltrans Standard Plans & Standard Specifications
- California 2026 MUTCD
- Local:
- APWA “Greenbook,” SPPWC/SSPWC
- Local public works standards
- Design Exceptions and Request for Experiment
- CTCDC, FHWA Approval
- Examples of Resolving Design Standard Conflicts
Traffic Operations
- LOS, delay, capacity
- CEQA VMT requirements
Day 2 – Roadway Segments and Intersections
Roadway Segment Design
- Plan view development (layout, scale, annotations, details)
- Cross sections
- Profiles & drainage
- Horizontal and vertical curves
- Superelevation
- Roadside design basics (barriers, guardrails, crash cushions)
- Sight distance
- Stopping sight distance
- Passing sight distance
- Pedestrian & bicyclist-related sight issues
Intersection Design
- Types of intersections
- Turning radii
- Turn pockets & transitions
- Curb ramps
- Driveways
- Traffic signals
- Roundabouts
- Intersection sight distance
Day 3 – Multimodal Integration, Freeways & Temporary Traffic Control
Bicycle Facility Design
- Class I – Class IV
Pedestrian Facility Design
- ADA/PROWAG
- Sidewalks
- Crosswalks
- Curb Ramps
Temporary Traffic Control Design Interchanges
- Interchange types
- Ramps and ramp metering
Freeway Design Elements
- Freeway Mainline Geometry
- Weaving Sections
- Merge/Diverge Areas
Group & Individual Exercises with Real World Examples
Several hands-on exercises will be distributed throughout the course. Exercises will require participants to identify controlling criteria, resolve common conflicts, and defend geometric decisions under realistic constraints in addition to being able to compute basic design values