Roadway Design & Engineering Flashcards
7 cards from real MTO practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Roadway Design & Engineering flashcards as text
What is the primary function of a 'guardrail' (guide rail) in roadway safety?
Answer: To redirect errant vehicles away from hazards and back toward the roadway
Guardrails are longitudinal barriers that redirect errant vehicles, shielding them from fixed roadside hazards such as steep slopes, bodies of water, or rigid objects.
In roadway geometric design, what is 'stopping sight distance' (SSD)?
Answer: The minimum distance a driver needs to see an object and brake to a stop before reaching it
Stopping sight distance is the minimum distance needed for a driver to perceive a hazard, react, and brake the vehicle to a complete stop before reaching it.
What does 'functional classification' of a roadway primarily determine?
Answer: The road's role in the transportation network in terms of mobility vs. access
Functional classification categorizes roads by their role in the network, ranging from freeways (high mobility, no access) to local roads (low mobility, high access).
Which design feature is intended to reduce vehicle speeds at pedestrian crossings in urban areas?
Answer: Raised crosswalk (raised intersection)
Raised crosswalks elevate the pedestrian crossing surface to the sidewalk level, creating a vertical change that naturally causes drivers to slow down.
What is the purpose of a 'transition spiral' (spiral curve) between a tangent and a circular curve?
Answer: To gradually introduce curvature and superelevation, improving vehicle path comfort
A transition spiral gradually changes the radius from infinity on the tangent to the radius of the circular curve, allowing smooth steering and superelevation transitions.
What is 'channelization' in intersection design?
Answer: Using pavement markings and islands to direct vehicles into specific paths
Channelization uses raised islands, pavement markings, and curbing to guide vehicle movements into defined paths, reducing conflict points.
Which of the following is the correct hierarchy of roads from highest to lowest mobility?
Answer: Freeway → Arterial → Collector → Local
The functional classification hierarchy runs from freeways (highest mobility, no direct access) through arterials and collectors down to local roads (lowest mobility, highest access).