What are people saying about
CVEN 456?

“The course prepares the students to understand all the essential and most recent tools for designing urban and rural highways from preliminary design concepts to letting documents. The course also provides comprehensive and valuable information on societal and environmental impacts about the design and construction of these facilities."

- Dr. Dominique Lord, Assistant Professor, Zachry Department of Civil Engineering

“CVEN 456 was a great introduction to design fundamentals used in real-world scenarios. We covered the AASHTO greenbook from cover to cover. Being familiar with this book was a great benefit when I started my career away from school.”

- Jeff Whitacre ’04, Engineer in Training, Kimley-Horn And Associates, Inc.

"CVEN 456, the transportation design course, taught me the basics of geometric design and gave me the opportunity to get some hands-on experience with the computer design tools that are used in practice. I was able to enhance my computer skills which made me more valuable to employers."

- Cameron Williams ’06, Texas A&M Civil Engineering Graduate Student

Students in CVEN 456 learn the value and benefit of teamwork through senior capstone design projects.

CVEN 456: Highway Design

Usually taught by:

Dr. Dominique Lord

Average class size:

30-34 students

For students specializing in:

Transportation engineering

Course description:

• Theory and practice in highway design
  
• Highway classification and design criteria
  
• Location studies
  
• Design of vertical and horizontal alignment
  
• Intersections
  
• Environmental factors
  
• Highway drainage elements

Course objectives:

• Provide fundamental engineering basis for designing rural and urban highways.

Professional objectives:

• Gain design experience.
  
• Incorporate engineering standards and realistic constraints that include economic, environmental, sustainability, manufacturability, ethical, health, social, and political considerations.

Guest lecturers have included:

• Dr. Giovanna Biscontin-Texas A&M University (slope stability)
  
• Dr. Joe Blascke-Consultant (highway design from private industry perspective)

Course projects have inlcuded:

• Large Highway Design Project-In Fall 2006, the project was to design a new recreational highway.

Project requirements:

• Forecast the process steps and potential obstacles.
  
• Develop and justify two potential route alignments.
  
• Design the detailed characteristics of the highway, including stationing for the vertical andhorizontal curves, intersections, and bridges.
  
• Provide detailed drawings for every intersection.
  
• Perform an economic analysis for the alignment.