Details
4-day course
CPD Credit: 28 hours; Competence/s: 1 & 2
Course delivery options
Open Course: Available on scheduled dates. Contact cpdtraining@engineersireland.ie or call 01 665 1305, or check our CPD Calendar here.
Course overview
Road design is the assembly of the three-dimensional features of a road that are related to its operational quality and safety.
This course focuses on the full design process to produce safe, sustainable, efficient roads for Ireland. It concentrates on the key objectives of a sustainable design operating at its optimum safety and efficiency under Irish conditions. The course provides a background to the current design methods employed in Ireland, utilising the relevant TII Publications.
Principles and concepts are explained for a broad foundation of road design. This includes the fundamentals of determining route corridor location based upon the existing environment and constraints.
Each of the geometric design elements is discussed in detail, emphasising the importance of selecting the most appropriate geometric characteristics and road properties.
The background theory of the derivation of each of the geometrical design elements is explained, and the link between the scientific and engineering theory and the evolution of the standards established.
The operational requirements for Ireland are discussed and outlined. Traffic analysis and its influence on selecting geometric properties are presented, as well as the environmental influences on the road performance and efficiency.
The course will be presented in a series of modules designed to progressively explain the design process.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this course, delegates will be able to:
- Explain the general principles, components, constraints and opportunities of good road design.
- Identify and evaluate the optimum route and most appropriate type of road to meet route objectives.
- Apply the engineering theory and technical specifications articulated in relevant TII publications with respect to the road design process.
- Recognise and apply good engineering practice in respect to the selection of road intersections and linkages for single and dual carriageway roads.
Syllabus
- Outlining the importance of reflecting the receiving Irish environment in contributing to Whole Road Design.
- How influencing the design at early stages can contribute to maximising the sustainability of the road by considering land drainage, waste reduction and adapting the road to the topography.
- Theoretical basis for road design and the development of the geometrical standards within TII Publications.
- Use of the TII publications to design all geometrical aspects of road links and junctions.
- Describing how the combination of interacting geometrical elements to reflect coordinated link design principles can influence the efficiency and safety of a road.
- Analysis of the relationship between good road design and road safety general principles.
Course duration
This programme will consist of 4 training days across a 2-week period, followed by an ONLINE assessment day approximately 2 weeks later. The assessment day will consist of an online morning examination and an afternoon workshop for the project outline. Delegates will have 3 months to complete their assigned project. Further CPD hours can be recorded for study hours.
Course material
All material for this course will be facilitated via a Moodle Page. Delegates are welcome to bring their laptops. Material will be made available via the Moodle page prior to each day of training.
Deferrals and extensions policy
When signing up to attend the Programme, all delegates make the commitment to be available for all dates of the course including the examination date and assignment submission date.
Exam:
- There will be no extensions or deferrals of the examination date to future iterations of the Programme.
- There will only be 2 exam opportunities per iteration of the programme: the original date per schedule and a re-sit exam date (TBC post assignment submission):
1. For those who sit the exam on the original exam date and don’t pass, they will be allowed to attend the re-sit exam date. However, the mark will be capped at the passing mark, and they will have to pay a nominal fee of €50 prior to the re-sit date. This will be the final exam opportunity.
2. For those who have extenuating circumstances and are not able to sit the exam on the original exam date, they must submit evidence (for example a medical certificate) and will be allowed to sit the exam for the first time on the re-sit date at no extra cost and no capping of the mark. This will be the final exam opportunity.
3. For those who have extenuating circumstances and are not able to sit the exam on the original exam date, but do not wish to submit evidence, they will be allowed to sit the exam on the re-sit date. There will be no capping of the mark, but they will have to pay a nominal fee of €50 prior to the re-sit date. This will be the final exam opportunity.
- In cases where payment of the nominal fee of €50 is required, payment must be done prior to the re-sit date. If not paying the fee, attendance to the re-sit exam won’t be possible and delegates will have to re-attend the programme in full if they wish to attain their micro-credential in the future.
- In the event of not passing the exam or having an emergency/unavoidable circumstance on the original exam date, the delegate will have to proceed with the assignment submission per scheduled if they wish to proceed with the re-sit exam opportunity.
- In all 3 cases listed above, if not attending the re-sit opportunity, delegates will have to re-attend the programme in full if they wish to attain their micro-credential in the future.
Assignment:
- Delegates make a commitment to submit the assignment within the iteration of the programme they attended. No deferrals to future iterations will be provided.
- In the event of extenuating circumstances, an extension of a few weeks can be arranged upon written request.
- In the event of not submitting the assignment, delegates will have to re-attend the programme in full if they wish to attain their micro-credential in the future.
- In the event of not attaining the necessary average grade (between the exam and assignment) to pass the programme, delegates will have to re-attend the programme in full if they wish to attain their micro-credential in the future.
Accreditation
Tutor profiles
Alastair de Beer, Head of Road Safety, Transport Infrastructure Ireland. In his position as head of road safety at Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Alastair is committed to the twin objectives of providing safe and efficient national roads. Alastair will provide a rounded overview of how the course can help meet these objectives through understanding of the role of TII publications, deployment of sound engineering principles and good design practices. Alastair will also demonstrate how the implementation of road safety general principles and the design of all carriageway elements and intended operational conditions can enhance safety.
Peter Adams, Director, Arup. Peter has over 30 years of experience in the design and delivery of a wide spectrum of major highway projects. These include employer designed, design and build, PPP and DBFO projects within Ireland, the UK, South Africa, Hong Kong, the USA, the Netherlands and Sweden. His design experience covers a wide variety of highway projects such as the M50 upgrade scheme works near Dublin, the N2 Monaghan, the M1, M2 and M3 motorways approaching Belfast, and the A8, M77, M74, the Edinburgh city bypass and M6 elsewhere in the UK. He was responsible for creating and delivering a highway design course in New Delhi, India. Peter understands road design from first principles and will present and explain the engineering theory behind the development of TII publications, the forces associated with vehicle equilibrium, the calculation of stopping sight forces and distances and how all of these can be combined into a coordinated design.
Zita Langenbach, Chartered Civil Engineer, Director, Arup. Zita Langenbach is highways business lead at Arup she has extensive experience in the design and coordination of major road schemes. Upon graduation, she completed a research masters in the centre for water resources and research in UCD. Since joining Arup, she has been involved in the design, project management and delivery of large design and build and PPP roads projects. Zita will bring her deep domain knowledge and extensive experience in the most intricate areas of highway design and examine the principles and design philosophy of designing road surface drainage characteristics.
Danny Wicks, Chartered Professional Engineer, Senior Project Manager/Technical Manager, Arup. Danny is a project manager and chartered professional engineer with extensive experience in planning, design and construction of major transport infrastructure projects in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. He has experience in various stages of the project life cycle, from feasibility, options selection and preliminary design through to detailed design, D&B contracts and construction phase services (CPS). He continues to have a strong passion for geometric design and has worked closely with transport infrastructure Ireland (TII) on a number of commissions, including the delivery of updates to the TII geometric design standards. Danny brings this rounded experience to the delivery of several modules on the course, including cross-section, alignment and junction design.
Martin Allen, Associate, Arup. Martin Allen is an associate at Arup. since joining the company in 2007, he has gained a wide level of experience in highway design, participating in some of the most significant recent infrastructure projects in Ireland. Martin was responsible for the delivery of N25 new ross bypass, the N7/N18 Gort to Tuam motorway and the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy PPP scheme. Martin’s highway experience extends from preliminary planning and route selection to detailed design and scheme construction supervision. he has an extensive knowledge of the TII publication standards for road design and specification for road works. Martin has been involved in the development and delivery of major road schemes in Ireland, and how they interact and combine with the wider road network. Martin will describe the purpose of road junctions as well as all aspects of the design of priority and grade-separated junctions and how they relate to horizontal alignment design.
Cathal Lenihan, Design Engineer, Arup. Cathal joined Arup as a Design Engineer in September 2024, following the completion of a Master’s degree in Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering. Since then, Cathal has contributed to a range of transport infrastructure projects, including option selection and design for both road and greenway schemes. In addition, Cathal has supported updates to several TII Publications, most notably the Project Management Guidelines and the Road Restraint System standards.
Aisling Mooney, Senior Engineer, Arup. Aisling is a Senior Engineer and a Chartered Professional Engineer within the Roads Team in Arup. Since joining Arup in 2018, Aisling has worked on a wide range of linear infrastructure projects, including motorway schemes, urban realm improvements and cycle infrastructure projects such as the N6 Galway City Ring Road, the Cork to Kinsale Greenway and the N11/M11 Bus Priority Interim Scheme. Her experience spans multiple stages of project development, from bidding and early-phase option development through to preliminary and detailed design, supporting the progression of schemes from initial concepts through to more developed design solutions.
Engineers Ireland supports the sustainable development goals. This event contributes to Engineers Ireland's
Sustainability Framework.
This programme is delivered in collaboration with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and ARUP Consulting Engineers
The Micro Credential in Geometric Road Design programme is accredited by TU Dublin at level 9, 5 ECTS
Please contact the CPD training team for further information on scheduled course dates.
TU Dublin has approved the Geometric Road Design and Design and Lifecycle of Road Pavements courses run by engineers Ireland and TII, as equivalent to two level 9 - 5 ECTS modules that can be used as part of a Postgraduate award in Civil Engineering from TU Dublin. Furthermore, by successfully finishing both of these courses, in addition to (i) the Designing for Safety in Construction (DSC) and the Project Supervisor Design Process (PSDP) modules offered by ACEI, Engineers Ireland and TU Dublin, and (ii) the ACEI/ IStructE Graduate Development courses, students can qualify for a 30 ECTS Postgraduate Certificate in Civil Engineering (sustainable infrastructure. with further study, these 30 ECTS can be used to secure a 60 ECTS Postgraduate Diploma Certificate in Civil Engineering (Sustainable Infrastructure) or a 90 ECTS ME in Civil Engineering (Sustainable Infrastructure) award.
For more information, please contact TU Dublin directly by visiting the links below: