North Mendota Parkway Design

Overview

A graduate highway-design project developing a conceptual 4.75-mile North Mendota Parkway corridor in Dane County, Wisconsin, connecting USH 12 to CTH K and CTH M. The work moved from corridor-level alternatives through detailed horizontal and vertical alignment for a preferred route, applying AASHTO Green Book criteria for a rural principal arterial.

Tools Used

AASHTO Green Book Design Standards · Horizontal & Vertical Alignment Design · Traffic Forecasting · GIS Terrain & Hydrologic Review · Intersection Concept Development · CAD Layout

My Role

Led the corridor-design study end-to-end, including alternatives screening, alignment development for the preferred route, geometric design checks against AASHTO criteria, traffic forecast translation into design volumes, and intersection-concept development.

Method

The study began with a screening of alternative alignments across the 4.75-mile corridor against farmland preservation, hydrologic features, and terrain constraints. A preferred alignment was advanced into detailed horizontal and vertical design — curve radii, superelevation, stopping sight distance, vertical curve K-values, and grade limits — referenced to AASHTO Green Book standards for a rural principal arterial. Traffic forecasts were translated into design-hour volumes and turning movements at the corridor's six intersection locations, where a range of concept treatments (at-grade signalized, two-way stop, and roundabout configurations) were sketched and compared on operational, safety, and right-of-way grounds.

Key Outcomes

• Produced a conceptual 4.75-mile rural principal arterial alignment connecting USH 12 to CTH K and CTH M.
• Evaluated alternative alignments against farmland, hydrologic, and terrain constraints to select a preferred route.
• Designed horizontal and vertical geometry that satisfies AASHTO Green Book criteria for the corridor's design speed.
• Translated traffic forecasts into design-hour volumes used to size lanes and intersection concepts.
• Developed six intersection concepts spanning at-grade signalized, stop-controlled, and roundabout treatments.

Limitations

The design is at a conceptual planning level — no final right-of-way, drainage, or pavement structural design was completed. Environmental and stakeholder review was scoped to terrain, hydrology, and farmland indicators rather than a full NEPA-style evaluation. Intersection concepts were screened operationally but not micro-simulated, and construction cost was not estimated.