Transportation Learning HubTransportation Learning Hub — PE Civil Transportation Exam Prep
One organised home for Transportation on both exams. Pick your path below, work the topic map for your exam, learn each cluster with its formulas and a worked example, and listen to the podcast series as you go. Everything here follows the current NCEES topic outline — no hunting through scattered pages.
Pick your exam to go straight to your study path:
How this works
Learn the theory — free
Start with the FE foundations, then move into the PE knowledge areas for design judgement, multi-step analysis, and system behaviour — every area page carries its formulas, a worked example and the traps.
Watch for the traps
Every page identifies unit traps, sign conventions, and the point where an FE calculation becomes a PE design or interpretation question.
Practise, then simulate
Check yourself with the mini-quiz on every area page, then step up to timed practice. The Transportation exam simulation is in preparation — preview what it will cover.
Not sure where you stand yet? Work through the study plan — eight weeks for a first attempt, four weeks for a retake — and close the gaps area by area.
Current NCEES exam blueprint
This hub follows the official NCEES specifications. FE Civil: Transportation Engineering is one section of the 110-question exam, worth 9–14 questions across five subtopics. PE Civil: Transportation: a standalone 80-question exam across 10 knowledge areas — every area below is examinable.
Full area-by-area question ranges are in the maps below. Always confirm against the current documents on ncees.org.
Choose your exam path
Three ways in, depending on where you are. Each path uses the same maps and clusters — only the order changes.
Whichever path you take, finish under exam conditions: the PE Civil Transportation exam simulator preview shows how the timed simulation will work.
Retaking the PE?
Start with the retake plan: diagnose by knowledge area, rebuild only the weak areas, then re-test under time. Built for candidates who have already sat the exam once.
Path 2First PE attempt
Work the PE topic map top to bottom — all 10 knowledge areas — using the four learning clusters, then finish with timed practice.
Path 3Taking the FE
Start with the FE foundations page (curves, sight distance, traffic flow, pavement concepts), then check yourself against the FE topic map.
FE Civil — Transportation topic map (9–14 questions)
The FE section has five subtopics. The foundations page covers each one with formulas and worked examples.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Study it |
|---|---|---|
| A. Geometric design (streets, highways, intersections) | Horizontal and vertical curves, sight distance, superelevation basics | FE foundations page |
| B. Pavement system design | Thickness, subgrade, drainage, rehabilitation — concept level | FE foundations page |
| C. Traffic capacity and flow theory | Flow–density–speed, headway, capacity and level-of-service concepts | FE foundations page |
| D. Traffic control devices | Signs, markings and signals at concept level | Traffic cluster |
| E. Transportation planning | Travel forecast modelling, safety, trip generation | Planning cluster |
PE Civil Transportation — topic map (80 questions, 10 knowledge areas)
The PE exam is a standalone Transportation exam. Every knowledge area below is examinable; the ranges are the per-exam question counts in the current NCEES specification. Use the map as a checklist — a study plan that skips an area leaves questions on the table.
Project Management
Quantity and cost estimating; project schedules; economic analysis (present worth, life-cycle costs).
Area 2 · 10–15 questionsTraffic Engineering
Capacity, planning and safety: uninterrupted and interrupted flow, intersection capacity, traffic analysis, safety analysis, nonmotorized facilities, forecasts.
Area 3 · 7–11 questionsRoadside & Cross-Section Design
Forgiving roadside and clear zone, barrier design, cross-section elements, nonmotorized design and ADA.
Area 4 · 8–12 questionsHorizontal Design
Circular curve elements and stationing, sight distance, superelevation, compound/reverse curves and widening.
Area 5 · 8–12 questionsVertical Design
Vertical alignment and clearance; stopping and passing sight distance on crest and sag curves.
Area 6 · 7–11 questionsIntersection Geometry
Intersection sight distance, interchanges and ramps, at-grade layouts including roundabouts.
Area 7 · 5–8 questionsTraffic Signals
Signal timing and phasing, pedestrian timing, warrants, and signal design.
Area 8 · 5–8 questionsTraffic Control Design
Permanent signs and pavement markings; temporary traffic control.
Area 9 · 6–9 questionsGeotechnical & Pavement
Soil testing and properties, compaction and earthwork balance, traffic characterisation, flexible and rigid pavement design and rehabilitation.
Area 10 · 8–12 questionsDrainage
Hydrology and runoff; culverts, stormwater collection, inlets, pipe flow, detention and open-channel flow.
Learn the clusters
The maps above collapse into four study clusters. Each cluster lists the formulas that carry it and points to its worked example and podcast episode, so a study session always has the same shape: read, compute, check, listen.
Cluster 1 — Geometric design
Covers: PE Areas 3, 4, 5, 6 · FE subtopic A. Horizontal and vertical alignment, sight distance, superelevation, intersections and the roadside. This is the most formula-driven part of the exam, and the part where unit discipline earns or loses the marks.
\[L = R\Delta \qquad (\Delta \text{ in radians}) \qquad T = R \tan\left(\frac{\Delta}{2}\right)\]
\[K = \frac{L}{A} \qquad \text{(rate of vertical curvature; } A \text{ in percent)}\]
\[\text{SSD} = d_{pr} + d_{b}\]
| R, Δ, L, T | curve radius, central angle, curve length, tangent length |
|---|---|
| K, A | length of vertical curve per percent of grade change; algebraic grade difference |
| SSD | stopping sight distance = perception–reaction distance + braking distance |
Worked examples: curve length & tangent, vertical-curve high point, stopping sight distance. Podcast: Episodes 1–2. FE depth: the foundations page.
Cluster 2 — Traffic engineering & operations
Covers: PE Areas 2, 7, 8 · FE subtopics C, D. Flow, capacity and level of service for uninterrupted and interrupted facilities; intersection capacity (signalised, roundabout, interchange); signal timing and warrants; signs, markings and temporary traffic control; safety analysis.
\[q = k\,v \qquad \text{PHF} = \frac{V}{4\,V_{15}}\]
| q, k, v | flow rate, density, space-mean speed |
|---|---|
| PHF | peak hour factor — hourly volume V over four times the peak 15-minute volume; converts an hour into its worst quarter-hour |
| LOS | level of service — the A–F operating-quality grade a capacity analysis reports |
Most marks here are definitions used precisely: headway pairs with flow, spacing with density, and a capacity answer is meaningless without its conditions (lane width, grades, heavy vehicles, PHF). Podcast: Episode 3.
Cluster 3 — Pavement, geotechnical & drainage
Covers: PE Areas 9, 10 · FE subtopic B. Soil testing and properties (classification, resilient modulus, CBR), compaction and earthwork balance, flexible and rigid pavement design and rehabilitation — plus the drainage half of the exam: runoff, culverts, inlets, storm sewers, detention and open channels.
Flexible pavement: load spread layer by layer to the subgrade · Rigid pavement: slab action spreads load over a wide area
Drainage design chain: runoff estimate → inlet capacity → pipe/culvert flow → energy dissipation & detention
The drainage area is where this hub joins the site’s water-resources strength — the runoff and channel-flow tools on the calculators page serve Area 10 directly. Podcast: Episode 4.
Cluster 4 — Planning, safety & project management
Covers: PE Areas 1, 2D/2E/2G/2H · FE subtopic E. Trip generation and travel forecasting, traffic impact studies, crash rates and Highway Safety Manual analysis, quantity and cost estimating, schedules, and economic analysis (present worth, life-cycle cost).
Forecast chain: trip generation → distribution → modal split → assignment
Economic comparison: convert every option to present worth (or life-cycle cost) before comparing — never compare raw year-by-year costs
These questions reward process knowledge over computation: know the order of the forecast chain and what each safety-analysis tool (crash rate, conflict analysis, crash modification factor) actually measures. Podcast: Episode 5.
Worked examples
Three examples, one per core formula family. Each is worked in full — the same problems appear on the FE foundations page, where the surrounding theory lives.
Worked example Horizontal curve length and tangent
Given: A horizontal curve has radius \(R = 500\) ft and central angle \(\Delta = 40^{\circ}\). Find the curve length and the tangent length.
Solution:
- Convert the angle to radians: \(\Delta = 40^{\circ} \times \pi/180 = 0.6981\) rad.
- Curve length: \(L = R\Delta = (500)(0.6981) = 349.07\) ft.
- Tangent length: \(T = R \tan(\Delta/2) = 500 \tan(20^{\circ}) = 181.99\) ft.
Answer: \(L = 349.07\) ft; \(T = 181.99\) ft \(\approx 182.0\) ft.
Worked example High point of a vertical curve
Given: A vertical curve of length \(L = 400\) ft joins grades \(g_{1} = +2\%\) and \(g_{2} = -3\%\). The PVC elevation is 100.00 ft. Find the location and elevation of the high point.
Solution:
- Grade difference: \(A = |g_{2} - g_{1}| = |-3 - (+2)| = 5\%\).
- Distance from the PVC to the high point: \(x = g_{1}L/A = (2)(400)/5 = 160\) ft from the PVC.
- Elevation at the high point: the tangent rises at 2% for 160 ft (\(+3.20\) ft) and the parabolic curve correction at that point is \(-1.60\) ft, giving \(100.00 + 3.20 - 1.60 = 101.60\) ft.
Answer: High point 160 ft from the PVC, at elevation 101.60 ft.
Worked example Stopping sight distance
Given: A vehicle travels at 60 mph (\(= 88\) ft/s). The perception–reaction time is 2.5 s and the deceleration is 11.2 ft/s2. Find the stopping sight distance.
Solution:
- Perception–reaction distance: \(d_{pr} = 88 \times 2.5 = 220.5\) ft (equivalently \(1.47 \times 60 \times 2.5\)).
- Braking distance: \(d_{b} = 88^{2}/(2 \times 11.2) = 7{,}744/22.4 = 345.7\) ft.
- Add the two parts: \(\text{SSD} = 220.5 + 345.7 = 566.2\) ft.
Answer: SSD \(\approx 566\) ft.
Free interactive calculators
Browser-based Transportation tools — stopping sight distance, superelevation, taper length and peak hour factor — plus the drainage tools (Manning’s equation and the Rational Method) that serve PE Area 10. No account, no download; each one shows the governing equation so you can see exactly what it is doing.
Stopping Sight Distance
Perception–reaction plus braking distance, with grade, from design speed.
CalculatorSuperelevation
Required rate of superelevation e from speed, radius and side friction.
CalculatorTaper Length
Merging taper length and channelizing-device count for temporary traffic control.
CalculatorPeak Hour Factor
PHF and peak flow rate from the hourly volume and peak 15-minute count.
Calculator · DrainageManning’s Equation
Open-channel discharge for the Drainage area — rectangular, trapezoidal and circular sections.
Calculator · DrainageRational Method Runoff
Peak runoff rate from runoff coefficient, rainfall intensity and drainage area.
Podcasts
Short audio overviews for revision on the move — one orientation episode plus one per learning cluster. Episode 1 is recorded and playable now; the cluster episodes are in production and will appear here as they are released. Each PE area page also carries its own 1-minute overview player.
- Episode 1 · Available
Transportation in one minute
Sight distance, curves, traffic flow and pavement basics — what the exam actually reaches for, and the three traps that cost the most marks.
- Episode 2 · In production
Geometric design without the sign errors
Cluster 1: horizontal and vertical curves, superelevation, sight distance — and the unit discipline that makes them routine.
- Episode 3 · In production
Traffic operations: flow, capacity, signals
Cluster 2: q = kv, peak hour factor, level of service, intersection capacity and signal timing, in plain language.
- Episode 4 · In production
Pavement, soils and drainage
Cluster 3: flexible vs rigid pavement, CBR and compaction, and the drainage chain from runoff to detention.
- Episode 5 · In production
Planning, safety and the retake mindset
Cluster 4 plus the retake plan: trip generation, crash analysis, present worth — and how to rebuild after a failed attempt.
Retake plan — if you have failed the PE Transportation exam
A failed attempt is diagnostic information, not a verdict. The plan below rebuilds only what the result says is weak, in the order that fixes it fastest. The full four-week version is on the study plan page.
Diagnose by area
Map your result onto the 10 knowledge areas in the PE topic map. Most retakes are lost in two or three areas, not ten — find yours before opening a book.
Rebuild the weak clusters
Work only the clusters your weak areas sit in (the four clusters): formulas first, then the worked example, then the podcast episode as revision.
Re-test under time
Mixed, timed practice across all 10 areas — including your strong ones, so speed does not decay while you rebuild.
Simulate the full exam
Finish with a full-length timed simulation before you rebook. The Transportation simulation is in preparation — see Practice next.
Practice next
Two paths through the same roads
The FE and the PE both test transportation, but they test different kinds of thinking. This hub serves both, and it is honest about the difference:
Breadth and fluency
Identify the equation → find the variables → calculate → select the answer. The foundations page, the calculators and the mini-quizzes build exactly this fluency across the five FE subtopics.
Depth and judgment
Interpret the scenario → determine the governing approach → choose your assumptions → work through multiple steps → check the result for reasonableness → make a design decision. The ten area pages are built to this pattern.
Frequently asked questions
What is free, which NCEES specifications this hub follows, and how the FE and PE Transportation material differ — answered on one page.
Who this is for
FE Civil candidates: Transportation is 9–14 of your 110 questions. Work the foundations page for the five subtopics, use the calculators to check your hand work, and take the mini-quiz before you move on.
PE Civil: Transportation candidates: this is your whole exam — 80 questions, 10 knowledge areas. Work the area pages in study-plan order, keep the topic map as your coverage checklist, and treat the traps boxes as the cheapest marks available.
Start with the plan
Eight weeks for a first attempt, four weeks for a retake — every week names its knowledge areas, its cluster and its podcast listening.