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Free PE Civil Transportation Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style Professional Engineer Civil Transportation (PE Civil Transportation) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free PE Civil Transportation practice test to study every exam domain.

These 10 free PE Civil Transportation questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Professional Engineer Civil Transportation blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.

Domain 1: Project Management (6-9 questions, ~8-11%)

Question 1

An intersection improvement project costs $1,800,000 to construct and $25,000 per year to maintain. The project is expected to reduce crashes by 4 per year, with an average crash cost of $165,000. Using an interest rate of 4% and a 20-year analysis period, the benefit-cost ratio is most nearly:

  1. 2.22
  2. 2.45
  3. 2.64
  4. 3.04
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - 2.22

Domain 2: Traffic Engineering (Capacity Analysis, Transportation Planning, and Safety Analysis) (10-15 questions, ~13-19%)

Question 2

A basic freeway segment has a measured flow rate of 1,680 pc/h/ln and a space mean speed of 56.0 mph. According to the HCM 6th Edition LOS criteria for basic freeway segments, this segment is operating at:

  1. LOS B
  2. LOS C
  3. LOS D
  4. LOS E
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - LOS D

Question 3

A stop-controlled intersection with an entering ADT of 12,000 vehicles experienced 15 crashes over a 3-year period. The crash rate for this intersection is most nearly:

  1. 0.57 crashes per MEV
  2. 1.71 crashes per MEV
  3. 3.42 crashes per MEV
  4. 1.14 crashes per MEV
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - 1.14 crashes per MEV

Domain 4: Horizontal Design (8-12 questions, ~10-15%)

Question 4

A horizontal curve has a radius of 800 ft and a central angle (Δ) of 50°. The tangent length of this curve is most nearly:

  1. 338 ft
  2. 373 ft
  3. 477 ft
  4. 698 ft
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - 373 ft

Question 5

A designer is calculating the stopping sight distance (SSD) for a roadway with a design speed of 55 mph on a 4% downgrade. Using AASHTO criteria (PRT = 2.5 s, deceleration = 11.2 ft/s²), the SSD is most nearly:

  1. 328 ft
  2. 530 ft
  3. 462 ft
  4. 492 ft
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - 530 ft

Domain 5: Vertical Design (8-12 questions, ~10-15%)

Question 6

A 800-ft crest vertical curve connects a +3.0% grade (g₁) to a −2.0% grade (g₂). The BVC is at station 32+00 with an elevation of 425.00 ft. The elevation on the curve at station 36+00 is most nearly:

  1. 432.00 ft
  2. 437.00 ft
  3. 439.50 ft
  4. 442.00 ft
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - 432.00 ft

Domain 7: Traffic Signals (5-8 questions, ~6-10%)

Question 7

An engineer is designing the yellow change interval for a signalized intersection approach with a posted speed of 45 mph, a 3% downgrade, and a perception-reaction time of 1.0 second. Using the ITE kinematic equation with a deceleration rate of 10 ft/s², the yellow interval is most nearly:

  1. 4.7 sec
  2. 3.5 sec
  3. 4.3 sec
  4. 4.0 sec
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - 4.7 sec

Domain 8: Traffic Control Design (5-8 questions, ~6-10%)

Question 8

A contractor must close one lane on a 55-mph highway for construction. The lane width is 12 ft. Per MUTCD guidelines, the minimum length of the merging taper for this lane closure is most nearly:

  1. 330 ft
  2. 202 ft
  3. 605 ft
  4. 303 ft
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - 605 ft

Domain 9: Geotechnical and Pavement (6-9 questions, ~8-11%)

Question 9

A flexible pavement cross-section consists of 3.5 inches of HMA (a₁ = 0.44), 8.0 inches of crushed stone base (a₂ = 0.14, m₂ = 1.00), and 10.0 inches of sandy gravel subbase (a₃ = 0.11, m₃ = 0.85). The structural number (SN) provided by this section is most nearly:

  1. 2.60
  2. 3.60
  3. 3.76
  4. 4.31
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - 3.60

Domain 10: Drainage (8-12 questions, ~10-15%)

Question 10

A 50-acre watershed contains 15 acres of commercial area (C = 0.90), 25 acres of single-family residential (C = 0.40), and 10 acres of parkland (C = 0.15). Using the Rational Method with a rainfall intensity of 4.5 in/hr, the peak runoff is most nearly:

  1. 90 cfs
  2. 109 cfs
  3. 203 cfs
  4. 113 cfs
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - 113 cfs

The rest of the PE Civil Transportation blueprint

The PE Civil Transportation exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:

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