A SHORT (YET COMPLETE) TREATISE ON SPIRAL R.O.W.

CURVES
by J.D. Watson

Summary: The mathematical formulas for the computation of all aspects of spiral right-of-
way curves are derived, including original results for precisely calculating areas involving
such curves. All formulas are in a form easily adaptable to computer computation.
Examples of calculations are included to illustrate the procedures, applicability, and gener-
ality of the results.

Copyright © 2003-2008 by J.D. Watson

All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this
article may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise), except for the inclusion of brief
quotations in a review or article, without the prior written permission of
the author.

Introduction
Spiral R.O.W. (Right-of-Way) curves are frequently used on highway and railroad rights-
of-way to allow the gradual transition of superelevation into circular curves. First, the standard
relations will be reviewed, and then new relations involving area and offset curves are
developed.
Derivation of the Fundamental Relations
Following the standard development of the relations for such curves, assume a spiral
curve with total length Ls, a
total deflection angle ∆s,
and a local coordinate
system with the origin at Y ds
θ dy
the PST (Point of Spiral dx
s = Ls
P.S.C. - Point

X-axis
Spiral/Curve
Tangent), the
aligned with the tangent to Ys
Detail ds
the curve, with the
independent parameter s y(s)
s=0 s
x(s)
∆s X
denoting the arc distance (0,0)
Xs
P.S.T. - Point
along the curve from the Spiral/Tangent

origin. (See Figure 1) The

defining property of an Figure 1 - R.O.W. Spiral Local Coordinate System
ideal R.O.W. spiral in
terms of s is:
2
 = Ls s (1a)
s
1
where θ is the slope angle of the tangent to the curve at arc distance s as shown in Figure 1, and
all angles are assumed to be in radians. Equation (1a) can be rewritten as:
 = ks 2 (1b)
where k is a constant of the spiral defined as:
s
k= (1c)
L 2s
Now d = 2ks $ ds by implicit differentiation of (1b), so the radius of curvature at any point on
the spiral is:
R = ds = 1 = s 2 = s (2)
d 2ks 2ks 2
The radius of curvature is infinite at the PST, and Ls and ∆s are selected so that it matches the
radius of the circular curve at the PSC (Point of Spiral/Curve).
At any point on the curve, dx = cos  $ ds and dy = sin  $ ds as shown in the detail of
Figure 1. Expanding the trigonometric function using MacClaurin's series expansion, and substi-
tuting relation (1b):
2 4 6 8
dx = 1 −  +  −  +  − ... $ ds
2! 4! 6! 8! (3a)
2 4 4 8 6 12 8 16
= 1 − k s + k s − k s + k s − ... $ ds
2! 4! 6! 8!
Integrating with respect to the parameter from s = 0 to s = s gives the X-coordinate of the point
on the curve at arc distance s :
2 4 4 8 6 12 8 16
X(s ) = ¶ s=0 dx = ¶ 0 1 − k s + k s − k s + k s − ... $ ds
s=s s
2! 4! 6! 8! (3b)
2 5 4 9 6 13 8 17
= s − k s + k s − k s + k s − ...
5 $ 2! 9 $ 4! 13 $ 6! 17 $ 8!
Factoring out s and substituting for  from (1b):
2 4 6 8
X(s ) = s $ 1 −  +  −  +  − ...
5 $ 2! 9 $ 4! 13 $ 6! 17 $ 8!
(3c)
∞
(−1 ) i  2i
=s$
i=0 (4i + 1 ) $ 2i!
Similarly for Y, using MacClaurin's series expansion for sin  :

3 5 7
dy =  −  +  −  + ... $ ds
3! 5! 7!
(4a)
3 6 5 10 7 14
= ks 2 − k s + k s − k s + ... $ ds
3! 5! 7!
Integrating with respect to the parameter from s = 0 to s = s gives the Y-coordinate of the point
on the curve at arc distance s :

2
 3 6 5 10 7 14
Y(s) = ¶ s=0 dy = ¶ 0 ks −
s=s s k 2s + k s k
− s + ... $ ds
3! 5! 7!
(4b)
3 3 7 5 11 7 15
= ks − k s + k s − k s + ...
3 7 $ 3! 11 $ 5! 15 $ 7!
Factoring out s and substituting for  from (1b):
3 5 7
Y(s) = s $  −  +  −  + ...
3 7 $ 3! 11 $ 5! 15 $ 7!
(4c)
∞
(−1)i 2i+1
=s$
i=0 (4i + 3) $ (2i + 1)!
These are the standard results which may be found in many texts on R.O.W. surveying.

Calculation of Areas
From elementary calculus, the differential of the area bounded by the curve and the
X-axis is dA = y $ dx, so from (3a) and (4b):
3 3 7 5 11 2 4 4 8 6 12
dA = ks − k s + k s − ... 1 − k s + k s − k s + ... ds
3 7 $ 3! 11 $ 5! 2! 4! 6!
Multiplying the infinite series and collecting terms in powers of s:
3
dA = ks − 1 + 1 k 3 s7 + 1 + 1 + 1 k5 s 11 − ... $ ds
3 7 $ 3! 3 $ 2! 11 $ 5! 7 $ 3! $ 2! 3 $ 4!
= (a0 ks 3 − a1 k3 s 7 + a2 k5 s 11 − a3 k7 s 15 + a4 k9 s 19 − ... ) $ ds
where:
a0 = 1
3
a1 = 1 + 1
7 $ 3! 3 $ 2!
a2 = 1 + 1 + 1
11 $ 5! 7 $ 3! $ 2! 3 $ 4!
a3 = 1 + 1 + 1 + 1
15 $ 7! 11 $ 5! $ 2! 7 $ 3! $ 4! 3 $ 6!
a4 = 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1
19 $ 9! 15 $ 7! $ 2! 11 $ 5! $ 4! 7 $ 3! $ 6! 3 $ 8!
... &tc.
or in general:
i
ai =  1 (5)
j=0 (4i − 4j + 3) $ (2i − 2j + 1)! $ 2j!
The area under the spiral curve is the integral of dA with respect to the parameter, from s = 0 to
s = s:

3
 A(s) = ¶ 0 (a 0 ks 3 − a 1 k 3 s 7 + a 2 k 5 s 11 − a 3 k 7 s 15 + a 4 k 9 s 19 − ... ) $ ds
s

a a a a a
= 0 ks 4 − 1 k 3 s 8 + 2 k 5 s 12 − 3 k 7 s 16 + 4 k 9 s 20 − ...
4 8 12 16 20
Factoring out s2 and substituting for  from (1b):
A(s) = s 2 $ (b 0  − b 1  3 + b 2  5 − b 3  7 + b 4  9 − ... ) (6a)
where
ai
bi = (6b)
4(i + 1)
In particular:
1
b0 = 12 = 8.333333333... % 10
−2 (6c et. al)
1
b1 = 42 = 2.380952381... % 10
−2
23
b2 = 10395 = 2.212602213... % 10
−3

2
b3 = 17325 = 1.154401154... % 10
−4
59
b4 = 14812875 = 3.983021527... % 10
−6

These coefficients are likely sufficient for any R.O.W. spiral encountered in normal practice, but
for the sake of completeness: 1
b5 = 9.830479725... % 10 −8
b6 = 1.821843444... % 10 −9
b7 = 2.625582036... % 10 −11
b8 = 3.023888441... %10 −13
b9 = 2.845174031... %10 −15
Any necessary additional terms can always be calculated using (5) and (6b). This is an original
result, presented here for the first time (to the best of the author's knowledge).

These formulas make possible the exact calculation of area for any boundary involving a
R.O.W. spiral — simply traverse along the tangent and perpendicular of the spiral (X and Y,
from formulas (3c) and (4c) respectively) and complete the traverse, adjusting the resulting
area by the quantity calculated from formula (6a).

Parallel Curves
In many situations the R.O.W. boundary consists of curves parallel to the spiral, outside (or
inside) the spiral by some distance w. Such curves are perfectly well defined, being the curve
swept out by a normal to the spiral of length w, but such a curve is not a spiral obeying
relation (1b). 2 At any point the arc differential ds p of a parallel curve is:

1
These coefficients were calculated by the PERL script shown in Endnote 1, with the first five
verified by hand calculation.
2
If the parallel curve obeyed (1b), then, in view of (7b) for the arc length of such a spiral, the
relations sin θ = θ • x(θ) and 1-cos θ = θ • y(θ) would have to hold, where x(θ) and y(θ) are the θ
summation terms in (3c) and (4c) respectively. This is clearly not the case, therefore the parallel
curve is not a spiral obeying (1b).
4
 ds p = (R ! w) $ d = 1 ! w 2ks $ ds = (1 ! 2ksw) $ ds (7a)
2ks
where R is the radius of curvature, given by formula (2), and the sign (±) is determined by
whether the parallel curve is outside (+) or inside (-) the spiral. Integrating, the length of the
parallel curve is then:
¶ s=s
¶ s
L p = s=0 ds p = 0 (1 ! 2kws) $ ds = s ! kws 2 = s ! w (7b)
reproducing the standard result given in many texts. The differential area bounded by the spiral
and a parallel curve is:
dAp = !( 12 (R ! w) $ ds p − 12 R $ ds ) = (w ! kw2 s ) $ ds (8a)
so the area bounded by the two curves and their normals is then:
¶ s=s
¶ s
A p = s=0 dA p = 0 (w ! kw 2 s ) $ ds = ws ! 12 kw 2 s 2 = w $ (s ! 12 w ) (8b)
3
a result analogous to Pappus' First Centroid Theorem, since the second term of (8b) is the path
length of the normal centroid, by formula (7b), said normal sweeping out the area between the
two curves.
These formulas make possible the exact calculation of area for any boundary involving a
curve parallel to a R.O.W. spiral — simply traverse to the beginning of the parallel curve, then
traverse:
1) to the beginning of the spiral curve,
2) along the X and Y distances of the spiral,
3) along the normal to the spiral back to the parallel curve,
and complete the remainder of the traverse, adjusting the resulting area by the spiral area from
formula (6a) and the sector area between the spiral and the parallel curve from formula (8b).
The delta of the parallel curve is the same as that of the spiral, and its length is given by formula
(7b). The chord of the parallel curve may be found by inversing between the two points on the
curve.
Applications
These results will be illustrated by a short, wholely hypothetical example showing the
calculation of spiral and parallel curves and their intersection with other lines. Shown in Figure
2 4 on the next page is a fictitious R.O.W passing thru the NE¼ of some Section 8 in some imagi-
nary Township and Range. For simplicity, the minimum amount of information is shown which
allows the R.O.W. boundary to be calculated: viz., three Section Corners and two R.O.W.
monuments are assumed found and located, with their respective coordinates shown below the
figure. The undetermined part of the R.O.W. consists of a 500 foot spiral transitioning into a 2º
(arc definition) circular curve, so the radius of the circular curve is: 5

3
Towit: The surface area A of a surface of revolution generated by rotating a plane curve C
about an axis external to C and on the same plane is equal to the product of the arc length s of C
and the distance d traveled by its centroid, i.e., A = sd.
4
All maps that follow were produced using VCadd4®. The spiral and parallel curves were
drawn as bezier curves thru points computed at 50 foot intervals along the spiral, as shown in
Endnote 2. This is the method which would be used to stake-out the spiral and parallel curves in
the field.
5
The functions deg(...) and rad(...) used in (9a) & (9b) represent the conversion of radians to
degrees and degrees to radians, respectively.
5
 R = 100 = 2864.789 ∏ (9a)
rad(2 )
The delta of the spiral can then be calculated using a re-arranged form of (2):
 S = deg s = deg 500 = 5°00'00" (9b)
2R 2 $ 2864.789
This information would normally be available from the R.O.W. map — but since this is a
hypothetical example these quantities had to be calculated. The object is to calculate the exact
boundaries and areas of the triangular tract in the corner and those of the R.O.W itself.

Figure 2 - Example R.O.W.

1 - - - - - - - - - N 10000.000, E 10000.000 NE Cor. Sec. 8
2 - - - - - - - - - N 10063.674, E 7358.981 N1/4 Cor. Sec. 8
3 - - - - - - - - - N 7363.105, E 10031.527 E1/4 Cor. Sec. 8
4 - - - - - - - - - N 8909.301, E 10471.421 ROW Mnmnt Sta. 98+26.6
5 - - - - - - - - - N 9783.375, E 9682.158 ROW Mnmnt Sta. 110+04.3

The dimensions associated with the straight portion of the R.O.W. may be calculated
using standard COGO procedures: 6

5 - - - - - - - - - N 9783.375, E 9682.158 ROW Mnmnt Sta. 110+04.3 N. PST

6
All COGO calculations were done using CC-Surveyor4®, a simple coordinate geometry
program the author has used for years. The codes TRA, B-B, and INV on the left of the output
represent traversing, bearing-bearing intersection, and inversing, respectively. Bearings are
shown in the form DD.MMSS .
6
B-B SE 42.0452 484.543
6 - - - - - - - - - N 9423.749, E 10006.890 Intersection N. ROW/Sec. Ln.
B-B NW 0.4106 576.292
1 - - - - - - - - - N 10000.000, E 10000.000 NE Cor. Sec. 8

5 - - - - - - - - - N 9783.375, E 9682.158 ROW Mnmnt Sta. 110+04.3

TRA SW 47.5508 60.000
7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 Centerline PST
B-B SE 42.0452 552.609
8 - - - - - - - - - N 9333.020, E 10007.974 Intersection Cntrln/Sec. Ln.
B-B NW 0.4106 90.736 Dist. to N. ROW Intersection
6 - - - - - - - - - N 9423.749, E 10006.890

7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 Centerline PST

TRA SW
47.5508 60.000
9 - - - - - - - - - N 9702.954, E 9593.094 South PST
B-B SE 42.0452 620.675
10 - - - - - - - - - N 9242.291, E 10009.059 Intersection S. ROW/E. Sec. Ln.
B-B NW 0.4106 90.736 Dist. to CntrLn Intersection
8 - - - - - - - - - N 9333.020, E 10007.974

The results of these preliminary calculations are shown in Figure 3. It now remains to
calculate the intersections of the spiral and parallel curves with the North Section Line. Begin
with the simplest computation, the intersection of the
centerline spiral and the Section Line. It is obvious
there is no analytic formula to calculate this intersec-
tion and we must resort to some type of successive
approximation. The most efficient technique is the
application of Newton's method in COGO:
1) Find an approximation to the spiral arc
length — this is easily done in CAD by
graphically measuring the chord.
2) Calculate the spiral elements corresponding
to this arc length and traverse to that point
on the spiral.
3) Intersect the spiral tangent and the Section
Line.
4) Adjust the spiral arc length by the calcu-
lated tangent distance and repeat steps
(2)-(4) until the solution is obtained.
In practice, this method rapidly converges to the
final result. In VCadd the chord of the spiral was Figure 3
measured as 371.5' and the following COGO compu-
tations were then performed: 7

JDWatson's PERL R.O.W. Spiral Calculator -- Version 1.2 (8/17/07)

Enter the Total Spiral Arc Length: 500

Enter the Total Spiral Delta ddd-mm-ss.s: 5-0-0
7
In the spiral calculations that follow, the spiral elements were calculated using a custom PERL
script implementing formulas (1a), (2), (3c), (4c), and (6a). The output of this script is shown
prior to the actual COGO calculations.
7
Radius-of-Curvature at PSC = 2864.789

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 371.5
Station Delta = 2-45-36.9
Radius-of-Curvature = 3855.705
Station Spiral X = 371.500 * 0.9997679384 = 371.414
Station Spiral Y = 371.500 * 0.0160557926 = 5.965
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 371.500^2 * 0.0040119521 = 553.699

7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 PST

TRA NW 42.0452 371.414 Spiral X
15 - - - - - - - - - N 10018.827, E 9388.711
TRA SW 47.5508 5.965 Spiral Y
16 - - - - - - - - - N 10014.829, E 9384.284
B-B NW 44.5029 0.022 Tangent Intersect Dist.
11 - - - - - - - - - N 10014.845, E 9384.268
B-B SE 88.3708 615.911
1 - - - - - - - - - N 10000.000, E 10000.000

The new spiral arc distance approximation is therefore 371.5' + 0.022' = 371.522', and repeating
the calculation:

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 371.522
Station Delta = 2-45-38.1
Radius-of-Curvature = 3855.477
Station Spiral X = 371.522 * 0.9997678834 = 371.436
Station Spiral Y = 371.522 * 0.0160576936 = 5.966
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 371.522^2 * 0.0040124266 = 553.830

7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 PST

TRA NW 42.0452 371.436 Spiral X
15 - - - - - - - - - N 10018.843, E 9388.696
TRA SW 47.5508 5.966 Spiral Y
11 - - - - - - - - - N 10014.845, E 9384.268
INV SE 88.3708 615.911 Section Line Dist.
1 - - - - - - - - - N 10000.000, E 10000.000

7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626
INV NW 43.0005 371.484 Spiral Chord
11 - - - - - - - - - N 10014.845, E 9384.268

Note how quickly this process converged to the final solution, and what a reasonable approxima-
tion the chord distance was.
Now turn to the intersection of the East parallel curve and the Section Line. The same
method is employed with one additional step: after traversing to a point on the centerline spiral,
we then traverse along the normal for the width of the R.O.W. before intersecting the tangent
with the Section Line. As a first approximation, a line was snapped in VCadd from the graphic
intersection of the East curve and Section Line down perpendicular to the centerline spiral and
the chord measured, resulting in a distance of 310.9'. The following calculations were then
performed:

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 310.9
Station Delta = 1-55-59.4
Radius-of-Curvature = 4607.251
Station Spiral X = 310.900 * 0.9998861653 = 310.865
Station Spiral Y = 310.900 * 0.0112458487 = 3.496
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 310.900^2 * 0.0028107764 = 271.686

8
 7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 PST
TRA NW 42.0452 310.865 Spiral X
14 - - - - - - - - - N 9973.888, E 9429.290
TRA SW 47.5508 3.496 Spiral Y
15 - - - - - - - - - N 9971.545, E 9426.695 Point on Spiral
TRA NE 45.5909 60.000 Normal to Spiral
16 - - - - - - - - - N 10013.235, E 9469.845 Point on East curve
B-B NW 44.0051 0.645 Tangent Dist.
12 - - - - - - - - - N 10013.699, E 9469.397
B-B SE 88.3708 530.779
1 - - - - - - - - - N 10000.000, E 10000.000

The tangent distance is along the parallel curve and must be adjusted to get the corresponding
centerline distance — this can be easily done using the radius of curvature at this point:
s = 4607.251 ∏ $ 0.645 ∏ = 0.637 ∏
4607.251 ∏ + 60 ∏
The new spiral approximation is then 310.9' - 0.637' = 310.263', 8 and the process is repeated:

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 310.263
Station Delta = 1-55-30.9
Radius-of-Curvature = 4616.711
Station Spiral X = 310.263 * 0.9998870953 = 310.228
Station Spiral Y = 310.263 * 0.0111998204 = 3.475
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 310.263^2 * 0.0027992777 = 269.467

7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 PST

TRA NW 42.0452 310.228 Spiral X
14 - - - - - - - - - N 9973.415, E 9429.717
TRA SW 47.5508 3.475 Spiral Y
15 - - - - - - - - - N 9971.086, E 9427.138 Point on Spiral
TRA NE 45.5937 60.000 Normal to Spiral
16 - - - - - - - - - N 10012.770, E 9470.293 Point on E. curve
B-B NW 44.0023 0.001 Tangent Dist.
12 - - - - - - - - - N 10012.771, E 9470.292 Intersection E. Curve/Sec. Ln.
B-B SE 88.3708 529.861
1 - - - - - - - - - N 10000.000, E 10000.000

5 - - - - - - - - - N 9783.375, E 9682.158
INV NW 42.4330 312.265 Chord
12 - - - - - - - - - N 10012.771, E 9470.292

The new tangent distance is insignificant, so no further calculation is required. The arc length of
the parallel curve, by formula (7b), is:
L = 310.263' + 60' • rad(1°55'31") = 310.263' + 2.016' = 312.279'
Note that this result is slightly greater than the chord length, as it should be. The area of the
triangular tract can now be calculated:

1 - - - - - - - - - N 10000.000, E 10000.000 NE Corner Sec. 8

INV SE 0.4106 576.292
6 - - - - - - - - - N 9423.749, E 10006.890 Intersection E.ROWLn/Sec. Ln.
INV NW 42.0452 484.543
5 - - - - - - - - - N 9783.375, E 9682.158 PST East Para. Curve
INV SW 47.5508 60.000

8
Though it would seem that this adjustment should be added to the initial arc length, for reasons
unclear to the author this results in a rapidly diverging situation, whereas subtracting it immedi-
ately leads to the solution.
9
 7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 Centerline PST
INV NW 42.0452 310.228 Spiral X
14 - - - - - - - - - N 9973.415, E 9429.717
INV SW 47.5508 3.475 Spiral Y
15 - - - - - - - - - N 9971.086, E 9427.138 Point on Spiral
INV NE 45.5933 60.000
12 - - - - - - - - - N 10012.771, E 9470.292 Intersection Curve/N.Sec.Ln.
INV SE 88.3708 529.861
1 - - - - - - - - - N 10000.000, E 10000.000 NE Corner Sec. 8
AREA = 169861.5 S.F., 3.899 ACRES

This area must be adjusted by adding the spiral area, 269.467 s.f. (see preceeding spiral calcula-
tion), and by subtracting the sector area, calculated using formula (8b):
AS = 60' • (310.263' + 30' • rad(1°55'31")) = 60' • 311.271' = 18676.3 s.f.
so the final (and exact) tract area is then:
A = 169861.5 + 269.5 - 18676.3 = 151454.7 s.f. = 3.477 acres
We may gain confidence in this result by using a method dating back at least as far as Archime-
des, viz., calculating bounding areas for a curve using chords and tangents. The area should be
greater than the area generated by the intersection of the tangents to the curve:

1 - - - - - - - - - N 10000.000, E 10000.000
INV SE 0.4106 576.292
6 - - - - - - - - - N 9423.749, E 10006.890
INV NW 42.0452 484.543
5 - - - - - - - - - N 9783.375, E 9682.158
B-B NW 42.0452 207.860
16 - - - - - - - - - N 9937.648, E 9542.854
B-B NW 44.0023 104.444
12 - - - - - - - - - N 10012.771, E 9470.292
INV SE 88.3708 529.861
1 - - - - - - - - - N 10000.000, E 10000.000
AREA = 151363.4 S.F., 3.475 ACRES

and the area should be less than that obtained using the chord:

1 - - - - - - - - - N 10000.000, E 10000.000
INV SE
0.4106 576.292
6 - - - - - - - - - N 9423.749, E 10006.890
INV NW 42.0452 484.543
5 - - - - - - - - - N 9783.375, E 9682.158
INV NW 42.4330 312.265
12 - - - - - - - - - N 10012.771, E 9470.292
INV SE 88.3708 529.861
1 - - - - - - - - - N 10000.000, E 10000.000
AREA = 151728.1 S.F., 3.483 ACRES

Note, in passing, that the eastern parallel arc length, 312.279', is less than the sum of the two
tangents, 207.860' + 104.444' = 312.304'.
Repeat this process to calculate the intersection of the West parallel curve with the
Section Line. Dropping a line from the graphic intersection perpendicular to the centerline spiral
curve, we obtain an initial estimated centerline arc length of 435.9'.

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 435.9
Station Delta = 3-48-00.6
Radius-of-Curvature = 3286.062

10
Station Spiral X = 435.900 * 0.9995601812 = 435.708
Station Spiral Y = 435.900 * 0.0221015830 = 9.634
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 435.900^2 * 0.0055201881 = 1048.884

7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 PST

TRA NW 42.0452 435.708 Spiral X
16 - - - - - - - - - N 10066.546, E 9345.622
TRA SW 47.5508 9.634 Spiral Y
17 - - - - - - - - - N 10060.089, E 9338.472
TRA SW 44.0707 60.000 Spiral normal
18 - - - - - - - - - N 10017.015, E 9296.703 Point on parallel curve
B-B NW 45.5253 0.087 Tangent intersect distance
13 - - - - - - - - - N 10017.076, E 9296.641
B-B SE 88.3708 87.656
11 - - - - - - - - - N 10014.845, E 9384.268

Adjusting this distance to the centerline, using the radius of curvature as before:
s = 3286.062 ∏ $ 0.087 ∏ = 0.089 ∏
3286.062 ∏ − 60 ∏
so the new approximate spiral arc length becomes 435.9' - 0.089' = 435.811', 9 and repeating the
calculation:

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 435.811
Station Delta = 3-47-55.0
Radius-of-Curvature = 3286.733
Station Spiral X = 435.811 * 0.9995605403 = 435.619
Station Spiral Y = 435.811 * 0.0220925644 = 9.628
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 435.811^2 * 0.0055179399 = 1048.029

7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 PST

TRA NW 42.0452 435.619 Spiral X
16 - - - - - - - - - N 10066.480, E 9345.682
TRA SW 47.5508 9.628 Spiral Y
17 - - - - - - - - - N 10060.027, E 9338.536 Point on Spiral
TRA SW 44.0713 60.000 Spiral normal
18 - - - - - - - - - N 10016.954, E 9296.766 Point on parallel curve
B-B NW 45.5247 0.000
13 - - - - - - - - - N 10016.955, E 9296.766 Intersection N. Sec. Ln.
B-B SE 88.3708 87.528
11 - - - - - - - - - N 10014.845, E 9384.268

9 - - - - - - - - - N 9702.954, E 9593.094
INV NW 43.2029 431.749 Chord
13 - - - - - - - - - N 10016.955, E 9296.766

The arc length of the West parallel curve is calculated using formula (7b):
L = 435.811' - 60' • rad(3°47'55") = 435.811' - 3.978' = 431.833'
which again is slightly greater than the chord.
The sole remaining task is to compute the area of the right-of-way bounded by the paral-
lel curves. We perform the following COGO calculation:

14 - - - - - - - - - N 9973.415, E 9429.717 East curve X Pt.

INV SW 47.5457 3.475
15 - - - - - - - - - N 9971.086, E 9427.138 East Pt. on Spiral
INV NE 45.5931 59.999 Spiral normal
12 - - - - - - - - - N 10012.771, E 9470.292 E. curve/Sec. Ln. Intersection
INV NW 88.3708 173.577 Dist. along Sec. Ln.
9
See Footnote 8, pg. 9.
11
 13 - - - - - - - - - N 10016.955, E 9296.766 W. curve/Sec. Ln. Intersection
INV NE 44.0714 60.000 Spiral normal
17 - - - - - - - - - N 10060.027, E 9338.536 West Pt. on Spiral
INV NE 47.5502 9.628
16 - - - - - - - - - N 10066.480, E 9345.682 West curve X Pt.
INV SE 42.0452 125.391
14 - - - - - - - - - N 9973.415, E 9429.717 East curve X Pt.
AREA = 880.2 S.F., 0.020 ACRES

This calculation requires some explaination. The boundaries traversed are shown in Figure 4a
with the areas shaded, but the calculated area is not the sum of the indicated regions. As any
surveyor should be aware, the sign of a calculated area depends on the direction traversed (i.e.,
clockwise or counter-clockwise), and this is true even when, as in this case, the courses intersect
each other. Thus the calculated area of 880.2 s.f. is the sum of the northern most region and the
small triangle at the bottom, less the area of the eastern triangle. 10 These signs are shown in
Figure 4a. The area between the spiral tangent and the spiral, shown in Figure 4b, is the differ-

Figure 4a Figure 4b Figure 4c

Traverse Area Spiral Area Adjusted Area
ence between the two spiral areas, or 1048.029 - 269.467 = 778.562 s.f. . Subtracting this from
the traverse area gives the adjusted area, 880.2 - 778.6 = 101.6 s.f., shown in Figure 4c, which is
the area bounded by the spiral, its normals, and the section line, with the signs as in 4a. Calcu-
lating the sector area of the West parallel curve using formula (8b):
AS = 60' • (435.811' - 30' • rad(3°47'55")) = 26029.323 s.f.
The area enclosed by the parallel curves is then the sum of the two sector areas less the adjusted
area of Figure 4c, or:
A = 26029.3 + 18676.3 - 101.6 = 44604.0 s.f. = 1.024 Ac.
This result can be confirmed by calculating the bounding areas. The area should be greater than
that formed by the western tangents and the eastern chord:

5 - - - - - - - - - N 9783.375, E 9682.158
INV SW
47.5508 120.000
9 - - - - - - - - - N 9702.954, E 9593.094
B-B NW 42.0455 288.683
19 - - - - - - - - - N 9917.210, E 9399.621

10
This was quickly confirmed in VCadd by graphically measuring the individual areas, resulting
in 2445.6 s.f. for the northern region, 1565.7 s.f. for the eastern triangle, and 0.2 s.f. for the small
southern triangle, for a total of 2445.6 - 1565.7 + 0.2 = 880.1 s.f., in remarkable agreement with
the calculated result.
12
B-B NW 45.5247 143.276
13 - - - - - - - - - N 10016.955, E 9296.766
INV SE 88.3708 173.577
12 - - - - - - - - - N 10012.771, E 9470.292
INV SE 42.4330 312.265
5 - - - - - - - - - N 9783.375, E 9682.158
AREA = 43988.8 S.F., 1.010 ACRES

and it should be less than that formed by the western chord and the eastern tangents:

5 - - - - - - - - - N 9783.375, E 9682.158
INV SW 47.5508 120.000
9 - - - - - - - - - N 9702.954, E 9593.094
INV NW 43.2029 431.749
13 - - - - - - - - - N 10016.955, E 9296.766
INV SE 88.3708 173.577
12 - - - - - - - - - N 10012.771, E 9470.292
B-B SE 44.0023 104.456
19 - - - - - - - - - N 9937.640, E 9542.861
B-B SE 42.0452 207.849
5 - - - - - - - - - N 9783.375, E 9682.158
AREA = 45723.3 S.F., 1.050 ACRES

Note, in passing, that the western curve arc length, 431.833', is less than the sum of the tangents
288.683' + 143.276' = 431.959'. The area of the straight portion of the R.O.W. must be added to
this spiral area to obtain the total R.O.W. area. The final, fully calculated tract and right-of-way
are shown in Figure 5 on the next page.
Conclusion
This treatise has derived all relevant formulas for the exact calculation of spiral right-of-
way and parallel curves, including arc length and exact area, and illustrated efficient methods for
calculating their intersection with lines or other curves. (It should be clear that the method used
in the example is equally applicable to intersection with circular curves, and that it rapidly
converges to the correct solution.) The author believes the area calculations and methods of
intersection are original (since he has never seen them applied anywhere else and has known
several engineers and surveyors who have faced these types of problems but did not know of any
solution, nor even the possibility of exact solution). Though the derivations are mathematically
rigorous, the bounding calculations shown in the example should convince most that the formu-
las are indeed correct. (Those who doubt may repeat the bounding calculations using the 50 foot
stations given in Endnote 2 — the author is certain the results will still bracket the exact areas
calculated here.)

13
Figure 5 - Final Boundaries

14
 Endnote 1 - Area Coefficient Calculations

PERL Program: Spiral_Area_Coefficients

#! /usr/bin/perl5.8.8

# Calculate spiral curve area constants

$a = 1;
for ($i = 0; 3*$a >= 1e-12; $i++) {
$a = 0;
for ($j = 0; $j <= $i; $j++) {
$a += 1/((4*$i-4*$j+3)*factorial(2*$i-2*$j+1)*factorial(2*$j));
}
$b = $a/(4*($i+1));
print "a($i) = $a b($i) = $b\n";
}

# Factorial subroutine
sub factorial {
my $n = shift;
my $fctrl = 1;
if ($n > 0) {
for ($m = 2; $m <= $n; $m++) {
$fctrl *= $m;
}
}
return $fctrl;
}

# Output Results (08/10/07)

#[jdwatson@localhost ~]$ Desktop/spiral_area_coefficients
# a(0) = 0.333333333333333
# a(1) = 0.19047619047619
# a(2) = 0.0265512265512265
# a(3) = 0.00184704184704185
# a(4) = 7.96604305376235e-05
# a(5) = 2.35931513400548e-06
# a(6) = 5.10116164254193e-08
# a(7) = 8.40186251683065e-10
# a(8) = 1.08859983876811e-11
# a(9) = 1.13806961255596e-13
b(0) = 0.0833333333333333
b(1) = 0.0238095238095238
b(2) = 0.00221260221260221
b(3) = 0.000115440115440115
b(4) = 3.98302152688118e-06
b(5) = 9.83047972502285e-08
b(6) = 1.82184344376498e-09
b(7) = 2.62558203650958e-11
b(8) = 3.02388844102253e-13
b(9) = 2.84517403138991e-15

As mentioned in the text (see Footnote 1), a0 - a4 and b0 - b4 were calculated by hand, verifying
the results of the PERL program shown above.

15
 Endnote 2 - Example Spiral and Parallel Curve Calculations
Points on the example spiral and its parallel curves were calculated on 50 foot stations for
accurate plotting in VCadd, but these same calculations would also be necessary for the actual
field layout of such curves, hence the procedures are shown here in detail. As in the example,
the spiral elements were calculated using a custom PERL script and these results were then used
in a COGO program 11 to determine the coordinates of the various points.
JDWatson's PERL R.O.W. Spiral Calculator -- Version 1.2 (8/17/07)

Enter the Total Spiral Arc Length: 500

Enter the Total Spiral Delta ddd-mm-ss.s: 5-0-0
Radius-of-Curvature at PSC = 2864.789

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 50
Station Delta = 0-03-00.0
Radius-of-Curvature = 28647.890
Station Spiral X = 50.000 * 0.9999999238 = 50.000
Station Spiral Y = 50.000 * 0.0002908882 = 0.015
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 50.000^2 * 0.0000727220 = 0.182
7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 Centerline PST
TRA NW 42.0452 50.000
20 - - - - - - - - - N 9780.274, E 9604.117
TRA SW 47.5508 0.015
21 - - - - - - - - - N 9780.264, E 9604.106 Spiral Sta. 0+50
SID NE 47.5208 60.000
22 - - - - - - - - - N 9820.514, E 9648.602 E. ROW Curve Sta. 0+50
SID SW 47.5208 60.000
23 - - - - - - - - - N 9740.015, E 9559.609 W. ROW Curve Sta. 0+50

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 100
Station Delta = 0-12-00.0
Radius-of-Curvature = 14323.945
Station Spiral X = 100.000 * 0.9999987815 = 100.000
Station Spiral Y = 100.000 * 0.0011635518 = 0.116
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 100.000^2 * 0.0002908872 = 2.909
7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 Centerline PST
TRA NW 42.0452 100.000
20 - - - - - - - - - N 9817.384, E 9570.608
TRA SW 47.5508 0.116
24 - - - - - - - - - N 9817.306, E 9570.522 Spiral Sta. 1+00
SID NE 47.4308 60.000
25 - - - - - - - - - N 9857.673, E 9614.913 E. ROW Curve Sta. 1+00
SID SW 47.4308 60.000
26 - - - - - - - - - N 9776.940, E 9526.130 W. ROW Curve Sta. 1+00

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 150
Station Delta = 0-27-00.0
Radius-of-Curvature = 9549.297
Station Spiral X = 150.000 * 0.9999938315 = 149.999
Station Spiral Y = 150.000 * 0.0026179823 = 0.393
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 150.000^2 * 0.0006544869 = 14.726
7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 Centerline PST
TRA NW 42.0452 149.999
20 - - - - - - - - - N 9854.493, E 9537.099
TRA SW 47.5508 0.393
27 - - - - - - - - - N 9854.230, E 9536.808 Spiral Sta. 1+50
SID NE 47.2808 60.000
28 - - - - - - - - - N 9894.789, E 9581.022 E. ROW Curve Sta. 1+50
SID SW 47.2808 60.000
29 - - - - - - - - - N 9813.671, E 9492.593 W. ROW Curve Sta. 1+50

11
The codes on the left side of the COGO output, TRA and SID, represent traversing and side
shots respectively.
16
Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 200
Station Delta = 0-48-00.0
Radius-of-Curvature = 7161.972
Station Spiral X = 200.000 * 0.9999805047 = 199.996
Station Spiral Y = 200.000 * 0.0046541465 = 0.931
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 200.000^2 * 0.0011634880 = 46.540
7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 Centerline PST
TRA NW 42.0452 199.996
20 - - - - - - - - - N 9891.601, E 9503.592
TRA SW 47.5508 0.931
30 - - - - - - - - - N 9890.977, E 9502.901 Spiral Sta. 2+00
SID NE 47.0708 60.000
31 - - - - - - - - - N 9931.806, E 9546.867 E. ROW Curve Sta. 2+00
SID SW 47.0708 60.000
32 - - - - - - - - - N 9850.148, E 9458.935 W. ROW Curve Sta. 2+00

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 250
Station Delta = 1-15-00.0
Radius-of-Curvature = 5729.578
Station Spiral X = 250.000 * 0.9999524046 = 249.988
Station Spiral Y = 250.000 * 0.0072719580 = 1.818
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 250.000^2 * 0.0018178041 = 113.613
7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 Centerline PST
TRA NW 42.0452 249.988
20 - - - - - - - - - N 9928.705, E 9470.088
TRA SW 47.5508 1.818
33 - - - - - - - - - N 9927.486, E 9468.739 Spiral Sta. 2+50
SID NE 46.4008 60.000
34 - - - - - - - - - N 9968.659, E 9512.383 E. ROW Curve Sta. 2+50
SID SW 46.4008 60.000
35 - - - - - - - - - N 9886.314, E 9425.095 W. ROW Curve Sta. 2+50

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 300
Station Delta = 1-48-00.0
Radius-of-Curvature = 4774.648
Station Spiral X = 300.000 * 0.9999013085 = 299.970
Station Spiral Y = 300.000 * 0.0104712373 = 3.141
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 300.000^2 * 0.0026172557 = 235.553
7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 Centerline PST
TRA NW 42.0452 299.970
20 - - - - - - - - - N 9965.801, E 9436.591
TRA SW 47.5508 3.141
36 - - - - - - - - - N 9963.696, E 9434.260 Spiral Sta. 3+00
SID NE 46.0708 60.000
37 - - - - - - - - - N 10005.286, E 9477.507 E. ROW Curve Sta. 3+00
SID SW 46.0708 60.000
38 - - - - - - - - - N 9922.106, E 9391.013 W. ROW Curve Sta. 3+00

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 350
Station Delta = 2-27-00.0
Radius-of-Curvature = 4092.556
Station Spiral X = 350.000 * 0.9998171689 = 349.936
Station Spiral Y = 350.000 * 0.0142516608 = 4.988
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 350.000^2 * 0.0035615193 = 436.286
7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 Centerline PST
TRA NW 42.0452 349.936
20 - - - - - - - - - N 10002.886, E 9403.105
TRA SW 47.5508 4.988
39 - - - - - - - - - N 9999.543, E 9399.403 Spiral Sta. 3+50
SID NE 45.2808 60.000
40 - - - - - - - - - N 10041.621, E 9442.175 E. ROW Curve Sta. 3+50
SID SW 45.2808 60.000
41 - - - - - - - - - N 9957.465, E 9356.631 W. ROW Curve Sta. 3+50

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 400
Station Delta = 3-12-00.0

17
Radius-of-Curvature = 3580.986
Station Spiral X = 400.000 * 0.9996881168 = 399.875
Station Spiral Y = 400.000 * 0.0186126978 = 7.445
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 400.000^2 * 0.0046500646 = 744.010
7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 Centerline PST
TRA NW 42.0452 399.875
20 - - - - - - - - - N 10039.950, E 9369.637
TRA SW 47.5508 7.445
42 - - - - - - - - - N 10034.961, E 9364.111 Spiral Sta. 4+00
SID NE 44.4308 60.000
43 - - - - - - - - - N 10077.595, E 9406.329 E. ROW Curve Sta. 4+00
SID SW 44.4308 60.000
44 - - - - - - - - - N 9992.327, E 9321.893 W. ROW Curve Sta. 4+00

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 450
Station Delta = 4-03-00.0
Radius-of-Curvature = 3183.099
Station Spiral X = 450.000 * 0.9995004668 = 449.775
Station Spiral Y = 450.000 * 0.0235535372 = 10.599
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 450.000^2 * 0.0058820811 = 1191.121
7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 Centerline PST
TRA NW 42.0452 449.775
20 - - - - - - - - - N 10076.986, E 9336.195
TRA SW 47.5508 10.599
45 - - - - - - - - - N 10069.883, E 9328.328 Spiral Sta. 4+50
SID NE 43.5208 60.000
46 - - - - - - - - - N 10113.139, E 9369.909 E. ROW Curve Sta. 4+50
SID SW 43.5208 60.000
47 - - - - - - - - - N 10026.627, E 9286.748 W. ROW Curve Sta. 4+50

Enter Intermediate Station Arc Length ('n' for new spiral, 'q' to quit): 500
Station Delta = 5-00-00.0
Radius-of-Curvature = 2864.789
Station Spiral X = 500.000 * 0.9992387249 = 499.619
Station Spiral Y = 500.000 * 0.0290730016 = 14.537
Area bounded by Spiral-X-Y = 500.000^2 * 0.0072563933 = 1814.098
7 - - - - - - - - - N 9743.165, E 9637.626 Centerline PST
TRA NW 42.0452 499.619
20 - - - - - - - - - N 10113.980, E 9302.790
TRA SW 47.5508 14.537
48 - - - - - - - - - N 10104.238, E 9292.001 Spiral Sta. 5+00
SID NE 42.5508 60.000
49 - - - - - - - - - N 10148.177, E 9332.859 E. ROW Curve Sta. 5+00
SID SW 42.5508 60.000
50 - - - - - - - - - N 10060.299, E 9251.143 W. ROW Curve Sta. 5+00

18