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Highway:
A main road or thoroughfare, such as a street, boulevard, or parkway, available to the
public for use for travel or transportation.
It is the main source of transportation of people or goods from one place to another. By
construction of highway access fromone place to another has become very easy even movement
of people from one corner of the country to another is a matter of few hours only. Goods can be
transported from industries to various parts of the country using the highways. A good network of
roads is very mandatory for the economic progress of the country .Highly developed countries
have excellent road networks along with other features while those countries who have not good
road networks and road qualities faces a lot of problems in terms of transportation.

URBAN HIGHWAY PLANNING STAGES:

PLANING

PROJECT
DEVELOPMENT

FINAL DESIGHN

RIGHT OF WAY

CONSTRUCTION

Although the names may vary by State, the five basic stages in the highway
development process are: planning, project development (preliminary design), final design,
rightofway, and construction. After construction is completed, ongoing operation and
maintenance activities continue throughout the life of the facility. Although these activities are

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distinct, there is considerable overlap between all phases of highway planning and
development.

Planning:
Planning (also called forethought) is the process of thinking about and organizing
the activities required to achieve a desired goal.

Factors To Consider During Planning:

It is important to look ahead during the planning stage and consider the potential
impact that a proposed facility or improvement may have while the project is still in the
conceptual phase. During planning, key decisions are made that will affect and limit the design
options in subsequent phases. Some questions to be asked at the planning stage include:

 How will the proposed transportation improvement affect the general physical character of
the area surrounding the project?
 Does the area to be affected have unique historic or scenic characteristics?
 What are the safety, capacity, and cost concerns of the community?
Answers for such questions are found in planninglevel analysis, as well as in public
involvement during planning.

Safety

Capacity
Physical
Character

Cost THE DESIGN

Other
CHALLENGE

Environmental Multimodal
Quality Considerat
ion

Historic and
Scenic
Characteristics

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PROJECT DEVELOPMENT:
After a project has been planned and programmed for implementation, it
moves into the project development phase. At this stage, the environmental analysis intensifies.
The level of environmental review varies widely, depending on the scale and impact of the
project. It can range from a multiyear effort to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (a
comprehensive document that analyzes the potential impact of proposed alternatives) to a
modest environmental review completed in a matter of weeks. Regardless of the level of detail
or duration, the product of the project development process generally includes a description of
the location and major design features of the recommended project that is to be further designed
and constructed, while continually trying to avoid, minimize, and mitigate environmental
impact.

The basic steps in this stage include the following:

 Refinement of purpose and need

 Development of a range of alternatives (including the "nobuild" and traffic management
system [TMS] options)
 Evaluation of alternatives and their impact on the natural and built environments
 Development of appropriate mitigation

Scoping:
Just as in planning, there are many decisions made during the scoping phase
of project development, regardless of the level of detail being studied. Therefore, it is important
that the various stakeholders in the project be identified and provided with the opportunity to
get involved . Agency staff can identify stakeholders by asking individuals or groups who are
known to be interested or affected to identify others and then repeat the process with the newly
identified stakeholders. A good community impact assessment will also help identify
stakeholders and avoid overlooking inconspicuous groups. The general public should not be
omitted, although a different approach is usually needed with the general public than with those
who are more intensely interested. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has recently
published a guide entitled, Community Impact Assessment: A Quick Reference for
Transportation, that describes this community impact assessment process.

Assessing the Character of an Area:

In order for a designer to be sensitive to the project's surrounding environment,
he or she must consider its context and physical location carefully during this stage of project
planning. This is true whether a house, a road, a bridge, or something as small as a bus
passenger waiting shelter is to be built. A data collection effort may be needed that involves
site visits and contacts with residents and other stakeholders in the area. A benefit of the
designer gathering information about the physical character of the area and the values of the
community is that the information will help the designer shape how the project will look and
identify any physical constraints or opportunities early in the process.

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FINAL DESIGN:
After a preferred alternative has been selected and the project description
agreed upon as stated in the environmental document, a project can move into the final design
stage. The product of this stage is a complete set of plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&Es)
of required quantities of materials ready for the solicitation of construction bids and subsequent
construction. Depending on the scale and complexity of the project, the final design process
may take from a few months to several years.

The following paragraphs discuss some important considerations of design, including:

 Developing a concept
 Considering scale and
 Detailing the design.
 Developing a Concept:
A design concept gives the project a focus and helps to move it toward a
specific direction. There are many elements in a highway, and each involves a number of
separate but interrelated design decisions. Integrating all these elements to achieve a
common goal or concept helps the designer in making design decisions.

Some of the many elements of highway design are illustrated,

a. Number and width of travel lanes, median type and width, and shoulders
b. Traffic barriers
c. Overpasses/bridges
d. Horizontaland vertical alignment, and affiliated landscape.

 Considering Scale:
People driving in a car see the world at a much different scale than people
walking on the street. This large discrepancy in the design scale for a car versus the design
scale for people has changed the overall planning of our communities. For example, it has
become common in many suburban commercial areas that a shopper must get in the car
and drive from one store to the next. Except in the case of strip malls, stores are often
separated by large parking lots and usually have no safe walkways for pedestrians. This
makes it difficult to get around any other way but by car. This type of design scale is in
sharp contrast to preautomobile commercial areas that commonly took the form of "main
streets," where walking from one store to the next ,was the norm.

Detailing the Design:

Particularly during the final design phase, it is the details associated with the
project that are important. Employing a multidisciplinary design team ensures that important
design details are considered and that they are compatible with community values. Often it is
the details of the project that are most recognizable to the public. A special type of tree that
was used as part of the landscape plan, antique lighting, brick sidewalks, and ornamental traffic

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barriers are all elements of a roadway that are easily recognizable and leave an impression.
Because of their visibility, the treatment of details is a critical element in good design.

RIGHTOFWAY, CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE:

Once the final designs have been prepared and needed rightofway is purchased,
construction bid packages are made available, a contractor is selected, and construction is
initiated. During the rightofway acquisition and construction stages, minor adjustments in the
design may be necessary; therefore, there should be continuous involvement of the design team
throughout these stages. Construction may be simple or complex and may require a few months
to several years. Once construction has been completed, the facility is ready to begin its normal
sequence of operations and maintenance.

Even after the completion of construction, the character of a road can be

changed by inappropriate maintenance actions. For example, the replacement of sections of
guardrail damaged or destroyed in crashes commonly utilizes whatever spare guardrail
sections may be available to the local highway maintenance personnel at the time. The
maintenance personnel may not be aware of the use of a special guardrail design to define the
"character" of the highway. When special design treatments are used, ongoing operation and
maintenance procedures acknowledging these unusual needs should be developed. For
example, the Oregon DOT has developed a special set of maintenance procedures for its
scenic and historic highways

ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL PROCESS:

Stage Description of Activity

Planning State DOTs, MPOs, and local goverments identify transportation needs
and program project to be built within financial constraints.

Project The transportation project is more clearly defined. Alternative locations

Development and design features are developed and an alternative is selected.

Design The design team develops detailed PS&Es.

Right-of-Way Additional land needed for the project is purchased.

Construction The State or local government selects the contractor, who then builds the
project.

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Highway Planning Chart:

Professional Public
Input Input

 Citizen
Groups
 Engineers
 Public
 Landscape
Meeting
Architects
Scoping Participants
 Urban
 Bicycle $
Planners
other
 Archaeolog
Planning interest
ists
groups
 Historians
 Historical
 Environme
Project Association
ntal
Development  Public
Specialists
Officials

Design

Right of Way

Bidding

Construction

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