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NEW AGE
HIGHWAY
ENGINEERING
A M CHANDRA
HIGHWAY
ENGINEERING
HIGHWAY
ENGINEERING
A M CHANDRA
Professor of Civil Engineering
Arba Minch University, Ethiopia
Formerly Professor of Civil Engineering
Geomatics Engineering Section
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India
This ebook has been given to EBSCO for hosting on non-exclusive basis.
ISBN: 978-81-224-5832-9
PUBLISHING GLOBALLY
NEW AGE INTERNATIONAL (P) LIMITED, PUBLISHERS
7/30A, Daryaganj, New Delhi - 110002
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Preface
This text is an attempt to present various aspects of Highways Engineering in a most lucid manner.
It covers the syllabi of highway engineering prescribed by most of the Indian universities for the
undergraduate courses. The students as well as the practicing engineers engaged in the construction of
highways in the country would find the text useful to acquire knowledge required in the field of highway
engineering.
The whole subject matter has been presented in nineteen chapters. Chapter 1 presents the
Introduction of the subject. Chapter 2 deals with the Highway Planning. Planning of a given task or
project is the most important step which has to be done first to execute a work successfully. After
finalizing the terminal points for a highway to be provided, the best alignment considering all technical,
economic, and social aspects is chosen out of different possible alignments. This part has been covered in
Chapter 3. Before constructing a highway, it is essential to design all the elements of highway from
engineering point of view for safe, comfortable, and economical journey. This requires the knowledge
of highway pavements design discussed in Chapter 4. The traffic engineering aspects are given in
Chapter 5. Chapter 6 deals with the highway materials and testing, the knowledge of which is essential
for the construction of a durable road. Various types of roads used in different conditions are low-cost
roads, bituminous roads, cement concrete roads, hill roads, and other types of pavements are covered
in Chapters 7 to 12. The highway drainage, discussed in Chapter 13, is an important factor of all
types of roads to keep them in good condition and durable. The road side amenities are basically to
provide a pleasant, comfortable, and safe journey to the road users and it is covered in Chapter 14.
Some of the other related matters to the highway construction, such as construction equipment and
plants, maintenance works for highways, economics and finances involved and estimates are presented
in Chapters 15 to 18. This text introduces for the first time the Chapter-19 on the Intelligent Transport
System (ITS) which is an essential requirementfor making smart cities in our country.
Each chapter contains selected questions at the end of the chapter and also the solutions of some of
the illustrative problems have been presented wherever required,at the end of the chapter,to introduce
the students and designers to the actual field problems.
Throughout the text various standards and recommendations of the different organizations of
Central Government of the country for the planning and design of different types of roads have been
followed. The author gratefully acknowledges the authors of technical publications in various journals
v
vi Highway Engineering
and other publications for their liberal use in preparing this text in the interest of the subject matter and
feels that the text would serve the purpose of a standard text book. The author also expresses his thanks
to Dr Raju Ramesh Reddy, Professor, Arba Minch University, for providing some input on Intelligent
Transport System.
This text being the first edition, some errors might have been left unnoticed and the author would
sincerely welcome the constructive suggestions in improving the text in its subsequent editions.
Arba Minch, Ethiopia
Acknowledgement
The author expresses his deep sense of gratitude to Dr Alemayehu Chufamo, Scientific Director,
Institute of Technology, Arba Minch University, Ethiopia, for his inspiration and for providing all
necessary help in completing this text without which it would have not been possible to bring out this
text in the present form. The author is extremely grateful to him.
A. M. Chandra
Contents
Preface v
Acknowledgement vi
1. Highway Engineering 1–6
1.0 Introduction 1
1.1 Modes of Transportation 1
1.2 Branches of Transportation Engineering 2
1.3 Characteristics of Road Transport 3
1.4 Advantages of Roads 3
1.5 Requirements of an Ideal Road 3
1.6 History of Road Construction 4
2. Highway Planning 7–17
2.0 Introduction 7
2.1 Planning Requirements 7
2.2 Classification of Roads 13
2.3 Road Patterns 14
3. Highway Surveys and Alignment 18–31
3.0 Introduction 18
3.1 Alignment Controlling Factors 18
3.2 Steps for Final Alignment 21
3.3 Requirement of Surveying Instruments 28
3.4 Highway Re-alignment 29
4. Highway Geometric Design 32–134
4.0 Introduction 32
4.1 Factors Governing the Geometrical Design Standards 33
4.2 Elements of Highway Geometrics 34
4.3 Road Structure 34
4.4 Pavement Structure Characteristics 36
4.5 Width of Pavement 37
4.6 Traffic Separators or Medians 39
4.7 Kerbs 39
4.8 Road Margins 40
4.9 Formation or Roadway Width 41
vii
viii Highway Engineering
4.10 Right-of-Way 41
4.11 Camber 45
4.12 Design Speed 47
4.13 Stopping Sight Distance (SSD) 49
4.14 Crossing Sight Distance (CSD) 53
4.15 Overtaking Sight Distance (OSD) 53
4.16 Overtaking Zones 57
4.17 Sight Distance at Intersections 57
4.18 Road Gradient 58
4.19 Grade Compensation on Horizontal Curves 60
4.20 Superelevation 60
4.21 Horizontal Curves 67
4.22 Transition Curve 77
4.23 Vertical Curves 84
4.24 Road Intersections (Junctions) 93
5. Traffic Engineering 135–185
5.0 Introduction 135
5.1 Definition of Traffic Engineering 135
5.2 Objects of Traffic Engineering 135
5.3 Traffic Characteristics 136
5.4 Road User Characteristics 136
5.5 Vehicular Characteristics 137
5.6 Traffic Survey 140
5.7 Passenger Car Unit (PCU) 149
5.8 Road Accidents 152
5.9 Measures to Prevent Road Accidents 157
5.10 Parking 158
5.11 Highway Lighting 161
5.12 Road Intersections and their Design 166
5.13 Traffic Operations 166
5.14 Traffic and Transportation Planning 172
Illustrative Examples 173
Questions 182
6. Highway Pavements Design 186–226
6.0 Introduction 186
6.1 Types of Pavement 187
6.2 Highways in India 188
6.3 Road Structure 188
Contents ix
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The key factor to development of any modern society is communication. The communication may
be of information, commodity, or human being. The communication of information keeps the society
activities going in a particular region for planning and management. Transportation of commodities
produced is needed at production, distribution and consumption stages. Transportation of human being
is required for the exchange of ideas in decision making and for personal reasons. Also to maintain the
law and order in a certain region, transportation of police force is required. To defend the territory of
a country against the aggression and to guard the borders with foreign territories, the defence forces
require an efficient transport system.
Inadequate transportation facilities retard the process of socio-economic development of the country.
Adequate transportation system indicates directly the level of social and economic development of the
country. Therefore, for the rapid overall growth and development of a country, it is essential to have an
efficient and latest modern transportation system.
transport. It provides maximum flexibility in terms of travel with reference to route, direction, time, and
speed of travel, etc., through various modes of road vehicles. Door to door service is only possible
by road transport. It also provides a feeder system for other modes of transportation and not only to
supplement them but also to provide independent facility for road travel by a well-planned network of
roads throughout the country.
1.1.2 Railways
Railways were primarily developed for long distance transportation and urban travel. Later its expansion
was done to feed the rural population too. The transportation along the railway lines by railways
between the stations is economical for both the passengers and goods, particularly for long distances.
The railway tracks serve as arteries for transportation by land and roads, they also serve as feeder system
for transportation to the interior parts and to intermediate localities between the railway stations. The
energy requirement to haul unit load through unit distance by railway is only a fraction of that required
by road, and therefore, it is advantageous to transport bulk goods by the available railway facilities.
1.1.3 Waterways
Waterways include oceans, rivers, canals, and lakes for the movement of ships and boats. Transportation
by water is the slowest among all modes of transportation; but this mode needs minimum energy to haul
unit load through unit distance, and therefore, it is the cheapest among all the modes of transportation of
huge quantity of goods. This mode of transportation is only possible between the ports on the sea routes
or along the rivers and canals where inland transportation facilities are available.
1.1.4 Airways
The transportation by air is one of the fastest and most expensive modes of transportation. It is a best
mode of transportation of perishable goods which need least time in transportation from one place to
another. It also provides comfort to the passengers apart from saving transportation time between the
airports.
Airport Engineering. The Dock and Harbor Engineering includes the development of terminal facilities
for ships and boats, their harboring, and repairs, etc. The design and laying of railway tracks and yards,
and their maintenance, and safety and control of train movements are covered under the Railway
Engineering. The planning, design, construction and maintenance of roads and roadway facilities to
cater to the needs of road traffic are dealt in Highway or Road Engineering.
8 cm thick
layer of broken
stones
Kerb stone
stores
17 cm thick layer of large
foundation stones
2.70 m
major roads. Most of the other roads used to be simply kucha roads. Most of the required amenities for
roads in towns were usually provided. Methods of compaction and technique of providing drainage in
Highway Engineering 5
the form of camber and side drains were not known until the development of Tresaguet construction of
roads in the late 18th century (Fig. 1.1) by a French engineer Pierre Tresaguet.
It is understood that the ancient roads built by the Romans were remarkable for their straightness
and bold inception. The Appian Way which was built by the Romans in 312 B.C. extended over a length
of about 580 km, and was known to be one of the earliest and best constructed roads of those times. A
typical cross-section of Roman roads is shown in Fig. 1.2.
15–20 cm large size
25–40 cm small size blocks of stones
broken stone in
lime motor
25–40 cm large
size broken stones
Vertical in lime mortar
kerb
stones
20–25 cm
10-20 cm hard stratum of soil
Telford’s road construction suggested by Thomos Telford (1757–1834) was based on providing
heavy foundation stones above the soil subgrade to achieve firmness of road base. He also suggested
having a definite cross-slope at top surface of pavement by varying the thickness of foundation stones
shown in the typical cross-section of Telford’s construction (Fig. 1.3).
First layer of
broken stones
Second layer of Top sloping
small broken stones wearning surfaces
19 cm
Broken
stones
22 cm
17 cm
1.8 m 2.7 m
John Macadam (1456-1836), a Scotish engineer, suggested a road construction design which was
more scientific. He realized that the stress due to wheel load of traffic gets decreased at the lower level
layers of the road, and hence, it was not necessary to provide large foundation stones. To take care of
the percolated water, he suggested the cross-slope for the subgrade also. A typical cross-section of the
6 Highway Engineering
25 cm
First layer of larger
broken stones
4.50 m
Cambered
formation
QUESTIONS
1.1 Write a short note on the necessity of roads in the development of a country.
1.2 What are the modes of transportation? Briefly discuss each.
1.3 Discuss the characteristics of road transport.
1.4 How the roads help in the growth of economic prosperity and overall development of a country.
1.5 Discuss the requirements of an ideal road.
1.6 Briefly discuss the historical development of road construction.
1.7 Briefly discuss any two of the following:
a. Roman road
b. Tresaguet road
c. Telford construction
d. Macadam construction.
1.8 Write a short note on any one of the following (refer to Appendices):
a. Jayakar Committee recommendations.
b. Central Road Fund.
c. Indian Road Congress.
d. Nagpur Conference.
e. National Highway Act.
f. Central Road Research Institute.
CHAPTER 2
Highway Planning
2.0 INTRODUCTION
The object of highway planning is to provide a highway system which could give maximum transportation
at minimum cost. It requires a well-defined program to collect data and analyze the existing conditions.
It may also include the analysis to plan for the future requirements. The collected data through various
surveys aims at related studies for determining the present state of the whole rural road system and plan
for future development region-wise which includes the estimation of the ultimate cost of owning and
maintaining the economically necessary improved system; with an objective that a definite economically
integrated transportation system may be established and the future of the highway transportation may
be protected from the hazards inherent in a short-sighted and shifting public policy. One very important
fact that has been established by these studies in the realization that needs of urban and rural areas
though different, are still integrated.
The Loadmeter Studies involve the establishment of temporary weight stations at sufficient number
of points to give representative results for load carried by trucks and other heavy commercial vehicles.
These stations should be away from the permanent weighing stations which are sometimes established
to enforce the law. Data may be collected on the classification of vehicle type, State of registration, Make
and body type, rated capacity and gross weight, type of fuel used, size and ply of tires, dimensions of
the vehicles, weight both when empty and loaded, axle-load, origin and destination, trip length, private
or public, etc. The work of different types of data collection can be done simultaneously by keeping the
Loadmeter stations and O and D study stations same.
A very important part of traffic studies in rural areas is conducted through Accident Studies. Regular
maintenance of accident records is of great importance in chalking out traffic safety programs, in
watching the effectiveness of each program, and in mobilizing public opinion for careful driving, etc.,
also in preparing spot maps showing high accident frequency places, and in carrying out before and
after studies.
Speed Studies in highway planning are essential to determine the speed trends, the distribution and
fluctuation in different areas, etc. Such studies require good weather conditions on straight portions of
roads, and in open areas with no roadside developments. The study should be done periodically and it
should give information about the requirements of the fast moving vehicles and help in determining the
design-speed on which depends most of the elements of geometric design.
The planning of roads in a particular region largely depends on the population of the region, its
mobility and future trends, which are based on the economic life of the area. The centralized amenities
in respect of services, social activities, and employment opportunities in the cities attract the rural
population to the cities resulting into the strained economic life of the cities. Therefore, there will be a
greater and rapid demand for better transportation facilities in the cities, which may not be possible to
cope with. This situation results in the deterioration of the transportation problem in the city areas.
Fig. 2.1. Motor-vehicle use (classified according to the types of highways in a particular area)
30
20
10
0
To and Related Medical Educatio- Pleasure
from work business purposes Shopping Others
nal, civic
Vacations trips Others
and
Earning Living Family Business religious Social and Recreation
Purpose of trip
Fig. 2.2. Motor-vehicle trips and travel classified by major purposes of trip
c. Road Life Studies: The road life studies are carried out to determine the life of roadway
elements which determines the amount and cost of replacements required each year in future
for each road. Through such studies, the facts concerning the life of various types of highways,
construction and maintenance cost and salvage values of road elements, etc., are collected.
The history of each section of road is maintained with complete design, construction and
maintenance dates. The information about the salvage value of various elements is added
thereafter.
d. Road Fund Allocation Studies: The roadway fund allocation studies include the determination
of properties for the allocation of funds to various projects. Besides, the demands of traffic, the
economic development in the area and the service to be rendered by a facility to the community,
factors like the political influence and strategic needs also affect the fixation of property. For
deciding the properties, from the engineering point of view, the method of sufficiency rating is
used.
Highway Planning 13
The National Highways assigned an unique number are the main highways of the country running
through the length and breadth of India, connecting major ports, foreign highways, State capitals, and
large industrial and tourist centers including the roads required for strategic movements of defense of
India.
The State Highways are arterial roads of a State, connecting up with the National Highways of
adjacent States, district headquarters, and important cities within the State. The Major District Roads
are important roads within a district serving areas of production and markets, and connecting those
with each other or with the main Highways. The Other District Roads are roads serving rural areas of
production and providing them with outlet to market centers, Taluk headquarters, block development
headquarters or other main roads. The Village Roads are the roads connecting villages or groups of
villages with each other to the nearest road of a higher category.
The choice of pattern very much depends on the locality, the layout of different towns, villages,
industrial and production centers, and the choice of the planning engineer. Each pattern has its own
advantages and disadvantages.
The rectangular or block pattern of roads (Fig. 2.3) has been used in Chandigarh for city roads. This
pattern is not considered convenient from traffic operation point of view. Fig. 2.4 shows the radial or star
and block pattern of the road net work.
Built up area
Central business
area
Main road
Rectangular
pattern
Central business
area
Radial roads
Figs. 2.5 and 2.6 show radial or star and grid pattern and hexagonal pattern, respectively.
16 Highway Engineering
Radial roads
Central business
Ring road area
Business area
d
Gri
Radial roads
QUESTIONS
2.1 What do you mean by Highway Planning?
2.2 Explain the necessity and objective of highway planning.
2.3 What are the various methods of road classification?
2.4 Briefly outline the main features of various road patterns in common use. Explain with sketch
the radial or star and grid pattern.
2.5 Briefly discuss the requirements for road planning.
2.6 What are Loadmeter studies? Explain it briefly.
2.7 What do you understand by road life studies?
CHAPTER 3
Highway Surveys and Alignment
3.0 INTRODUCTION
Once the planning stage is over, the terminal points between which a highway of a specific standard has
to be located are decided in consultation with the planners and administrators. To give a specific shape
to the proposal, the work is assigned to a highway engineer. The engineer’s first task is to locate the best
and most economical alignment of the highway on the ground by considering various factors such as
engineering, economic, social, and political, responsible for selection of the best alignment. The most
essential requirements of any highway are:
i. The route should be short,
ii. The construction and maintenance should be easy,
iii. It should provide a safe driving, and
iv. It should be economical in construction as well as in maintenance.
It is desirable to have a short (or shortest) alignment between the two terminal stations. A shortest
alignment is a straight alignment but due to various considerations there are always deviations from
the shortest route. Also the alignment should be such that there are minimum problems in construction
and maintenance of the road. The alignment should also be such that it has easy gradients and curves
to make the driving of vehicles easy. The stability of road where there are natural slopes, embankments
and cut-slopes, and foundation of embankments, must also be looked into so that the road is safe
for construction and maintenance from the economic considerations of the total cost of construction
including the maintenance and vehicle operations.
In the hilly areas, the road alignment is affected by the following factors:
i. Stability,
ii. Drainage,
iii. Geometric standards, and
iv. Resisting lengths.
3.1.2 Traffic
The traffic has its own requirements on a particular type of road. The origin and destination study should
be carried out in the area and the desire line showing the trend of the traffic flow should be drawn. The
new road alignment should take into account the desire line, traffic flow pattern, and future trends.
flat or less than the ruling or design gradient. To achieve this, sometimes it may be necessary to deviate
the alignment in view of the design speed, maximum allowable superelevation, and coefficient of lateral
friction. It may be necessary to make adjustment in horizontal alignment of the road keeping in view
the minimum radius of horizontal curves and transition curves. The final alignment should be such that
the obstruction to intervisibility does not cause restrictions to the sight distance requirements for safe
driving.
3.1.4 Economy
The alignment finalized considering all aspects should also be economical keeping in view the initial
cost, maintenance cost, and vehicle operation cost. The alignment should also be such that there is a
balance in cutting and filling of earthwork to decease the cost of construction.
3.2.1 Reconnaissance
The reconnaissance is a kind of survey of the region to examine a relatively large area between the
terminal points for the purpose of determining broad corridors through which the alignment may pass.
These corridors may be sufficiently wide, being defined on either side by the terrain which is inaccessible
due to high cliffs or steep falls, or unsuitable for other reasons. Sometimes features like wide rivers,
lakes, swamps or adverse topography may limit any route to a series of bands having restricted width.
Reconnaissance survey is primarily carried out to gather the first hand information about the general
topography, physical features, and land-use of the area on which generally depends the alignment
gradients, sight distances, cross-sections, and other design elements. In flat areas, topography may not
alone affect the location but it might affect certain design elements such as the drainage. On the other
hand in hilly areas, where the terrain is rugged, the location is mainly governed by the above mentioned
factors.
The second phase of the reconnaissance survey is devoted to the inspection of each band to determine
the most feasible routes based on certain fundamental criteria that have significant effect on its location.
For reconnaissance survey, the following are very helpful:
i. Available topographic maps of Survey of India with 15 m or 30 m contour interval. By careful
study, the main features like rivers, hills, valleys, etc., shown in the topographic map, it is
possible to have an idea of several possible routes and further details of these may be studied
later at the site.
ii. Available large scale aerial photographs of the area help in determining all details with respect
to reconnaissance, preliminary survey, and final location survey, and in certain cases even
the preparation of estimates can also be worked out from the aerial photographs. The extent
of ground surveys would be limited to supply the necessary ground control, filling up any
missing details, and checking up the interpreted results as regards to the type of the soil and
22 Highway Engineering
material available in the area. Use of aerial photographs avoids many of field works reducing
the whole work mainly to office works, and considerably saving in time, money, and man-
power. Another advantage is that the work can be done under ideal conditions and without
any interference from political sources. It depends on the highway agencies whether to use the
aerial photographs for reconnaissance work only or to include rest of the ground survey work
also using large scale aerial photographs putting them in the form of composite maps called as
mosaics, and leaving very little ground survey work at the final location survey stage.
For a better and more accurate study, sometimes stereo pair of aerial photographs are studied under
instrument known as stereoscope. Such studies require trained personnel.
As far as the highway location is concerned, the work on photographs may be divided into four
stages.
Stage-1
Reconnaissance survey of the entire area as a whole between the terminal points using small-scale aerial
stereo photographs and stereoscope. It includes determination of controls of topography and land-use,
and location of feasible route bands on the photographs.
Stage-2
Reconnaissance of all feasible route bands is conducted by stereoscopic examination of large-scale
aerial photographs of each route band. The details of topography and land-use are determined, and the
location and comparison of all feasible routes on the photographs are done to select the best route.
Stage-3
This includes the preliminary survey of the best route and interpretation of available material, soil, and
drainage conditions, etc., by the method of photointerpretation.
Stage-4
In this stage the location of the highway on the ground guided by the preliminary location made in the
third stage is performed. It also includes preparation of the design-data from aerial photographs using
photogrammetric methods.
In selection of routes during reconnaissance, the following are considered:
i. Basic Criteria
a. Minimum design standards: The minimum design standards regarding alignment and
gradients, etc., are fixed prior to the start of the work. Any one of the feasible routes that
economically fits these standards would be suitable.
b. Grading and Earthwork: A line which generally follows the contours of the area would be
cheaper than the one that cuts the natural ground slopes. The type of material encountered
Highway Surveys and Alignment 23
may be another major factor on the cost of earthwork. The solid rock excavation needs
blasting which adds to the more cost than the ordinary earthwork.
c. Foundation condition: At the reconnaissance stage the complete foundation study for the
location of the drainage structures is not feasible, but the preliminary information needed
can be obtained through the general condition of the area. For example, the presence of
marshes and boggy areas are unsuitable for foundation of structures. Also if the sub-grade
soil is poor, the construction cost may go up.
d. Geological conditions: The suitability of the area and any subsequent problem that may
arise can be revealed by the casual study of the geology of the area. Always, the alignment
should pass through the area having sound rocks, and the areas having sedimentary rocks
which are generally the cause of landslides should be avoided or the road should be
located in such a way that the rocks are dipping towards the hillside. Earthquake faults,
especially the live faults should be suitably taken care of for the major structures.
The general study of the geology of the area would also indicate the availability of
construction material required for the road and other structures, and the location of
quarries within reasonable haul-distance which may reduce the overall construction cost.
e. Drainage: Detailed drainage studies at this stage may not be possible and also may not be
as useful but a general idea about the drainage condition of the area is necessary so as to
ascertain the likely drainage problems both surface and sub-surface, and also the type and
number of drainage structures needed for an all-weather road.
f. Right-of-way: A major factor contributing enormously to the cost of highway is the right-
of-way. The cost may go up to 70% of the construction cost in developed areas due
to acquisition of land for the right-of way. Therefore, it is desirable to investigate the
possibility of shifting the alignment from developed to undeveloped areas for reducing
the cost considerably. For the future expansion of the road for expressways and freeways,
etc., the adjoining property have to be acquired which tremendously increase the cost of
construction. While finalizing the alignment this factor should also be looked into.
g. Effect of population: The location of highway must consider the future trends of
development of society adjoining to it including services to the community in respect of
the schools, religious centers, public buildings, business centers, industrial areas, farms, etc.
h. Traffic characteristics: Careful analysis of comparative traffic service rendered by each
alternative route under study must be made at the reconnaissance stage. It is essential
to evaluate how best a particular route would fit in with the traffic requirements of an
area. The volume of traffic on a particular route can be evaluated by making origin and
destination surveys. The geometric design of a road depends on the physical characteristics
of the vehicles. Therefore, it is also essential to assess whether the physical situation of
that route would be able to accommodate the necessary required geometric design. It
requires examination of all types of vehicles, select general class groups and establish
representative size vehicles within each class for design purpose.
24 Highway Engineering
i. Financing: The route selection also depends largely on the availability of funds. If the total
fund required to construct a highway is not available at a time, then the stage construction
has to be implemented and it may take a number of years to complete the work. In such
case, it is preferable to select a route where the improvements would bring it up to the
required standards during the period over which the plan is spread, rather than selecting
an alternative which needs all the construction right at the beginning before the traffic
could use it and thus incurring heavy expenditure. In case the expenditure has to spread
over a period of years, it is essential to study each alternative and evaluate its use at every
stage of construction keeping in view the available funds.
j. Maintenance costs: A scientific approach to the route selection would be to take into
consideration the maintenance cost envisaged every year. The routes having extraordinary
costs such as removing snow during winter and repairing any landslides, etc., should be
avoided because they will have recurring heavy maintenance costs and also inconvenience
to the users. This problem becomes more serious especially in hilly areas where the only
means of transport is by road and its blockade means cutting off the area from the outside
world.
ii. Available Data
Quality of reconnaissance study would vary directly with the extent of knowledge and
information collected for locating the highway in the area. A lot of information about the area
can be gathered from the available topographic maps and aerial photographs of the area which
can be acquired at reasonable costs from the Survey of India, Dehradun (UK).
Geological and soil maps for some part of the country are also available. The geological
conditions and soil types obtained from these maps can be quite helpful in giving information
about drainage conditions.
iii. Field Studies
Reconnaissance for selection of a most desirable route includes also actual field studies without
which the decision on the final alignments may be doubtful. A careful review as verification
of the observations made from the maps and photographs is done by actual field study. For
field studies, help of a helicopter or light airplane may be employed, and in some cases actual
field visits are done. After the alternate routes have been worked out and the areas have been
restricted to small bands, the information has to be collected carefully for each alternative.
The surveying instruments such as hand level, Abney level, compass, etc., are used to collect
information about the natural slopes, the existing gradients, elevation of critical summits, and
stream-crossings for the verification of information collected through maps and photographs
by interpretation.
P-line or Base line along the selected route and similar traversed also along the secondary or alternate
routes, if any. Generally the open traverse is used which cannot be adjusted as a closed traverse, and
therefore, to ensure some standards of accuracy certain precautions in measurements of distances and
angles are necessary. For the highways in rural areas, an accuracy of 1:3000 in urban areas 1:5000
should be observed. For preliminary surveys, the photogrammetric methods may be used to complete
the work in a shorter time and also in a more effective manner.
Sometimes in exceptionally rugged and hilly areas, a profile along the P-line is run with occasional
important cross-sections. Some agencies prefer more detailed work at the preliminary stage by recording
levels along the P-line at 20 to 30 m intervals. The levels are also recorded at the points where the
levels change suddenly. Generally the profile is drawn at some scale on which the map is to be finally
produced. For drawing profile, the following horizontal and vertical scales are adopted:
Horizontal scale 1:1000 to 1: 2000
Vertical scale 1:100 to 1:200
Profile of all intersecting roads, rail-roads, and stream crossings up to 300 m on either side of
the P-line are also drawn since their levels affect the final location. After fixing the P-line, important
topographical features such as rock-outcrops, faults, bad soil, marshes, lakes, streams, drainage
conditions, landslide possibilities, quarries, gravel pits, any other features which may affect the final
location and design of the highway, are also recorded.
All information collected by preliminary survey is shown in a map called Preliminary Survey
Map, also known as the Basic Map. The basic map shows the bearings of various traverse lines, the
distances, the deflection angles, corner ties, and other salient features along the alignment. It also shows
the topographical features discussed in the above paragraph as well as the other man-made features such
as roads, bridges, building, railway lines, etc.
The center-line or the final base line transferred to the ground should follow as closely as possible
the line drawn on the preliminary map conforming to the major and minor control points. Usually stakes
at 30 m interval are established on the center-line. The entire survey work especially on curves must be
done with utmost care employing the best survey practices. Center-line control can be established by
carefully referencing the points of curvature, point of tangency, setting out bench marks at close intervals
and at places free from disturbances during construction so that their positions can be relocated easily
by measurements of ties computed from the P-line. Direction of property lines, distances of property
corners and location of buildings, fences and other improvements must be made accurately since the
acquisition of the right-of-way and future settlement of disputes arising there from shall depend on the
position of these features vis-a-vis the centre line of the road.
Sometimes, the detailed level work has to be done in the final location survey if it was not carried out
in preliminary survey. The leveling data should be as precise as possible for accurate establishment of
the grade lines, calculation of earthwork quantities, and design of drainage structures, etc. For leveling
works including along the center-line, the bench marks established by the Survey of India throughout
the country, should be used. The temporary bench marks as reference points should be established along
the alignment at an interval of 300 m in plain areas and at closer intervals in hilly terrain. Also the bench
26 Highway Engineering
marks should be established on a line parallel to the proposed center-line at a distance of about 100 m
from it, with a view to avoid any disturbance while different phases of construction are going on.
For calculation of earthwork and other quantities, and establishment of grade line, the detailed
cross-sections of about 25 m on either side of the center-line and at stations every 20 or 30 m apart,
depending on the type of terrain along it, should be taken. Cross-sections should also be taken at all
intermediate points where the sudden changes in elevation occur. The cross-sections also help in the
design of the drainage structures. From the leveling data, profile should be drawn along the center-
line, rail-road crossings, and stream crossings. While taking the cross-sections, important topographical
features such as property lines, fences, buildings, rail and road intersections, water courses, bridges, soil
data, land-use, etc., at least within the right-of-way, should be recorded.
Plans
The plans drawn to a horizontal scale of 1:1000 to 2000 should carefully show the following:
a. The horizontal alignment with the right-of-way and all necessary existing topographical
features, such as roads and rail-roads crossings, buildings, streams, fences, drainage-structures, etc.
b. Complete information regarding bearings of all tangents, degree of curvature, the points of
tangency, and points of intersection of all curves, etc., for easy establishment of the center-
line.
c. The positions and elevations of all bench marks.
d. Any other information that may affect the execution of the project.
Highway Surveys and Alignment 27
Profile
The profile is drawn usually on the same horizontal scale as that of the plans, but the vertical scale for
showing the elevations of the original ground surface is exaggerated 5 to 10 times. The profile should
show the following:
a. The elevations of the original ground surface along the roadway center-line.
b. The vertical alignment or the grade line for the proposed road together with the vertical curves
at the points of change in grades so as to form a continuous profile. This shall include the
percentage grades, the lengths of the vertical curves, the terminal points of the curves together
with the elevations of the points where change in grades occur.
c. The H.F.L. line of the region.
The plan and profile both show the details of various drainage channels, existing structures, etc.
Cross-sections
Depending on the terrain conditions, the cross-sections along the center-line are generally prepared at
20 to 30 m intervals on a separate sheet. The cross-sections are also drawn at intermediate points where
found necessary. Certain other details, as follows, are also worked out to obtain complete design:
a. The computation of earthwork and excavation quantities.
b. Detailed design for the various drainage crossings.
c. Preparation of site maps of road and rail-road crossings.
d. Preparation of abstract of quantities and finally the detailing of the construction methods and
specifications to be followed, etc.
To make minute details more conspicuous for construction, the drawings of bridges and culverts,
and the site maps, etc., are drawn to a larger scale.
The Land Acquisition Plans and Schedules are also usually prepared from the survey drawings for
land acquisition details. These plans show all general details such as buildings, wells, nature of gardens,
and other details required for assessing the values. The scale adopted for such plans may be 1:4000 or less.
The Land Plans for Quarries should also be prepared for acquiring the construction materials for
the construction of the highway. The size and scale of such maps may be similar to those for land
acquisition.
3.2.6 Estimates
The project estimates consists of general abstract of cost and detailed estimates for each major head. If
the project work is proposed to be executed in stages, the estimate for each stage should be prepared
separately.
d. Improvement in the design elements of the vertical alignment such as correcting the undesirable
rises and falls, changing the vertical curves, etc.
e. Modifications for meeting out the defense requirements.
f. Raising the level of highway length subjected to flooding or water-logging during monsoons.
g. Replacement or reconstruction of weak and narrow bridges and culverts.
QUESTIONS
3.1 What is highway alignment? Explain the essential requirements which are considered as
guiding principles for an ideal highway alignment.
3.2 Discuss briefly the important factors which control the highway alignment.
3.3 What are the special considerations which must be observed for hill-road alignment?
3.4 Discuss the various stages of the engineering surveys conducted for the highway alignment.
Highway Surveys and Alignment 31
3.5 Why are planning surveys conducted? What are the items included in such surveys?
3.6 Discuss the objects and importance of reconnaissance survey.
3.7 Briefly discuss the surveying instruments required for various surveys conducted for the
alignment of a highway.
3.8 What are the objects and importance of preliminary survey? Also write the steps to carry out
it.
3.9 Write a critical note on location survey.
3.10 Why is it necessary to prepare a project report? List the drawings which are usually attached
to the project report.
3.11 What are the objects of re-alignment?
3.12 Write the general principles of re-alignment.
CHAPTER 4
Highway Geometric Design
4.0 INTRODUCTION
Highway design is the design of geometric elements of the road. It is primarily fixing the physical
dimensions and layout of visible features of highways such as:
i. Highway cross-section elements,
ii. Sight distance considerations,
iii. Horizontal and vertical alignment details, and
iv. Intersection elements.
The above visible features of a highway need due weightage in design for safe operation of
vehicles on the highways. The design must be such that it takes care of the present needs and future
developments. When stage construction is envisaged, it should be possible to improve upon them at
later stage depending on the traffic demand.
The following features affect the geometrics of a highway:
i. Road type,
ii. Topography of the area,
iii. Traffic characteristics, present as well as future,
iv. Design hourly volume and capacity, and
v. Environmental and other factors.
4.0.2 Topography
The topography or terrain type such as plain, rolling, mountainous, and steep terrain, influences the
geometric design of highway significantly. For the different classes of terrain, there are different design
32
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Gunpowder is manufactured by reducing the nitre, sulphur, and
charcoal to powder; they are then mixed, moistened with water, and
again mixed in a mill for five or six hours, or until the mixture is as
intimate as possible, for upon this the strength of the powder chiefly
depends.
When taken from the mill, the composition is put in a press, and
formed into hard cakes about a quarter of an inch thick; these, when
dry, or nearly so, are broken by wooden mallets into small pieces,
and reduced into grains by being put into sieves, and forced by
means of a wooden roller through circular holes of the proper
diameter.
Good powder should be devoid of smell, and of uniform colour,
approaching to that of a slate. The particles should be perfectly
granulated, and free from cohesion. It should admit of being readily
poured from one vessel to another.
In powder that has become damp, large lumps are formed: should
the damage, however, not be very considerable, these concretions
may be reduced by drying the powder in a hot-air stove, rubbing and
loosening the grains; but powder thus affected never thoroughly
regains its lost strength.
To test the purity of powder.—Lay a dram of it on a piece of clean
writing-paper, and fire the heap by means of a red-hot iron wire: if
the flame ascend quickly with a good report, leaving the paper free
from white specks, and without burning holes in it, the goodness of
the ingredients and proper manufacture of the powder may be safely
inferred.
Good powder blasted upon a clean plate of copper should leave
no track or mark of foulness.
Powder exposed for 17 or 18 days to the influence of the
atmosphere ought not to increase materially in weight. One hundred
pounds of powder should not absorb more than twelve ounces: if it
increase in weight more than one per cent., the powder should be
condemned.
Proof of Gunpowder.
To prove the strength of large grain or common powder, 2 ounces
are fired from 8-inch Gomer mortars (at an angle of 45°), placed on
stone beds, and so fixed as not to recoil. These mortars are loaded
with shot weighing 68 pounds, and the average of the ranges, with
Government powder of Waltham Abbey, is 250 feet. Powder made of
common pit charcoal will only project such a ball, under the same
circumstances, about 220 feet; and powder that has been re-stoved
will only produce a range of from 107 to 117 feet.
A musket, charged with two drams of fine grained or musket
powder, should drive a steel bullet through 15 or 16 half-inch elm
boards, placed three quarters of an inch from each other, the first
board being set at 40 inches from the muzzle of the musket: with re-
stoved powder, the bullet will only perforate from 9 to 12 of the
boards.
The quality of large grain powder is ascertained by its general
appearance, its firmness, glazing, uniformity of grain, and density.
POWDER MARKS.
LG Large grain.
FG Fine grain.
RA For rifle arms.
LG Large grain.
FG Fine grain.
RS Re-stoved.
Red L G, or F G, denotes powder of the best quality. White L G, or
F G, is an inferior Powder for salutes, &c.
POWDER MAGAZINES.
To ascertain if a Magazine is damp.—Soak a piece of sponge in a
solution of salt of tartar, or common salt and water: let it be well dried
and weighed, and then be placed in the magazine, which, if damp,
will cause the sponge to become heavier.
A small weight, suspended by a piece of catgut, or hair, will also
discover moisture, causing the former to contract and the latter to
lengthen.
POWDER BARRELS.
Whole Barrels contain 100 lb., and Half Barrels 50 lb., of powder,
whether fine or coarse.
BUDGE BARRELS.
HANDBARROWS.
HANDSPIKES.
LEVERS.
LIGHTS, BLUE.
Blue lights are used for signals, &c., and will burn half a minute.
Composition.
lb. oz.
Saltpetre, ground 1 12
Sulphur, sublimated 0 7
Red orpiment 0 2
The composition is similar to that for blue lights. The cases are
made of brown paper, and are of the same diameter as the one-
pound signal rocket. The case is cut to the length of 9·75 inches, one
end being perforated at an inch from the bottom to allow a wooden
pin to pass through it, for the purpose of attaching the handle to the
case.
Two coats of paint are given to the cases.
A long light will burn five minutes.
This is similar to the Light, long, but has only one inch of
composition.
MATCH, QUICK.
Composition.
lb. oz.
Cotton wick Gunpowder
2 2 12 lb.
MATCH, SLOW.
PENDULUMS.
PORTFIRES.
PORTFIRES, PERCUSSION.
Composition.
Brimstone, sublimed 4
Powder, cylinder mealed 1
Saltpetre, pulverized 8
The percussion priming is added to these portfires at the stations
where they are used (principally for the Coast Guard), and is simply
a small glass globule, containing sulphuric acid. This is embedded in
loose composition, which ignites on the globule being broken. A
percussion portfire will burn 5 minutes.
PORTFIRES, MINERS.
Composition.
lb. oz.
Saltpetre, pulverized 0 8
Sulphur, sublimed 0 8
Powder, cylinder mealed 1 0
PORTFIRES, SLOW.
Composition.
Saltpetre 8 lb. Sulphur 4 lb. Cylinder mealed powder
1 lb.
QUOINS.
ROCKETS.
SIGNAL ROCKETS.
Signal rockets are of two natures—viz., 1 lb. and ½ lb. Rockets.
They are fired from a tube, the ignition being effected by means of a
percussion tube.
Composition.
lb.
Saltpetre, pulverized 4
Sulphur, sublimed 1
Dog-wood charcoal 1½
SHELLS.
Shells are hollow iron Shot, and are of various descriptions, viz.:—
1st.—The Common shell, with one fuze hole, used in the attack
and defence of fortresses, &c., against shipping, and troops.
2nd.—The Carcass, which has three fuze holes, is filled with
burning composition, and is used to set fire to towns, &c.
3rd.—The Compound-shot, which is filled with lead to increase the
impetus of the shot, and the extent of the range.
4th.—The Shrapnell shell, which is very destructive when used
against bodies of Cavalry or Infantry, as it produces the same effect
as common Case or Canister shot from guns or howitzers, but at a
much greater range.[11]
Diameter and thickness of each Shell now in the Service.
Mean Bursting
Nature of Shell. Thickness.
Diameter. Powder.
inches. inches. lb. oz. dr.
{ 13 Inch 12·84 2·146 6 8
{ 10 ” 9·84 1·646 5 8
Common {8” 7·86 1·39 2 4
{ 5½ ” 5·595 0·936 0 10
{ 4⅖ ” 4·454 0·746 0 5
{ 32 Pr. 6·177 1·034 1 0
{ 10 Inch 9·85 1·35 5 8
Naval {8” 7·925 1·35 2 4
{ 32 Pr. 6·177 1·034 1 0
{ 8 Inch 7·86 0·82 10
{ 32 Pr. 6·177 0·64 6
{ 24 ” 5·595 0·58 3
Shrapnell { 18 ” 5·099 0·53
Diaphragm { 12 ” 4·454 0·477 1 12
{9” 4·08 0·41 1 8
{6” 3·55 0·356 0 0 12
All shells are now issued in the Field Service, loaded, and secured
with a metal plug.
Number Weight
Weight
Nature of Ordnance. in each of case
of ball.
case. filled.
lb. oz. lb. oz. dr.
IRON GUNS. 1 34
10 Inch* { }82 7
13⅛ 50
8 Inch* 8 90 48 12
8 Inch* 8 90 48 12
68 Pr.* 8 90 50 4
56 Pr.* 1 50 52 11
42 Pr.† 8 85 45 15
32 Pr.† 8 66 34 13
24 Pr.† 8 46 10 7
18 Pr.† 6 46 10 7
12 Pr.† 4 46 12 2
9 Pr.† 3 44 9 11
6 Pr.† 2 40 5 10
3 Pr.† 1½ 34 3 9 8
Number
Weight Weight of
Nature of Ordnance. in each
of ball. Grapeshot.
case.
lb. oz. lb. oz. dr.
GUNS. 10 Inch 3 24 81
Shot Quilted. 68 Pr.
8 Inch
} 3 15 50 7
56 Pr. 4 12 56 14
42 Pr. 4 9 41 6
32 Pr. 3 9 29 11
24 Pr. 2 9 20 10
18 Pr. 1 8 9 16 12
12 Pr. 1 9 11 2
9 Pr. 13⅛ 9 8 12
6 Pr. 8 9 8 7
3 Pr. 8 9 2 9
CARRONADES. 68 Pr. 3 15 52 8
Tin Case Shot.† 42 Pr. 4 9 37 15
32 Pr. 3 9 30 6
24 Pr. 2 9 20 9
18 Pr. 1 8 9 15 10
12 Pr. 1 9 11 0 8
9 Pr. 13⅛ 9 9 1
6 Pr. 8 9 5 2
† Wood Tampeon.
STOOL BEDS.
TUBES.
DETONATING TUBES.
FRICTION TUBES.
These tubes are of copper, and are three inches in length. The
detonating composition is inserted in a tin arm, into which is
introduced and pressed down tight, by the sides of the aim, a piece
of copper, grooved; with a small ring to receive the cord for firing the
tube, and gun.
WADMILTILT.
WOODEN BOTTOMS.
They are riveted to shot for brass guns to prevent the bore being
indented in front of the seat of the shot by the first impulse of the
powder: and to Shells, to keep the fuze in the centre of the bore.
PA R T V I .
FIELD BATTERY EXERCISE.[13]
STANDING DRILL.
No. 5 Fires.[15]
No. 6 Serves ammunition.
No. 7 Attends the Limber, and serves ammunition to No. 8.
No. 8 Assists No. 7.
No. 9 Attends the ammunition Waggon.
CHANGING ROUND.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1, 2 1, 4, 5 2, 3, 6
1, 2, 3 4, 5 2 3, 6
1, 2, 3, 4 1 2 3, 6 4, 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 1 2 3, 6 4 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
DISTANCES REQUIRED