Romblon State University

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

Department of Civil Engineering

Highway and Railway Engineering – CE 2204

Instructor: Engr. Mary Joy M. Fruelda

Module 1

INTRODUCTION TO TRANSPORTATION
Transportation is the movement of people and goods from one location to
another. Transportation is essential for a nation's development and growth.
Opportunities for engineering careers in transportation are exciting and rewarding.
Highway, rail, airport, and mass transit systems. New techniques are being applied for
operating and maintaining the systems safely and economically. Many organizations
and agencies exist to plan, design, build, operate, and maintain the nation's
transportation system.

Evolution
Mobility of people can be traced as early as the paleolithic age when people
sought to travel to different continents. Pathways created by animals are also
considered as the start of transportation networks. Evidence showed how humans
followed animal tracks for walking which eventually evolved into a clear path for humans
to move from one location to another. With the introduction of the wheel about 7,000
years ago, the larger, heavier loads that could be transported showed the limitations of
dirt paths that turned into muddy bogs when it rained. The earliest stone paved roads
have been traced to about 4,000 B.C. in the Indian subcontinent and Mesopotamia.
The roadway construction, on the other hand, can be traced to Roman civilization
wherein roads are made of blocks of rocks embedded on soil and are used as
carriageways. The Romans developed techniques to build durable roads using multiple
layers of materials atop deep beds of crushed stone for water drainage. Some of those
roads remain in use more than 2,000 years later, and the fundamental techniques form
the basis of today's roads.
Modern road-construction techniques can be traced to a process developed by
Scottish engineer John McAdam in the early 19th century. McAdam topped multi-layer
roadbeds with a soil and crushed stone aggregate that was then packed down with
heavy rollers to lock it all together. Contemporary asphalt roads capable of supporting
the vehicles that emerged in the 20th century built upon McAdams' methods by adding
tar as a binder.
The actual process of road building has changed dramatically over the past
century, going from large gangs of workers with picks and shovels to enormous
specialized machines. Rebuilding existing roads starts with peeling up existing
pavement, grinding it and dumping it straight into trucks for reuse later as aggregate for
new roads. After grading the surface, pavers come in and lay down fresh, continuous
sheets of asphalt followed directly by the rollers.
In the pre-industrial revolution, transport technology was mainly limited to harnessing
animal labor for land transport and to wind for maritime transport. Initially, ships were
propelled by rowers, and sails were added around 2,500 BCE as a complementary form
of propulsion. Most of the technical innovations that modified the transportation sector
took place in a short period of industrial era, mainly between 1760 and 1800. It was
during this industrial revolution that massive modifications of transport systems occurred
in two major phases: the first, centered along with the development of canal systems
and the second, centered along railways. This period marked the development of the
steam engine, an external combustion engine that converted thermal energy into
mechanical energy, providing an important territorial expansion for maritime and railway
transport systems.

Evolution of Transport Technology since the 18th Century (Source: Rodrigue, J-P (2020),
The Geography of Transport Systems, Fifth Edition, New York: Routledge)

Subdisciplines in Transportation Engineering

Traffic Engineering is the subdiscipline of transportation engineering that addresses

the planning, design and operation of streets and highways, their networks, adjacent
land uses and interaction with other modes of transportation and their terminals (ITE)
Highway Engineering involved in the planning, design, construction, operation, and
maintenance of roads, bridges, and tunnels to ensure safe and effective transportation
of people and goods.

Railway Systems Engineering a field of engineering which deals with the design,
construction, and operation of all railway systems. This specialization is a multifaceted
science as it involves different engineering disciplines such as mechanical engineering,
computer engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, production engineering
and industrial engineering.

Airport Engineering is the field responsible for engineering standards and research for
design, equipment, and airfield development at civil airports. It is also responsible for
airport data, safety related airport airspace issues, and facilitating innovative methods of
improving airport infrastructure

Ports and Harbor Engineering handle the design, construction, and operation of ports,
harbors, canals, and other maritime facilities. Recently, this is also termed as navigation
engineering, a civil engineering specialty that involves the life-cycle planning, design,
construction, operation, and maintenance of safe, secure, reliable, efficient, and
environmentally sustainable navigable waterways (channels, structures, and support
systems) used to move people and goods by waterborne vessels.
Importance of Transportation

For rapid economic, industrial and cultural growth of any country, a good system of
transportation is very essential. Transportation system comprises of good network of
roads, railways, well developed waterways and airways. Following are the importance of
roads or highway transportation:

• Economic Activity and Transport -These economic activities are the processes that the
product needs and utilize to satisfy basic human needs and wants
- Supply
- Demand

• Social Effects
Sectionalism and transportation - present conditions of transportation have greatly
improved and reduced sectionalism in different countries.
Concentration of population into urban areas – The concentration of people in one
area needs to have adequate mass transportation facilities to satisfy the needs of the
people that need to go from point to point every day.
Aspect of safety, law and order - To maintain law and order, an efficient system of
transportation is important, especially when it comes to defending a country's interest
and security from external aggression from different countries.

 Transportation is for the advancement of the community

 It is essential for the economic prosperity and general development of the
country
 It is essential for strategic movement in emergency for defense of the
country and to maintain better law and order.

For as long as the human race has existed, transportation has played a significant
role by facilitating trade, commerce, conquest, and social interaction, while consuming a
considerable portion of time and resources. The primary need for transportation has
been economic, involving personal travel in search of food or work, travel for the
exchange of goods and commodities, exploration, personal fulfillment, and the
improvement of a society or a nation. The movements of people and goods, which is the
basis of transportation, always has been undertaken to accomplish those basic
objectives or tasks that require transfer from one location to another. Tapping natural
resources and markets and maintaining a competitive edge over other regions and
nations are linked closely to the quality of the transportation system. The speed, cost,
and capacity of available transportation have a significant impact on the economic
vitality of an area and the ability to make maximum use of its natural resources. Without
the ability to transport manufactured goods and raw materials and without technical
know-how, a country is unable to maximize the comparative advantage it may have in
the form of natural or human resources. Countries that lack an abundance of natural
resources rely heavily on transportation in order to import raw materials and export
manufactured products.

Different Modes of Transportation

1. Roadways - a mode of transportation on land. It includes a large variety of
interconnected ways to transport different kinds of goods and people.
2. Railways - steel tracks that are constructed on the ground, used by the trains. It
also used to transport large amount of goods and people from and to different
places. Also, it is more advantageous for places that are way too far.
3. Waterways - utilizes canals, rivers, lakes, oceans for the movement of goods
and cargo, and large number of people. It is slow but efficient.
4. Airways - fastest and safest and it provides more comfort but cost so much more
than the other ways of transportation.
 5. Pipeline - specifically designed for goods such as water, crude, oil and
petroleum gas.
Common Modes of Transportation in the Philippines

The Philippines has some of the world’s most peculiar and most exciting rides. There is
an array of transportation, auspicious or otherwise, for every traveler to use for their
convenience.

a. Jeepneys and Multicabs

The colorful, iconic jeepney is the hallmark of Philippine transportation. Jeepneys
are non-air con vehicles servicing the commuting public, roaming the streets in a parade
of colors. It’s the cheapest, most common way of getting around. The multicab is a
smaller version of the standard jeepney, but has the same function. It can get awfully
confined inside a multicab, especially for taller, bigger passengers.

b. Buses
Buses ply longer routes from the city to the countryside and distant provinces. It’s
the main mode of transport for land trips that last an hour to several hours, or overnight.
There are specific terminals and unloading/loading spots for buses. Bus fleets are
relatively more comfortable than jeepneys, although some don’t have air conditioning
and can be quite crowded on peak season.

c. Taxis
Taxis normally roam around the city streets, picking up or unloading passengers
within the city limits. It’s possible to hire a taxi beyond its route but drivers usually
charge extra for the longer trip. Airport taxis specifically serve airport-bound or newly
arrived airplane passengers.

d. Trains (MRT / LRT)

All three railway systems in the country operate around Metro Manila: the Manila
Light Rail Transit System (LRT 1 & 2), Manila Metro Rail Transit System (MRT), and the
Philippine National Railways (PNR). LRT and PNR are government-owned and
operated by the Department of Transportation (DOTr). MRT is private-owned but co
operated with DOTr.

e. Vans
Vans for Hire or V-Hires service provincial routes where other modes of
transportations are scarce or unavailable. They usually have terminals or park within
shopping malls for added convenience.

f. Motorcycles with Passenger Compartment

These modes of transport come in a variety of designs. Some have sidecar with
three wheels (standard tricycle) while others are fitted with jeepney-like chassis and
have four wheels (motorela). Tricycles and motorelas are as colorful as passenger
jeepneys. They serve very limited routes and are often restricted from servicing busy
cities.

g. Motorcycle Taxis (Habal-habal)

The roads leading to the hinterlands and mountain barangays in the Philippines
are very steep or aren’t paved at all. Generally, the only means of transportation to
these areas are motorcycle taxis or habal-habal. It’s a relatively unsafe way to travel
because habal-habals may carry more than two passengers at a time, excluding the
driver. Some habal-habals are fitted with a lateral plank (skylab) for it to accommodate
more passengers.

h. Bicycles with Sidecar (Pedicab or Trisikad)

 Pedicabs or trisikads are non-motorized versions of the tricycle or motorela. The
driver pedals the bicycle fitted with a sidecar to bring or fetch passengers within a small
area. Because they don’t produce noise, they’re preferred transport options around
upscale residential areas.
i. Ferry Boats (Ro-Ro) / Pumpboats (Bancas)
Philippine inter-island travels are best done via ferry boats or roll-in-roll-out ships
for major islands, and pumpboats or bancas for smaller islands and private island
hopping trips. For short-distance inter-island travels, there’s an option to ride smaller yet
faster hovercrafts. Bancas are usually small fishing vessels with wooden panels and
bamboo riggers.

j. Airplanes
The costlier but faster way to visit the different islands of the Philippines is via
airplane. There are more than 10 international airports, more than 30 principal domestic
airports in the country, and a good number of community airports and unclassified
airstrips across the Philippines for public transportation.

Aside from the ones listed above, the Philippines also has some of the most peculiar
means of travel such as the “palayon” or wooden scooter in Banaue, “pasayad” or
carabao-pulled cart, “kalesa” or horse carriage, “kuliglig” or hand tractor ride, and the
“riles kariton” or railroad trolley.

Characteristics of Road Transport

Following are the characteristics of road transport.

 Roads are used by various types of road vehicles, like passenger cars, buses,
trucks two and three wheeled automobiles, pedal cycles and animal drawn
vehicles. Railway tracks are used only by rail locomotives and wagons. Water
ways are used by only ships and boats.
 Road transport requires a relatively small investment for the government. Motor
vehicles are much cheaper than carriers like rail locomotives and wagons, water
and air carriers. Construction and maintenance of roads is also cheaper than that
of railway track, docks, harbors and airports.
 Road transport completely offer freedom to road users to transfer the vehicles
from one lane to another according to the need and convenience. This flexibility
changes in location, direction, speed and timings of travel is not available to other
modes of transport.
 In particular for short distance travel, road transport saves time. Trains stop at
junctions and main stations for comparatively longer time.
 Speed of movement is directly related with severity of accident. The road Safety
decreases with increase dispersion in speed. Road Transport is subjected to high
degree of accidents due to flexibility of movements offered to the user.
Derailment of railway locomotives and air planes and air crashes are not
uncommon. They are in fact more disastrous.
 Road transport is the only means of transport offer itself to the whole community.
 The Major defect of road is Traffic. Traffic means the amount of vehicles using in
given volume of road than average no. of vehicles. It causes an irritation to
passenger who were travelling. Without proper maintenance fatal accidents may
occur.
SCOPE OF HIGHWAY AND TRAFFIC ENGINEERING
Highway engineering is an engineering discipline branching from civil engineering that
involves the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of roads,
bridges, and tunnels to ensure safe and effective transportation of people and goods.
Highway engineering became prominent towards the latter half of the 20th century after
World War II. Standards of highway engineering are continuously being improved.
Highway engineers must take into account future traffic flows, design of highway
intersections/interchanges, geometric alignment and design, highway pavement
materials and design, structural design of pavement thickness, and pavement
maintenance.

SCOPE OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

1. Development, planning and location
Historical background; Basis of Planning; Master Plan; Engineering surveys and
highways alignment.
2. Design of road geometrics
Road Geometrics and their design; Rigid and flexible pavements; Design factors and
thickness design; Overlay design; Design of drainage system
3. Traffic Performance and its Control
Traffic studies analysis; Need for new road links; Traffic regulation and control;
Intersection design and their controls with signs, signals, islands and markings.
4. Materials, Construction and Maintenance
Highway materials and mix design; Highway construction; Earth work;
Construction of different types of pavements; Earthen, soil stabilized, waterbound
macadam, Bituminous surfaces and cement concrete roads;
5. Pavement failures; Pavement evaluation;
Maintenance of pavements and drainage system
6. Economics, Finance and Administration
Road user cost and economic analysis of highway projects; Pavement types and
maintenance measures; Highways finance and phasing of expenditures; Administration.

Traffic engineering is a branch of civil engineering that uses engineering techniques to

achieve the safe and efficient movement of people and goods on roadways. It focuses
mainly on research for safe and efficient traffic flow, such as road geometry, sidewalks
and crosswalks, cycling infrastructure, traffic signs, road surface markings and traffic
lights. Traffic engineering deals with the functional part of transportation system, except
the infrastructures provided.

SCOPE OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

 Traffic Characteristics
 Traffic Studies and Analysis
 Traffic Operation & Control
 Planning and Analysis
 Administration and Management