CHAPTER II
HIGHWAY ROUTE SURVEYS
AND LOCATION
Tewodros N.
[Link]
tedynihe@[Link]
Lecture Overview
• Introduction
• Steps in route location
• Guidelines for Alignment and Route Location
• Information gathering
– Reconnaissance survey
• Desk study
• Field study
– Preliminary location survey
– Final location survey
Introduction
Alignment :-The position or the layout of the
central line of the highway.
– Horizontal alignment includes straight and curved paths.
– Vertical alignment includes curves and gradients.
Introduction
• The aim of alignment selection process is to
find a location for the new road that will
result in the lowest total construction, land,
traffic and environmental costs.
• Provide the basic information for structural
design, as well as the economic analysis.
Introduction
Principle:
Balance User
Costs & Highway Costs
Introduction
Lower design standard –
Less construction cost, higher
User’s cost
Higher design standard – higher
Construction cost, lower user’s cost
Introduction Alternative # 1
Determining route alternatives
Preliminary alignment
profiles
Introduction
Alternative #2
Introduction
Alternative #3
Introduction
Steps in route location
• Know the termini points
• Identify and locate
National parks
Any ancient relics, castles and the likes
Existence of monasteries
Mining sites
Existing transport facilities
Other public facilities (electricity, water)
Location of construction materials
• Conduct preliminary and reconnaissance surveys
• Select a corridor.
• Possible centerlines
• Examine each of the alternative alignment
• Final design
Steps in route location
Guidelines for Alignment and
Route Location
• Topography, slope stability, flood hazard and
Erosion are likely to be the most significant in
the choice of alignment and design of cross
section.
• Geology, Geomorphology and hydrology are
key factors in the design, construction and
maintenance of road in Ethiopia.
Requirements of an ideal alignment
• Requirements of an ideal alignment between two
terminals include:
– Short
• A straight alignment would be the shortest, though there may be
several practical considerations which would cause a deviation from
the shortest path
– Easy
• Easy to construction
• Easy to maintain
• Easy for operation with easy grades and curves 16
Requirements of an ideal alignment
– Economical
• Design should consider initial capital cost, maintenance cost, and
operation cost
– Safe
• Safe enough for construction and maintenance from the view point
of stability of natural slopes, embankments, cut slopes, and
foundations
• Safe for traffic operations with easy geometric features such as
sharpness of curves, grades, sideslopes and etc.
17
Factors Controlling Highway Alignment
• Obligatory Points
– Points through which the alignment is to pass
– Chosen Bridge Site, Intermediate town to be accessed between
the termini, a mountain pass, etc.
– Points which should be avoided
– Areas requiring costly structures, highly developed expensive
areas, marshes and low lying lands subject to flooding, hilly
terrain where there is a possibility of land slides, etc.
18
Factors Controlling Highway Alignment
(cont.)
• Traffic
– The alignment should suit the traffic requirements
– Present and future travel patterns should be observed &
forecasted
– Traffic “Desire line” should be drawn showing path of traffic
flow
• Geometric Constraints
– Design factors such as max. gradient, minimum radius of curve,
minimum available sight distance, maximum allowable super-
elevation, etc. should be within the limits of allowable design
values which are governed by the expected traffic speed
19
Factors Controlling Highway Alignment
(cont.)
• Economy
– Total transportation cost including initial construction cost,
maintenance cost, and operation cost
• Example :
– Deep cuttings, high embankments, no of bridges that need to be constructed, etc.
increases the initial cost of construction.
• Other considerations
– Drainage considerations
– Hydrological factors
– Political considerations
– Monotony 20
Special considerations on Hilly Roads
• Slope Stability
– a common problem in hill roads is land slide. Special care should be taken to choose the
side that is more stable
• Drainage
– Numerous hill-side drains to adequately drain the water across the road should be
provided
– But, attempts should be made to align the road where the number of cross-drainage
structures are minimized
• Geometry
– Different standards of grades, curves, sight distances, speeds and other related features are
followed in hill roads
• Resisting Length
– The resisting length should be kept as low as possible. Thus, the ineffective rise and
excessive fall should be kept minimum
21
Information gathering
• Aid in the decision making process
–Reconnaissance survey
–Preliminary location survey
–Final location survey
Reconnaissance survey
• The purpose of the reconnaissance survey is
to evaluate the feasibility of one or more
corridor routes for a highway between
specific points that may be many kilometers
away.
• The greatest single money-saving phase
• Desk study
• Field study
Reconnaissance survey
Desk study
• Study all available information in the office,
• Aerial Photography
• Geological maps
• Topographic Map
• Published literatures
Reconnaissance survey
Field study
• It involves inspection of each band (identified during the
desk study) to determine the most corridor feasible route
based on some basic criteria.
• The following information or data should be determined or
collected during the Reconnaissance survey
• Terrain classification
• Bridging requirements ( number ,length)
• Existing means of communication (mule path, 4WD...)
• Right-of way available ,bringing out constraints on account of built-up areas,
monuments and other structures
• Slope stability and the location of pre-existing land slides
• Geology of the area (Geological structures, rock strength...)
• Percentage of rock in excavation
Examine alternative alignment
• The possible alternatives are evaluated by the following criteria
• Length
• Mean gradient
• More closely follows an existing road
• Land acquisition
• Number of bridges
• Environmental disturbance
• Overall project cost, including both design and construction
After evaluating the alternative routes proposed, one or more routes
will be recommended. If more than one routes passed the
reconnaissance survey detail study is made to choose one best route
in the preliminary survey.
Preliminary Location Surveys
• Consists of running an accurate traverse line along the
routes already recommended as a result of
reconnaissance survey in order to obtain sufficient data
for final location
• Objectives
– Survey and collect necessary data (topography, drainage, soil,
etc.) on alternate alignments
– To estimate quantity of earthwork, material, … of different
alternatives
– Compare alternate alignments
– Finalize the best alignment from all considerations 27
Preliminary Location Survey
• A large-scale study of one or more feasible corridor routes.
• Results in a paper location and alignment that defines the
line for the subsequent final location survey.
• Field details for final design may also be obtained
economically during the preliminary survey phase.
• It consists of
• Establishing primary Traverse
• Record all topographical features
• Levelling work
• Hydrological Data
• Soil Survey
Aerial surveys and ground surveys
Final Location Survey
• Serves the dual purpose to fix the centre line of the selected
alignment and collect additional data for the design and
preparation of working drawings.
• Pegging the centre line
• Centre-line Levelling
• Cross-section Levelling
• Intersecting Roads
• Ditches and Streams
The data is sent to the design office to be used for geometric
design, pavement design, and design of drainage and other
structures, preparation of drawings, reports, and
specifications
Semester Mini –Project
• Geometric Design of Road
• Route Selection April 05
• Horizontal Alignment design
• Vertical Alignment Design May 03
• Cross section
• Bill of Quantities May 24
• Final Design May 31
Semester Mini –Project
Thank You!