0 GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1-1 Definition and importance of the road

The first roads are linked to the invention of the wheel, the chariot, and carts. The Romans
developed the first major paved road network by slaves. Most of the ancient roads
Romains still exist.
In vast and sparsely populated countries, at the end of the 20ththcentury many roads were
still some paths of gravel or compacted soil. In Western Europe and France, in their almost
all the roads are covered with a mixture of bitumen and gravel (bituminous coating), of a
or several layers of aggregates sealed with a bituminous binder (surface dressing), or of a
concrete slab.
The word 'road' derives from the Latin viarum, literally 'worn path'.
Unerouteest in the literal sense a land route designed to allow thecirculationof
vehiclesà wheels.
Technically, it is an infrastructure designed for a certain lifespan.
allowing, at the best cost, the movement of people and goods from one point to another
the assistance of various means of transport at all times and under the best conditions of
comfort and safety.
The road holds a special place among transport infrastructures. It is one of
real vectors of development especially in developing countries because it
de-privatizes and facilitates the transportation of people and goods.
Although the road is the most used means, it cannot do everything, it must...
long-distance function, of time, of charges, gave way to certain infrastructures
punctual such as port, airport, railways, etc.
In the aftermath of World War II and the independence movements in colonized countries,
Many countries have seen their road networks grow much faster than their budgets.
of the maintenance as well as the corresponding institutional capacities. Furthermore, the traffic has become
more important, and heavier, with axle loads that often exceed the load capacity
roads. This very rapid evolution of traffic poses a delicate problem:
- The necessity to ensure the flow of dense and continuous streams of vehicles in the
acceptable conditions;
- Measures to be taken to limit accidents.

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 Road development has grown exponentially since the end of the 19ththcentury
factor of a development that does not seem sustainable because it generates serious problems of
global warming, air pollution, healthandsecurity.
Road transport is currently the dominant mode in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA); it
ensure 80 to 90% of the transport of people and goods and is the only means of access to the
most rural communities. To control this trafficking, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have
considerably expanded their road network during the 60s and 70s. By the end of the 80s, one
could thus count nearly 2 million kilometers of roads in Sub-Saharan Africa. These
routes are among the most important in the Region, with a renewal cost amounting to
to almost 150 billion dollars.
Africa is one of the continents where paved roads are still rare, as well as the
railways. One is content with clayey, sandy tracks, subject to the whims of
seasons. With the climatic conditions that are ours, the dirt roads or laterite
are often a puzzle for 9 months out of 12, not to mention the fragility or non-existence of
numerous bridges. The paved roads are also deteriorating rapidly.
Africa is also lagging significantly behind the rest of the world in all aspects.
infrastructure (quantity, quality, cost, and access). While the construction efforts of
Trans-African highways are continuing, the quality of existing roads is deteriorating. In 1992,
about 17% of the major roads in Sub-Saharan Africa were paved, but in 1998, this
the figure had fallen to 12%, notes the World Bank. Hence the question of whether their
manufacturers always honestly adhere to the established or desirable parameters.
Therefore, at the beginning of the 1990s, it appears that a large part of the network
The global road network needs to be strengthened or rebuilt (about 25% of the paved network in the countries in

development) [5]. This is a considerable effort that must be recognized at all levels
and which explains the interventions carried out by road maintenance specialists.
It is also important to know what role road equipment will play in
the set of possible actions and how road investments should be coordinated
with the other actions for the pursuit and achievement of the set objectives.
Some surveys have shown that:
- in certain agricultural production areas, a has been recorded
increase in production at the same time as the expansion of the road network;
- For some countries, a correlation has been highlighted between production
agricultural per capita and an equipment indicator including road investments;

Road Course taught by Pr MADJADOUMBAYE Jérémie – Chapter 0: General Introduction - Academic Year 19-20
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 - the countries with the highest income are those whose road density per unit of
the surface is the highest.
The influence of road investments on economies is therefore certain and the powers
the public has here a means of guiding the economy. The role of the road appears from a
more or less directly, but certainly in all the elements of evolution
economic development (expansion of domestic and external markets, increasing of
contact points, trade currents, etc.

0-2 Role of the road

Ultimately, the road plays three important roles [6]:

An economic role that is to ensure the opening up of production areas.
and to supply the populations and facilitate the integration of the populations into the circuit
economic;
- A social role, as the road contributes to the maintenance of the national community.
It ensures a connection between the different populations of the country and allows for social exchanges.
and cultural, strengthening solidarity among groups within the national space, mutual aid
in the fields of procurement, health, safety, training. It allows
especially the access of populations to basic social services;
A strategic role, as the maintenance of territorial integrity and belonging
of each group to the same national community, leads to considering the strategic role of
the road in the defense of the territory. Defense forces must be able to intervene quickly
therefore accessing all spaces where this integrity can be called into question. Some routes
may be necessary, vital, solely due to their strategic interests.

0-3 The different types of roads

In general, roads are distinguished by their type of pavement, there are two types of
roadway
- Paved roads
- Unpaved roads
The paved roads refer to those whose surface layer is made of material
bituminous (surface coating, dense asphalt or bituminous concrete) or cement concrete.
In paved roads, we find:
The flexible pavements that consist of an asphalt layer;

Road Course taught by Pr MADJADOUMBAYE Jérémie - Chapter 0: General Introduction - Academic Year 19-20
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 Rigid pavements are generally made of cement concrete.
The term 'unpaved roads' mainly refers to roads that have a
wearing course in selected materials, and more rarely, it concerns roads
presenting a natural soil surface layer.
The road layers play an important role in its behavior.
it helps to reduce the stresses transmitted to the supporting ground or to the base layer, and
presents performances that allow it to withstand the constraints generated by traffic.

0-4 Road Behavior

0-4-1 The efforts

Under a car wheel, not much happens. The tire spreads the load,
with a pressure between 1 and 2 kg/cm2.
Under a truck wheel, however, the forces are higher. The roads are built
for trucks because it is they (with the weather conditions) that wear them out and not light vehicles.

0-4-2 Transmission of loads

Assuming that between the ground and the wheel there is a layer of untreated gravel, let's diagram it.
the phenomenon of charge transmission.
P

S1 P1

2 P2

Figure 1: Transmission of loads in a roadway

0-5 Political and Economic Environment of the Road

Although the road is an important factor for development, it is not however the
only because there are other sectors such as industries, companies, etc. that must be
supported within an appropriate economic and social measurement framework.
The role of economic studies is to facilitate dialogue between different people.
who are involved in the life of a project (political decision-makers, donors, financiers,
the technicians, etc.)
While the politician seeks to satisfy the will of the elected officials, the financier will say that there is no
not enough liquidity and it would be necessary to call for external assistance. The funder does not

Road Course taught by Pr MADJADOUMBAYE Jérémie – Chapter 0: General Introduction - Academic Year 19-20
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 will not be interested in the project because it is insufficiently justified or too expensive and at that time the
the technician will make adjustments based on the observations he has made of
traffic. As long as the different parties do not reach an agreement, the project will not be
never realized.
It is therefore clear that economic studies stimulate dialogue, teamwork,
they call on specialists and the technician who has an important role to play by offering
the range of technical solutions specific to his field. But often, alone in front of his
Project, the technician will have to ask themselves the question am I doing too much or not enough? They will have to find the
answer himself and support the reasons for his choice.
In conclusion, we can say that the road is therefore a factor of development because it
decongests and facilitates the transport of people and goods.

0-6 Cameroonian road network

0-6-1 Classification of the road network

Exposé

Road Course taught by Pr MADJADOUMBAYE Jérémie - Chapter 0: General Introduction - Academic Year 19-20
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 0-3 THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE ROAD
Ridge ditch
Entry into the land

Platform = Roadway

Clearing

Excavation embankment

Structural layer
Excavation spoil slope

Berme

Ditch Embankment slope

Embankment Entry into the land

Natural Terrain

Footing ditch
Plate

Enterprise

Figure 2: Cross section of the road

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 Enterprise:
It is the surface of the land that belongs to the community and designated for the road and its
dependencies. It ranges between 50 and 75m. This width depends on the height of the tallest.
trees.

Plate:
It is the surface of the land actually occupied by the road. It is bounded by the
entries in the ground.

Platform:
It is the surface of the road that includes:
- The roadway, possibly the roadways (roads with separated lanes,
highways + central medians
The shoulders

Causeway:
It is the prepared surface of the road on which vehicles circulate.

Shoulders:
These are the lateral zones of the platform that border the roadway externally.

Bermes and risbermes:

These are pseudo-horizontal benches designed to ensure the stability of slopes or
limit erosion. Their width varies between 1 and 4m.

Talus :
It is the leveled surface of a sloped area designed to connect the natural ground to the base.
of a cut or the platform of a fill. It is represented by l/h (3/2 for example)

Backfill:
It is the earthworks built on the natural ground to raise the roadway above
this one.

Clearing:
It is the excavation carried out in the natural soil generally featuring regulated slopes.

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