Agaro Gera Medabo Design and Build Road Project Ethiopian Roads Administration

Final Geometric Design Report

August 2022

Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 PROJECT BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 KEY PROJECT DATA AND MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................ 2
1.3 ITEMS OF WORKS ................................................................................................................................. 2
1.4 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................................................... 3
1.4.1 Road Design Standard..................................................................................................................... 4
2 IDENTIFICATION OF ALTERNATIVE ROUTES ............................................................................................ 6
2.1 IDENTIFICATION ........................................................................................................................................ 6
2.1.1 Project Control Points ..................................................................................................................... 7
2.2 EXISTING ROUTE....................................................................................................................................... 8
2.3 DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVE ROUTE OPTION ............................................................................................... 9
2.4 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION OF ALTERNATIVE ROUTE OPTION ........................................................... 10
3 GEOMETRIC DESIGN ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................ 14
3.1 GEOMETRIC DESIGN ................................................................................................................................ 14
3.2 ROAD FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION ........................................................................................................... 14
3.3 ROAD DESIGN STANDARDS............................................................................................................... 15
3.4 TERRAIN CLASSIFICATION ......................................................................................................................... 16
3.4.1 Typical road cross-section ............................................................................................................. 18

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List of Tables

TABLE 1-1: CONTRACT DATA................................................................................................................................. 2

TABLE 1-2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................................... 4
TABLE 1-3: ROAD FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION VERSES DESIGN PERIOD ......................................................... 5
TABLE 1-4: ROAD CLASSIFICATION, AADT, CARRIAGE WIDTHS AND DESIGN SPEEDS......................................... 5
TABLE 2-1: CONTROL POINTS ON THE CONTRACT DOCUMENT ............................................................................. 7
TABLE 3-1: TERRAIN CLASSES ............................................................................................................................ 16
TABLE 3-2: RURAL SECTION CROSS-SECTION ELEMENTS .................................................................................................... 18
TABLE 3-3: TOWN/VILLAGE CROSS-SECTION ELEMENTS .................................................................................................... 19
TABLE 3-4: SLOPE RATIO TABLE .................................................................................................................................... 20
TABLE 3-5UPDATED CONTROL POINTS ........................................................................................................................... 21
TABLE 3-6 LIST OF REQUESTED HORIZONTAL DEPARTURE .................................................................................................. 28
TABLE 3-7: LIST OF REQUESTED VERTICAL DEPARTURE ..................................................................................................... 29

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List of Figure

FIGURE 2-1: LOCATION OF THE PROJECT ROAD AND ALTERNATIVE ROUTES. ............................................................................. 7
FIGURE 2-2: SAMPLE PICTURE TO SHOW THE OVER VIEW OF PROJECT .................................................................................. 13
FIGURE 3-1 TYPE 2 12M WIDTH ROAD SECTIONS IN CHIRA TOWN.......................................................................... 24
FIGURE 3-2 TYPE 3 EXTENSION REQUESTED IN CHIRA........................................................................................... 25
FIGURE 3-3: SEDI SECTION REQUESTED TO BE OMITTED AND TRANSFERRED TO CHIRA TOWN ............................ 25

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 Agaro Gera Medabo Design and Build Road Project Ethiopian Roads Administration
Final Geometric Design Report
August 2022

1 Introduction
1.1 Project Background

To address development constraints caused by the poor condition of roads and restricted access
and, owing to the importance of the road transport in supporting social and economic growth and
in meeting poverty reduction objectives, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has placed
an increased emphasis on improving the quality and size of the road infrastructure. The
government of Ethiopia formulated 1996, a ten-year Road Sector Development Program (RSDP).
To this end, the government has made a huge amount of investment towards the improvement of
the road network; both qualitatively and quantitatively. This investment outlays cover the
rehabilitation or upgrading of the main trunk, link, and rural roads and the construction of new
roads to expand the network.

As has been the case in the past, the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
(FDRE) continues its commitment to give the road sector the highest priority and is preparing
more projects for funding by donors and from the national budget. Individual road projects are
selected for inclusion in the RSDP on the basis of needs assessment and taking into account the
level of traffic, road condition, and access problems, etc.

In accordance with the above and its overall road sector strategy, the FDRE, represented by
Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA), has allocated sufficient budget to finance payments for the
design and construction works of Agaro – Gera - Medabo project through the Design and Build
contract delivery strategy.

The Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (the
Employer) signed an Agreement with RAMA Construction on January 27 2021 for Design and
Construction of Agaro – Gera - Medabo.

The contractor has appointed Stadia Engineering Works Consultants for the Detail Engineering
Design of the project in accordance with the employer’s requirements for the project. The
Consultancy service agreement was signed in February 2021.

The purpose of this Geometric Design Report is to present the Employer (ERA) with the key
context, design parameters, and procedure considered for developing the Geometric design of
Agaro-Gera-Medabo Road project. The amendments made to contract town/village start/end
locations based on consultation with public administrative and actual site settlement conditions is
discussed in Chapter 3.

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1.2 Key Project Data and Management

Table 1-1: Contract Data

Construction Work of Agaro-Gera-Medabo

Name of the Project
Design and Build Road Project
Project No. W/06/ICB/OC/GOE/2013 EFY
Source of Fund Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Employer Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA)
Consultant Engineer Zewdie Eskinder.
Contractor RAMA Construction Plc.
Type Of Service Design and Construction
Project Period 48 months
Length of the Road About 100 Km
Contract:
Signed on Feb 25, 2021
Commencement Date Feb 25, 2021
Expected Completion Date Feb 25, 2025
Project Cost: ETB 3,170,122,200

1.3 Items of works

The work shall consist of Alternatives Route Assessment and Route Selection, furnishing all
design, plans, documentation, equipment, materials, labor, and incidentals necessary to
successfully complete the project in compliance with the contract provisions. The Contractor for
this project shall perform, as a minimum, the primary item of work listed below. This list is not all-
inclusive and the Contractor shall be responsible for identifying all items of work and executing
them according to the design and specifications to meet the employer’s requirement.
Design work Items
 Route selection
 Topographic Survey
 Geotechnical investigation
 Geometric Design
 Pavement Design
 Bridge Design
 Culvert Design
 Underdrain design
 Retaining wall design
 Permanent Signs
 Pavement Marking
 Quality management program implementation
 Design Document
 Record drawings of as Built plans

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Construction work Items

 Construction of the roadway to DS5 standard and as modified herein, including walkways
in Woreda/Zonal seats and extra paved shoulders in Kebele seats in accordance with the
Typical drawings thereof
 Demolishing and removal of substandard structures such as Fords and Vented
Causeways, if any
 Constructing Bridges and culverts
 Clearing and maintaining the existing structures and improving their flow direction, if any
 Constructing underdrains wherever deemed necessary
 Constructing surface drains
 Constructing asphalt concrete Pavement
 Constructing Retaining Walls, and other road protection works
 Pavement Markings and Erecting Traffic Signs, Guideposts, km posts, guard rails
 Constructing other ancillary works.

1.4 Project Description

The road project is located in the Oromiya and SNNPR parts of Ethiopia. It is about 100km in
length having an existing gravel road connecting Goma Wereda, Gera wereda, and Gewata
wereda. Goma and Gera Weredas are in Oromiya Reginal state and Goma wereda is in SNNPR.
The start of the project is in Agaro town and it terminates at Medabo kebele Gewata wereda. The
route is accessible and has gravel surfaces in poor to good condition.

Along the entire project, there are 23 kebeles and wereda seats as terminal and intermediate
control points which gives an average of 1 control point every 5km. This situation made the activity
of alternative identification challenging. However, four alternatives are proposed for the purpose of
route selection.

The routes mostly follow the existing route from 0+000 to 50+000 (section1) which is
characterized mostly by rolling terrain and closely spaced settlements with an average spacing of
not more than 2.5km. Whereas from km 50+000 to km 88+000 (section 2) is characterized by
difficult mountainous terrain, deep forest area, and environmentally sensitive, with a series of
steep ascents and descents and sharp turns. Moreover, from km 88+000 to km100+000 (section
3), the road is less environmentally sensitive with moderately to highly challenging topography.

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Table 1-2 Project Description

Project Name Agaro – Gera - Medabo Design and Build Road Project
Road No W/06/ICB/OC/GOE/2013 EFY
Region / Zone Oromiya Regional States and Southern National and
Nationalities Regional State
Starting Point Description Agaro Wereda
Ending Point Description Medabo Junction
Length (km Approximately 100km
Road Functional Classification of the Feeder Road
existing road
Road Functional Classification of the Main Access Road
project road
Climate Classification Woina dega

Elevation (m) (min – max) 1570-2170

Traffic Volume vpd 300 – 1000 AADT

1.4.1 Road Design Standard

Various factors influence selection of road geometric standard. The most notable ones are:
function of the road, volume of traffic, terrain through which the road traverses, road safety, and
economy.
 Function of the Road

The function of the road is determined by the character and anticipated level of service that the
road would render. Typically, this relates to the categorization or classification of the road as
Trunk, Link, Main Access, Collector, and Feeder for which a generic definition is given indicating
its primary function and purpose. Since the road gives access and mobility between Diri Masha
Road of the SSNR and Jima Agaro Road or Oromiya Regional state, the road is classified as the
main access road (Class III) which would be designed to DC5 Design Standard according to ERA
Geometric Design Manual 2013.

 Design Period

The approach recommended for estimating the traffic for geometric design purpose is based on
the estimated traffic level at the middle of the design life period and this therefore requires an
estimate of the traffic growth rate. This method eliminates the risk of under design that may occur
if the initial traffic is used and the risk of over design if traffic at the end of the design life is used. A
design life of 15 to 20 years is recommended for paved roads and 10 years for unpaved roads.”
Based on ERA geometric design Manual 2013 the design period of the project may range from 15
to 20 years.

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Based on the ERA Pavement Design Manual 2013, the determination of the design period should
consider different factors such as Functional importance of the road, Traffic volume, Location and
terrain of the project, financial constraints, and difficulty in forecasting traffic. The manual provides
the general guideline for selecting the design period as shown in the table below.

Table 1-3: Road functional Classification verses Design Period

Road Classification Design Period (years)
Trunk Road 20
Link Road 20
Main Access Road 15
Other Roads 10

Since the project road functional classification is main access road and bearing the above-
mentioned factors in mind, we select the design period of the project to be 15 years.
Table 1-4: Road classification, AADT, Carriage widths and design speeds

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2 Identification of Alternative Routes

2.1 Identification
The location map and general layout of the project road along with the project control points is
shown in the Figure below.

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Figure 2-1: Location of the project road and alternative routes.

The identification of alternative routes within the route corridor shown in the figure above has
been conducted giving due considerations to the following factors.
2.1.1 Project Control Points

In accordance with the Terms of Reference, the main purpose of project road is to create
connections between the Agaro town and Medabo kebele going through all the listed control
points. Considering this, the control points of the project are shown in the table below.

Table 2-1: Control points on the contract document

Starting Ending
Length Seat
Town Name Statio Eastin Eastin Northin Wereda
Northing Station (Km) type
n g g g
Wered
Agaro 0+000 232687 869510 2+800 231030 867510 2.8 Goma
a
Shashemen
2+800 231030 867510 4+100 230024 866973 1.3 Kebele Goma
e
Genji Elbu 5+500 228840 866851 7+500 228254 865213 2 Kebele Goma
Kota 9+700 226494 864663 11+800 224767 864034 2.1 Kebele Goma
Beshasha 13+10
224113 862914 13+790 223614 862455 0.7 Kebele Goma
Badiya 0
13+79
Beshasha 223614 862455 16+900 220970 862830 3.1 Kebele Goma
0
17+89
Fintule 220355 863320 18+600 219697 863300 0.7 Kebele Goma
0
20+25
Sombo 219027 862034 21+490 217895 862073 1.25 Kebele Goma
0
21+49
Gicho 217895 862073 22+870 216764 861853 1.35 Kebele Goma
0
23+60
Sedi 216319 861367 26+220 214165 861257 2.65 Kebele Gera
0

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Starting Ending
Length Seat
Town Name Statio Eastin Eastin Northin Wereda
Northing Station (Km) type
n g g g
29+66
Loya 211274 862384 30+310 210650 862422 0.65 Kebele Gera
0
Wanja 31+66
209541 861949 32+950 208600 861668 1.3 Kebele Gera
Kersa 0
Kecho 36+14
205868 860419 37+950 204228 859708 1.8 Kebele Gera
Anderacha 0
41+17
Anderacha 201181 858906 41+870 200648 858524 0.7 Kebele Gera
0
42+87
Genji Chala 199850 858052 44+800 198112 857562 1.9 Kebele Gera
3
44+80 Wered
Chira 198112 857562 46+930 196446 856735 2.16 Gera
0 a
46+93 Wered
Chira 196446 856735 47+480 196765 856392 0.54 Gera
0 a
47+48 Wered
Chira 196765 856392 48+080 197202 856119 0.6 Gera
0 a
53+62
Gerenaso 196646 852083 55+380 195789 850654 1.8 Kebele Gera
0
64+67
Gura Afallo 193447 844589 65+220 193115 844220 0.6 Kebele Gera
0
72+85
Gemina Dacho 191432 839137 73+720 190838 838934 0.9 Kebele Gera
0
82+22
Oba 184651 838194 83+290 183930 838143 1.1 Kebele Gera
1
93+06
Bolrocha Deka 177162 839409 93+675 176823 839827 0.6 Kebele Gera
5
96+58
Chereko 174887 841417 97+980 174036 840564 1.4 Kebele Gera
0
99+12 100+09 Gewat
Meda Abo 173032 839800 172967 838952 0.909 Kebele
0 0 a
Chira Link Wered
0+000 196721 856911 0+540 196765 856392 0.54 Gera
Road a

2.2 Existing Route

Within the project vicinity, there is an existing gravel road between Agaro and Medabo. This
existing gravel road is about 8m to 9m wide which traverses though rolling and mountainous
terrains and serves traffic from the junction to the Church area. With regard to length, it’s about
100km and it touches 23 kebeles and towns.

The road project located mostly in Oromiya Regional state and partially in SNNP Regional
State. In Oromiya regional state there are two weredas which are Goma and Gera, where as in
SNNPR there is one wereda which is called Gewata The potential Kebele sections that could
be connected by the project road have been identified in due consultation with the local
administrative in addition to the site visit and desk study.

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2.3 Description of Alternative route option

Along the entire project there are 23 kebeles and wereda seats as terminal and intermediate
control points which gives an average of 1 control point every 5km. This situation made the
activity of alternative identification challenging. However, four alternatives are proposed for the
purpose of route selection.

The routes mostly follow the existing route from 0+000 to 50+000 (section 1) which is mostly
characterized by rolling terrain and closely spaced settlements with an average spacing of not
more than 2.5km. Whereas for the segment from km 50+000 to km 88+000 (section 2) is
characterized by difficult mountainous terrain, deep forest area, environmentally sensitive area,
with series of steep ascents and descents and sharp turns. Moreover, from km 88+000 to km
100+000 (section 3), the road is less environmentally sensitive with moderately to highly
challenging topography.

Alternative 1 (A-B1-C-D1-E)

Alternative 1 starts by turning left from Jimma-Agaro asphalt road at a junction in Goma wereda
with the coordinate of (E=232707, N=869535). This route mostly goes through rolling terrain
from 0+000 to 50+000, and mountainous terrain from 50+000 to 100+000. All alternatives
pass through 23 control points and the route is similar for the first 70km for all alternatives.

Alternative 1 follows mostly the existing road for the first 50+000 km (section 1) with the
necessary geometric modifications related to the standard, In section 2 from km 50+000 to km
88+000 the route goes the same up to 70+000 km then follows the existing from 70+000 to
71+720 whereas alternative 2 diverts to the left and goes through the forest by avoiding steep
ascent and descent grades. It rejoins the other alternatives at 71+720.

Then again from 71+720 to 90+980 all alternatives. At 90+980, alternative 1 diverts to the right
by avoiding steep descent grade and it rejoins the other alternatives at 93+080. From km
93+080 to km100+000 are also similar for all alternatives which end up at Medabo junction.

Alternative 2 (A-B2-C-D1-E)
Alternative 2 starts at the same location as alternative 1 and follows the same route up to Km
70+000. It then turns to the left going through a forest for 2km and joins the other alternatives.
From 71+720 to 93+080 all alternatives are similar as explained earlier. After 71+720
alternative 2 goes similarly as alternative 1.

Alternative 3 (A-B2-C-D2-E)
This alternative also starts at the same location as above alternatives and follow the same
route as alternative 2 up to 90+900 km. After this point the route goes to the left of the existing
road for 2km’s and then rejoins with the other alternatives.

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Alternative 4 (A-B1-C-D2-E)

Alternative 4 is similar to Alternative 1 up to km 90+900. It then diverts to the left of the existing
route with the intent of avoiding steep ascent/decent grades and then going the other
alternatives around km 93+000 after which route is similar to all alternatives.

2.4 Conclusion and Recommendation of Alternative route option

Based on the multi-criteria comparative assessments carried out for the identified alternative
routes, it is concluded that Alternative 4: AB1CD2E is the most preferred alternative route.

The primary reason for the selection was, this Alternative- has considerably higher engineering
benefits, higher social benefits, lower environmental impacts, and higher administrative
benefits. Besides, there are no overriding engineering, social, environmental or strategic
reasons for not selecting this alternative. Considering the foregoing, the contractor
recommended Alternative 4: AB1CD2E for detailed engineering design and subsequent detail
geometric design and construction works.

The following pictures illustrate the major features along the alternative routes.

Start of the project Smooth curve at 2+880

Shashemene kebele Kota town

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Beshasha town Sedi kebele

Curve and forest cover at 25+300 Wanja kersa kebele

Curve at 39+460 Geometry around 41+500

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Chira town Chereko kebele

Rock cut around 70+650 Oba kebele

School at 24+000 Town retaining wall at Beshasha

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View near Sina River Bridge Bridge at 49+440

Figure 2-2: Sample Picture to show the over view of project

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3 Geometric Design Assessment

3.1 Geometric Design
Geometric design is the process whereby the layout of the road and the dimensions of a
highway are designed with the objective of forming or shaping the facility to suite
• The characteristics and behaviour of road users that includes drivers, non-motorized traffic,
pedestrians and other road users
• The selected Design Speed and function of the road
• The terrain conditions
• The built up and natural environment

Therefore, geometric design mainly deals with features of location, horizontal and vertical
alignment and cross section. Road furniture for safety consideration and road side protections
can be incorporated as deemed necessary.

Accordingly, the geometric design of the Agaro-Gera-Medabo project road is designed. The
general considerations made specific to the condition of this section is briefed as follows.
Further the design details are presented in the engineering design drawings.

3.2 Road Functional Classification

Road function is basically related to the most common types and purposes of travel, trip and
character of service the roads provide. The character of service can broadly be understood as
Mobility, Access and a mixture of Mobility and Access.

ERA road functional classification manual classifies a road by the Class of Traffic Generating
Areas (TGAs) they connect. The Manual identifies five Traffic generating areas from I to IV with
the exception of Addis Ababa which is class 0. It also recommends five road classes as ;

 Trunk Roads
 Link Roads
 Main Access Roads
 Collector Roads
 Feeder Roads

The function of the road is determined by the character and anticipated level of service that the
road would render. Typically, this relates to categorization or classification of the road as Trunk,
Link, Main Access, Collector and Feeder for which a generic definition is given indicating its
primary function and purpose. Since the road give access and mobility between Diri Masha
Road of the SSNR and Jimma Agaro Road or Oromiya Regional state, the road is classified as
main access road (Class III) which would be designed to DC5 Design Standard according to
ERA Geometric Design Manual 2013.

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3.3 Road Design Standards

As explained in Chapter 1 of this report, the AADT of the route options at the mid-year of the
design period ranges from 400 to 1000 and subsequently are classified to have design class of
DC5 according to ERA Geometric design manual, 2013.

The geometric design of the road will be designed according to DC5 design class as per the
Employers Requirement.

Table 3-1: Geometric Design Parameters for DC5 Paved of ERA’s 2013 GDM

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3.4 Terrain Classification

Terrain is one of the major geometric design controls by which the types and impacts of adjacent
topography roads are understood and related to the geometric design elements of a road.

According to ERA Geometric Design Manual 2013 terrain class is “… established before a road
is designed hence it needs to be defined independently of the alignment that is finally selected
for the road. It is determined by counting the number of 5-meter contours crossed by a straight
line connecting the two ends of the road section in question according to the following definitions;

Table 3-1: Terrain Classes

Terrain Criteria Impact on the geometric Impact on Drivers
design of roads
Flat 0-10 five-meter contours per Km. Offers few obstacles to The highest speeds are
The transverse ground slopes traffic. normally selected by
perpendicular to the ground drivers.
contours are generally below 3%.
Rolling 11-25 five-meter contours per Slopes gently rise and fall Higher speeds are
km. The transverse ground and offer moderate generally selected by
slopes perpendicular to the obstacles to traffic. drivers.
ground contours are generally
between 3% and 25%
Mountainous 26-50 five-meter contours per Imposes significant Lower speeds are
km. The transverse ground restrictions on the standard generally selected by
slopes perpendicular to the of the road and often drivers.
ground contours are generally involves long steep grades
above 25% and limited sight distance.
Escarpment They are characterized by more Imposes the most significant The lowest speeds are
than 50 five-meter contours per restrictions to the standard normally selected by
km and the transverse ground of the roads; often involves drivers as they become
slopes perpendicular to the the inclusion of switch back alert and attentive of
ground contours are generally curves, long and steep the severe terrain
greater than 50% grades sometimes with condition.
continuous slope stability
problems and are normally
designed with departures
from standards. Earthwork
quantities are also
considerably high.

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The terrain classifications along the route of the project road are provided in the table below.

TERRAIN CLASSIFICATION
From To Length Terrain Typical Section
0+000 2+800 2800 Agaro Type 1
2+800 4+100 1300 Shashemene Type 4
4+100 5+700 1600 Rolling Rural
5+700 7+700 2000 Genji Elbu Type 4
7+700 8+200 500 Mountainous Rural
8+200 8+700 500 Rolling Rural
8+700 9+710 1010 Mountainous Rural
9+710 11+810 2100 Kota Type 3
11+810 12+600 790 Rolling Rural
12+600 13+100 500 Mountainous Rural
13+100 13+800 700 Beshasha Badiya Type 4
13+800 16+900 3100 Beshasha Type 3
16+900 17+940 1040 Mountainous Rural
17+940 18+700 760 Fintule Type 4
18+700 20+350 1650 Mountainous Rural
20+350 21+600 1250 Sombo Type 4
21+600 22+990 1390 Gicho Type 4
22+990 23+960 970 Mountainous Rural
23+960 25+300 1340 Sedi Type 3
25+300 26+620 1320 Mountainous Rural
26+620 28+040 1420 Rolling Rural
28+040 29+830 1790 Mountainous Rural
29+830 30+480 650 Loya Type 4
30+480 31+330 850 Rolling Rural
31+330 31+850 520 Mountainous Rural
31+850 33+150 1300 Wanja Kersa Type 3
33+150 36+140 2990 Rolling Rural
36+140 37+940 1800 Kecho Type 4
37+940 41+170 3230 Rolling Rural
41+170 41+870 700 Anderacha Type 4
41+870 43+260 1390 Rolling Rural
43+260 45+160 1900 Genji Chella Type 4
45+160 48+460 3300 Chira1(21.5m) Type 1
48+460 49+720 1260 Chira (19m) Type 3
49+700 50+660 960 Mountainous Rural
50+660 51+200 540 Escarpment Rural
51+200 53+360 2160 Mountainous Rural
53+360 54+360 1000 Geranso Type 4
54+360 55+560 1200 Mountainous Rural
55+560 57+300 1740 Escarpment Rural
57+300 60+060 2760 Mountainous Rural

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TERRAIN CLASSIFICATION
From To Length Terrain Typical Section
60+060 60+900 840 Rolling Rural
60+900 62+980 2080 Mountainous Rural
62+980 64+820 1840 Escarpment Rural
64+820 65+440 620 Gura Afallo Type 4
65+440 66+680 1240 Mountainous Rural
66+680 71+760 5080 Escarpment Rural
71+760 73+120 1360 Mountainous Rural
73+120 73+820 700 Gemina Dacho Type 4
73+820 74+920 1100 Mountainous Rural
74+920 77+240 2320 Escarpment Rural
77+240 78+580 1340 Mountainous Rural
78+580 80+740 2160 Escarpment Rural
80+740 82+340 1600 Mountainous Rural
82+340 83+350 1010 Oba Type 4
83+350 90+320 6970 Mountainous Rural
90+320 92+740 2420 Escarpment Rural
92+740 93+540 800 Bolrocha Type 4
93+540 94+140 600 Mountainous Rural
94+140 94+900 760 Escarpment Rural
94+900 96+280 1380 Mountainous Rural
96+280 97+680 1400 Chereko Type 3
97+680 98+380 700 Mountainous Rural
98+380 98+980 600 Rolling Rural
98+980 99+884 904 Medabo Type 4

3.4.1 Typical road cross-section

A Cross section will normally consist of the carriageway, shoulder of curbs, drainage features,
and earthwork profiles.

• Carriageway: part of the road constructed for use by moving traffic, bus bays and lay bays.
• Roadway: Consists of the carriageway and the shoulders, parking lanes and viewing areas.
• Earthwork profiles: includes side slopes and back slopes.

The typical road cross sections proposed for the project road are attached in Appendix 1.

Table 3-2: Rural Section cross-section elements

Type of terrain Carriageway Shoulder

Rural DC5 (Flat / Rolling) 2X3.50 2X1.50
Rural DC5 (Mountainous / Escarpment) 2X3.50 2X0.50

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Table 3-3: Town/Village cross-section elements

Name of Length Carriage

From To Shoulder Median Walkway Description
Town/Village (Km) way

Agaro 0+000 2+800 2800 2X7.0 2.5 2X2.5 Woreda

Shashemene 2+800 4+100 1300 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele

Genji Elbu 5+700 7+700 2000 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele

Kebele
Kota 9+710 11+810 2100 2X6.0 2 2X2.5
Modified
Beshasha
13+100 13+800 700 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele
Badiya
Kebele
Beshasha 13+800 16+900 3100 2X6.0 2 2X2.5
Modified
Fintule 17+940 18+700 760 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele

Sombo 20+350 21+600 1250 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele

Gicho 21+600 22+990 1390 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele

Kebele
Sedi 23+960 25+300 1340 2X6.0 2 2X2.5
Modified
Loya 29+830 30+480 650 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele
Kebele
Wanja Kersa 31+850 33+150 1300 2X6.0 2 2X2.5
Modified
Kecho 36+140 37+940 1800 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele

Anderacha 41+170 41+870 700 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele

Genji Chella 43+260 45+160 1900 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele

Chira1(21.5m) 45+160 48+460 3300 2X7.0 2.5 2X2.5

Woreda
Chira (19m) 48+460 49+720 1260 2X6.0 2 2X2.5

Geranso 53+360 54+360 1000 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele

Gura Afallo 64+820 65+440 620 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele

Gemina
73+120 73+820 700 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele
Dacho
Oba 82+340 83+350 1010 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele

Bolrocha 92+740 93+540 800 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele

Kebele
Chereko 96+280 97+680 1400 2X6.0 2 2X2.5
Modified
Medabo 98+980 99+884 904 2X3.5 2X2.5 2X1.4 Kebele

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Side slopes and Back Slopes

Side slopes are designed to ensure the stability of the roadway and to provide a reasonable
opportunity for the recovery of an out-of-control vehicle. The selection of a side slope and back slope
is dependent on safety considerations, height of cut or fill, and economic considerations. It may not
be cost-effective or practical to use very flat side slopes because of environmental impacts or limited
right-of-way to bring these projects into full compliance with the side slope recommendations
provided in ERA GDM 2013. The table below indicates the side slope ratios recommended for use in
the design according to the height of fill, depth of cut, and material type.

Table 3-4: Slope ratio table

3.4.1.1 Connectivity of towns/villages and kebeles in between

The entire project lies in Oromiya and SNNPR states. In Oromiya regional state there are two
weredas which are Gera and Goma, whereas in SNNPR there is one wereda which is Gewata
The potential Kebele sections that could be connected by the project road have been identified
in due consultation with the local administration in addition to the site visit and desk study.

As per section 6.4.4.2 of the contract document Consultation on-ground verification of the
coordinates set on the contract has been conducted for consensus with public representatives.
The following table shows changes in the contract control points.

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Table 3-5updated control points

Contract Document Control point Amended Control point
Town Start End Start End
Name Northi Remark
Station Easting Northing Station Easting Station Easting Northing Station Easting Northing
ng
Agaro 0+000 232687 869510 2+800 231030 867510 0+000 232707 869535 2+800 231036 867495 Start/End minor local
coordinate modification
based on-site
Shashemene 2+800 231030 867510 4+100 230024 866973 2+800 231036 867495 4+100 230014 866961 condition, no change in
length
Genji Elbu 5+500 228840 866851 7+500 228254 865213 5+700 228893 866663 7+700 228062 865227
Strat/End coordinate
Kota 9+700 226494 864663 11+800 224767 864034 9+710 226491 864670 11+810 224767 864034 modified based on-site
Beshasha condition, No change in
13+100 224113 862914 13+800 223614 862455 13+100 224124 862914 13+800 223614 862444
Badiya length
Beshasha 13+800 223614 862455 16+900 220970 862830 13+800 223614 862444 16+900 220996 862827
Extension of additional
60m based on actual
Fintule 17+900 220355 863320 18+600 219697 863300 17+940 220358 863339 18+700 219693 863307
site village settlement
limit.
Sombo 20+300 219027 862034 21+550 217895 862073 20+350 219027 862034 21+600 217889 862075 No change in Start/End
Gicho 21+550 217895 862073 22+900 216764 861853 21+600 217889 862075 22+990 216764 861853 coordinate and length

1280m is minimized
based on the actual
Sedi 23+700 216319 861367 26+350 214165 861257 23+960 216205 861214 25+300 215082 861377
site village settlement
limit
Loya 29+850 211274 862384 30+500 210650 862422 29+830 211274 862384 30+480 210650 862423
No change in Start/End
Wanja coordinate and length
31+850 209541 861949 33+150 208600 861668 31+850 209541 861949 33+150 208600 861668
Kersa

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Table 3-5updated control points

Contract Document Control point Amended Control point
Town Start End Start End
Name Northi Remark
Station Easting Northing Station Easting Station Easting Northing Station Easting Northing
ng
Kecho
36+300 205868 860419 38+100 204228 859708 36+140 205862 860421 37+940 204239 859713
Anderacha
Anderacha 41+700 201181 858906 42+400 200648 858524 41+170 201181 858906 41+870 200648 858524

Start/End coordinate
updated as per site
Genji Chala 43+400 199850 858052 45+300 198112 857562 43+260 199481 858100 45+160 197755 857461
condition and no
change in length
Chira Type1 Gera town
45+300 198112 857562 47+460 196446 856735
(21.5m) administration
ChiraType2 45+160 197755 857461 48+460 197518 855938 requested the revision
47+460 196446 856735 48+000 196765 856392
(12m) of the 12m width road
Chira Type1 to 21.5m by omitting
48+000 196765 856392 48+600 197202 856119 the section of chira link
(21.5m)
road. They highly
demanded the request
based on public
Chira Link interest and future
0+000 196721 856911 0+540 196765 856392
road (12m) development
consideration of the
town.

An additional 1280m
48+460 197518 855938 49+720 197502 855121
extension is requested
based on the Master
plan limit of Gera

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Table 3-5updated control points

Contract Document Control point Amended Control point
Town Start End Start End
Name Northi Remark
Station Easting Northing Station Easting Station Easting Northing Station Easting Northing
ng
wereda.

Gerenaso 54+400 196646 852083 56+200 195789 850654 53+360 196743 852288 54+360 196114 851575 Strat/End coordinate
Gura Afallo 65+800 193447 844589 66+400 193115 844220 64+820 191432 839137 65+440 190838 838934
modified based on-site
Gemina condition, No change in
73+900 191432 839137 74+800 190838 838934 73+120 191396 839163 73+820 191050 838887
Dacho length

Oba 83+000 184651 838194 84+100 183930 838143 82+340 184651 838194 83+350 176823 839827 No change in length
Bolrocha Strat/End coordinate
93+300 177162 839409 93+900 176823 839827 92+740 177227 839455 93+540 176788 839926
Deka
modified based on site
Chereko 96+800 174887 841417 98+200 174036 840564 96+280 174974 841355 97+680 174064 840623 condition

Meda Abo 99+600 173032 839800 100+50 172967 838952 98+980 173308 839713 99+884 172966 838953 No change in length
9

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3.4.1.2 Major Town/Village control changes

The first major change from the contract control point was requested by Gera wereda and Chira
Town administrative. The contract document specifies a typical section of Type 2 with a road
width of 12 m in chira town where the alignment traverses from km 46+560 - 47+470 with 540m
length and similar typical section 2 having road width of 12m is proposed from chira town
roundabout (km 46+930) to 47+470. However, the Wereda and town administrative strongly
requested for amendment of the typical section width, by considering the public interest and future
development of the town. They requested the chira link road to be omitted and the span of road
width from the roundabout (km 46+930) to km 47+470 to be 21.5m. The request was minuted and
forwarded to the client for decision.

Figure 3-1 Type 2 12m width road sections in chira town

The second amendment requested by Gera wereda is extension of chira town limit from km
48+460 to km 49+720 which is town end as per recent chira master plan. During on ground
verification of control points the town section length given for sedi town Is founded to prolonged
by the wereda administrative, while in chira town shortened. In order to adrres the publics
interest and future development plan of the wereda they proposed omission of 1.28km from
sedi town and transferring the omitted section to chira town. They said the proposal will
address the weredas interest without causing any variation in the contract due to extension of
chira town limit. The section requested to be extended by the wereda is shown below.

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Figure 3-2 Type 3 extension requested in chira

The second major change in the contract control point was made in Sedi town. As per Gera
wereda administrative, the town limit proposed in sedi town is much extended. The wereda
representatives proposed it is better to omit the section after km 25+300-26+350 and use this
omission to extend gera town limit. The major justifications given for the requested proposal
were the actual on-site settlement pattern and future development plan of the wereda. The
section from km 25+300 -26+350 is also characterized by right hand side large dense tree
plantation. Road width minimization in this section avoids the right of way impact on this dense
trees located in right side of the existing road.

Figure 3-3: Sedi section requested to be omitted and transferred to chira town

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3.4.1.3 Horizontal Alignment

Horizontal alignment of a road consists of tangents and curves that string consecutively in the
planner dimension of the roadway to form the planner look of the road. The way the tangents
and curves could combine and the form of alignment mainly depends on the topography of the
area, the drainage characteristic including the natural gullies, streams, and rivers, geotechnical
considerations, social and administrative considerations, and environmental considerations.

In our project where the majority of the alignment passes through sections with high social and
environmental sensitivity, a context-sensitive design that minimizes both the right of way and
extent of environmental impact was adopted. The finalized design is well fine-tuned by
including comments given by the consultant from the perspective of enhancing the design.

3.4.1.4 Vertical Alignment

Vertical alignment of a road consists of grades connected by vertical curves. Grades are
important elements mainly related to the safety and performance of vehicles. Vertical curves
(sag and crest) are designed to fulfill safety, comfort, and drainage criteria. Steep and long
upgrades considerably affect the performance of vehicles especially trucks as they decelerate
to ambient crawling speeds after traveling for some distance. Steep and long downgrades also
affect the performance of vehicles and the safety of vehicle operations as it is difficult to control
speeds along with long and steep downgrades.

Similar to horizontal alignment special vertical design attention was given to locations with
sensitive social and environmental impact where balancing earthwork extent with right of way,
accessibility, and environmental impact was important.

After following the above-mentioned design methodologies, the following important strategy
taken during design was on ground verification of the final proposed alignment jointly with the
consultant design team to fine-tune and enhance the quality before proceeding to construction.
This process played an important role in ensuring the quality of the design by addressing the
multi-objective needs of a geometric design. The Final alignment design parameters are
attached below in the Annex.

3.4.1.5 Requested Departure Summary

The employer’s requirement states in section 6.4.5 states “If any trial of towards fulfilling the
Geometric Design Standard gives rise to meeting one of the following six conditions (bullets a
to f), then the Contractor must advise the Employer Representative that the proposed design
cannot meet the requirements of the ERA-Geometric Design Manual, together with showing
what is proposed to mitigate the risk of any potential safety deficiencies, without exceeding the
extent of departure specified in section 6.4.5.1.

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A. Sufficient conditions to regard design as needing design departure:

Departures from specified geometric design standard (for alignment geometry only) shall be
regarded as compulsory if:

• It is not possible to avoid excavations of height more than an average of 20m at either side
of road for a distance of more than 400m continuously or varying left and right, or, if

• It is not possible to avoid box cuts (cuts on both left and right sides) for a continuous
distance of more than 300m, (with cut heights not less than 5m, or, if

• It is not possible to avoid fills of heights more than 20m meters, measured from toe of fill to
edge of road for length more than 60rn which cannot be avoided by the introduction of
conventional masonry retaining walls near the road shoulder on the side of fill, or, if

• There will be impractical heights of bridges and pose problems in having best river crossing
locations, or, if

a) There is Existing bridges which are sound both hydrologically and structurally and agreed
to be kept, or, if

b) In towns, where alignment follows existing road design give rise to demolition of a large
quantity of properties, or affects religious or cultural places.

B. The Extent to which the Design Shall Depart from Geometric Design Parameters

Designs with departures will not be approved unless they are accompanied with high level of
earthworks and/or retaining walls. Towards ensuring this, design-having departure shall fulfil all
of the following two conditions.

I. Horizontal Curvature radii should not be less than those specified for a one design class
lower however shouldn’t be less than 30m radius.

II. Maximum gradient shouldn’t be higher than those specified as absolute gradient.

The contractor should identify the sections which require departure of the geometric design
along the route corridor, but he shall also clearly show that there is no other way that the
design departures could be minimized or avoided, including the absence of shifting route
corridor. Such identification will be done jointly during construction with the Employer's
Representative and ERA will decide finally.

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Table 3-6 List of requested Horizontal departure

PC PT Radius Provided Terrain Min. Radius
23+948.13 24+100.21 75 Sedi 95
48+685.23 48+798.21 35 Chira(19m) 95
48+845.28 49+020.85 60 Chira(19m) 95

50+728.48 50+802.13 40 Escarpment 80

54+498.14 54+610.29 80 Mountainous 120
56+197.83 56+273.12 35 Escarpment
56+359.40 56+445.62 40 Escarpment
56+547.59 56+616.79 30 Escarpment 80
56+696.81 56+762.42 55 Escarpment
56+836.06 56+926.27 40 Escarpment
57+016.56 57+098.08 30 Escarpment
58+316.76 58+383.63 40 Mountainous 120
63+694.28 63+790.02 50 Escarpment 80
67+118.72 67+187.24 35 Escarpment 80
68+104.85 68+192.75 35 Escarpment
80
68+277.80 68+378.84 40 Escarpment
68+664.80 68+756.01 45 Escarpment 80
69+191.37 69+248.45 40 Escarpment 80
69+836.97 69+881.26 35 Escarpment
80
69+922.64 70+001.19 34
70+557.99 70+660.06 55 Escarpment 80
75+544.33 75+606.86 40
75+669.75 75+716.36 30
Escarpment 80
75+716.39 75+743.24
75+888.14 75+960.13 30
75+960.37 75+981.88
80+546.25 80+613.83 35 Escarpment 80
81+198.81 81+294.01 60 Mountainous 120
83+915.46 84+003.63 80 Mountainous 120
88+803.19 88+927.69 80 Mountainous 120
92+161.66 92+206.51 50 Escarpment 80
92+262.53 92+335.93 50 80
Escarpment
92+413.64 92+501.62 30

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Table 3-7: List of Requested Vertical Departure

Design Desirable
PVI 1 PVI 2 Length Terrain
Grade Grade
0+115.410 0+615.430 500 8.28% 7.00% Agaro
6+260.630 6+660.130 400 9.00% 7.00% Genji Elbu
11+529.230 11+875.840 347 8.00% 6.00% Rolling
15+861.710 16+051.640 190 8.62% 7.00% Beshasha
19+138.570 19+538.470 400 -9.00% 8.00% mount
21+804.210 22+303.980 500 -8.00% 7.00% Gicho
22+503.490 22+901.300 398 -8.87% 7.00% Gicho
24+309.950 24+621.280 311 9.00% 7.00% Sedi
47+187.070 47+569.940 383 -7.92% 7.00% Chira3(21.5m)
47+771.030 48+061.920 291 -8.99% 7.00% Chira3(21.5m)
48+427.630 48+827.620 400 -9.00% 7.00% Chira(19m)
50+630.46 51+030.28 400 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
53+031.16 53+429.56 398 -9.99% 8.00% Mountainous
55+737.82 56+137.04 399 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
56+337.12 56+737.09 400 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
59+229.96 59+629.89 400 10.00% 8.00% Mountainous
60+923.78 61+323.73 400 11.99% 8.00% Mountainous
63+985.98 64+361.45 375 10.00% 8.00% Escarpment
66+833.78 67+219.74 386 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
67+419.98 67+798.14 378 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
68+049.60 68+424.71 375 11.99% 8.00% Escarpment
68+926.20 69+289.35 363 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
69+489.71 69+889.87 400 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
70+360.85 70+760.83 400 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
70+960.96 71+360.95 400 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
72+958.78 73+238.42 280 9.99% 7.00% Gemina Dacho
73+465.14 73+661.17 196 10.00% 7.00% Gemina Dacho
74+972.43 75+285.06 313 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
75+485.23 75+885.19 400 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
76+582.26 76+980.06 398 12.00% 8.00% Mountainous
78+810.22 79+210.19 400 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
79+410.19 79+621.71 212 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
84+240.69 84+623.44 383 10.00% 8.00% Mountainous
88+641.07 89+040.82 400 12.00% 8.00% Mountainous
90+408.35 90+804.65 396 10.00% 8.00% Escarpment
91+005.19 91+403.72 399 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
91+668.10 92+067.96 400 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
92+215.68 92+393.86 178 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
92+593.85 92+860.41 267 12.00% 7.00% Bolrocha
94+479.35 94+879.29 400 12.00% 8.00% Escarpment
95+922.30 96+292.00 370 9.00% 7.00% Mountainous
96+292.00 96+666.34 374 -8.98% 7.00% Chereko
97+650.76 98+049.47 399 11.99% 7.00% Chereko

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