CHAPTER 2

Highway Route Surveys

and Location
 Project Cycle
Projects are planned and carried out using a sequence of
activities known as the “project Cycle.”
The cycle is composed of the following steps
 Identification
 Feasibility
 Design
 Commitment and Negotiation
 Implementation
 Operation
 Evaluation
Route corridor selection comprises of portion of the first
three of these activities.

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 Highway Alignment
Definition: The position or the layout of the centre line of the
highway on the ground is called the alignment.
 Horizontal alignment consists of straight paths and curves
 Vertical alignment consists of grades and curves
 Improper alignment of a road facility implies capital loss initially in
construction as well as loss in costs of maintenance and vehicle
operation
 Once the road is aligned and constructed, it is not easy to change the
alignment due to increase in cost of adjoining land and construction
of costly structures by the road side.
 Hence careful considerations while finalising the alignment of a new
road need not be over-emphasised.
 In general, 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
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 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

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Contd...
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, side slopes and etc.

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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.

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 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
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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

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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

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 Route Location Surveys
 In order to select the best road corridor, the following
engineering surveys are usually carried out:

 Reconnaissance Surveys
 Preliminary Surveys
 Detailed (Location) Surveys

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Reconnaissance Surveys
 1st phase of Reconnaissance: Desk Study
 Involves an examination of a relatively large area between
terminal points for the purpose of determining a broad corridors
through which a road alignment may pass
 Usually such survey is made by the use of available maps and
Aerial Photographs (stereoscopy)
 Probable Alignment is identified on the map by:
 Avoiding valleys, ponds, etc.;
 Avoiding river bends where bridges should not be
located;
 Keeping in view of geometric standards (e.g.
avoiding steep topographies, etc)

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Reconnaissance Surveys
 2nd phase of Reconnaissance: Field Study
 Involves inspection of each band (identified during the desk study) to determine
the most feasible route based on some basic criteria
 A survey party inspects a fairly broad stretch of land along the proposed
routes identified on the map during the 1st phase and collects all relevant
details not available on the map
 Some of the details include:
 valley, ponds, lakes, marshy land, ridge, hills, permanent structures, &
other obstructions;
 gradient, length of gradient, and radius of curves;
 number & types of cross-drainage structures, and maximum flood level;
 soil types from field identification;
 sources of construction materials, water and location stone quarries;
 geological formation, type of rock, depth of strata, seepage flow, etc to
identify stable sides of a hill
A rapid field study of the area, especially, when it is vast and the terrain is
difficult may be done by aerial survey

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 General criteria used in route selection
 The relative length of the alternatives was considered. mostly the shortest
is
selected
 The average and mean gradient was computed for each route. Normally the

least severe grade alternative is preferred. However, minimum grade mostly

give larger length.
 Route more closely follow an existing road or track are preferred.
 Routes face least severe terrain type was considered.
 Route remain longer on the crest of the terrain minimize drainage structure.
 Alignment minimizes for land acquisition and demolition of buildings and
houses are preferred.
 Trial number of cross drainage structures is considered.
 Routes result in least environmental disturbance is preferred.
 Route with least overall project cost are preferred.

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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.

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 Preliminary 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

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Preliminary Survey
 The preliminary survey may be carried out by
one of the following two methods:
 Modern: Aerial Survey – using photo interpretation
techniques, information on topography, soil, geology,
etc. can be obtained
 Conventional: a survey part carries out surveys using
the require field equipment taking measurements,
collecting topographical and other data and carrying
out soil survey

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 Conventional Method
 Establishing primary Traverse following the line recommended in the
reconnaissance survey
 Record all topographical features
 Levelling work: to determine the Centre Line, Profile & Typical Cross-
sections (just sufficient to approximate earthwork)
 Hydrological Data: to estimate type, number, & size of cross-drainage
structures, and the grade line is decided based on the hydrological and
drainage data
 Soil Survey: the suitability of proposed alignment is to be finally
decided based on the soil survey data. The soil survey at this stage helps
to workout details of earthwork, slopes, suitability of materials, sub-soil
and surface drainage requirements, pavement type and approximate
thickness requirements

After finishing the preliminary survey, Select the most suitable

alignment by conducting a comparative study considering economy,
geometry, etc.
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Final Location Survey
Purpose
to fix the centre line of the selected alignment and
collect additional data for the design and preparation
of working drawings. If extensive data is collected
earlier the survey work here might be limited.

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Tasks during Final Location Survey
1. Pegging the centre line: usually done at stations
established at 30m intervals with reference to
preliminary traverse/ base line (if used earlier) or
a control survey (if aerial survey was used).
2. Centre-line Levelling: at the stations and at
intermediate points between stations where there
is a significant change in the slope to obtain the
representative profile of the ground

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Tasks (cont.)
3. Cross-section Levelling: at each station (!) and at
points with significant change in ground slope
4. Intersecting Roads: the directions of the centre
line of all intersecting roads, profiles, and cross-
sections for some distance on both sides
5. Ditches and Streams: horizontal alignment,
profile, and cross section levelling of the banks
of the stream/river

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 Steps in route location
Know the termini points of the scheme.
From the study of a map of the area, 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

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 Steps in route location (cont…)
 Conduct preliminary and reconnaissance surveys and collect
information on pertinent details of topography, climate, soil,
vegetation, and any other factors.
 Based on the information collected in the previous two steps select
a corridor.
 Identify a number of possible centerlines within the corridor.
 Make a preliminary design for the possible alternative alignments
and plot on a base map.
 Examine each of the alternative alignment with respect to grades,
volume of earthwork, drainage, crossing structures, etc to select the
best alternative route.
 Make final design and location of the selected best alternative route.

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 Drawings & Reports
 The data, after the necessary investigation and final
location survey, 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
 A complete sets of drawings for a road design includes:
 Site plan of proposed alignment
 Detailed Plan & Profile
 Cross-sections for Earth work
 Typical Roadway sections at selected locations (e.g. junctions)
 A mass-haul diagram
 Construction details of structures like bridges, culverts, ….

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