Module 1

Highway Development & Planning

1.1           Road Development in India

Modern Road Development in India

Highlights

1. British government passed a resolution in 1927, in response to which Jayakar Committee was constituted in 1927.
2. Jayakar Committee proposed an extra tax on diesel and petrol (Rs. 2/ltr) to develop a fund known as ‘Central Road Fund’ in 1929. 0.50 paise was kept by the Central Government for construction and maintenance of National Highways and Rs. 1.50 was distributed among State Governments to develop State Highways, Village Roads, other District Roads etc.
3. On the recommendations of the Jayakar Committee, a semi-official technical body by the name of ‘Indian Roads Congress’ (IRC) was formed in 1934 to pool technical know-how from various parts of the country and to act as an advisory body on various aspects of road development.
4. Furthermore, in 1950, Jayakar Committee initiated the formation of Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), a research organization to carry out the research and development work.
5. Few other important landmarks:

• Motor Vehicle Act – 1939
• National Highway Act – 1956
• Highway Research Board – 1973
• National Transport Policy Committee – 1978

6.     IRC played an important role in the formation of the three 20-year road development plans in India:

• First 20-years Road Plan: 1943 - 1963
• Second 20-years Road Plan: 1961 - 1981
• Third 20-years Road Plan: 1981 - 2001

20-years Road Development Plans

1.2           Classification of Roads

1. Primary, secondary & tertiary road system

Primary: Expressways & National Highways (NH)

Secondary: State Highways (SH) & Major District Roads (MDR)

Tertiary: Other District Roads (ODR) & Village Roads (VR)

2.     On the basis of usage during different seasons

All-weather Roads: negotiable during all weathers

Fair-weather Roads: negotiable during all weathers except monsoon season where streams may overflow across the road

3.     On the basis of road pavement

Paved Roads: provided with hard pavement surface which should be at least a Water Bound Macadam

Unpaved Roads: earth roads and gravel roads

4.     On the basis of pavement surfacing

Surface Roads: provided with bituminous or cement concrete surfacing

Un-surfaced Roads: not provided with bituminous or cement concrete surfacing

5.     Classification of rural & urban roads

Rural Roads: classified on the following basis –

a)     Traffic Volume – Heavy, medium or light

b)    Load Transport – Class A, Class B etc

c)     Location & Function

Urban Roads: classified into the following types –

a)     Arterial Roads

b)    Sub-arterial Roads

c)     Collector Streets

d)    Local Streets

1.3           Current Road Projects in India

Indian road network is the third largest road network in the world, after United States and European Union. A road network consists of urban roads and rural roads including expressways, highways, bridges, local roads, arterial roads etc.

As we have seen and heard lately, these expressways are the highest class of road in India. These are well-equipped with latest technologies like CCTVs, temperature and speed measurement equipments, SOS booths, restaurants, washrooms etc. Currently, the Yamuna Expressway connecting Delhi to Agra is the longest 6-lane controlled-access expressway highway in India. 

Some of the current & upcoming important road projects in India are discussed as follows:

1. Bharatmala Project

• NHDP-funded with a focus on optimizing the efficiency of freight and passenger movement across the country
• Includes development of National Corridors, Economic Corridors, Feeder Routes, Border Roads, International connectivity roads, Coastal and Port connectivity roads, expressways etc all across the country, with a total road length of 34,800 km.
• It is one of the important road projects in India and was announced by the Transport Minister himself, Shri Nitin Gadkari.

2.     International North South Transport Corridor

• The International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is the water, rail, and road route between India, Russia, Iran, Europe and Central Asia.
• The current INSTC project was initiated by Russia, India and Iran in September 2000 in St. Petersburg.
• It is a multi-modal transportation route that links Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran, and then moves onward to northern Europe via St. Petersburg in Russia.
• The route primarily involves moving freight from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia via ship, rail and road. 
• The objective of the corridor is to increase trade connectivity between Mumbai, Tehran, Moscow, Baku, Astrakhan etc.

3.     Char Dham Expressway

• Char Dham Expressway National Highway is a proposed two-lane (each direction) National Highway with a minimum width of 10 metres in the state of Uttarakhand.
• It will connect the four major holy places in India: Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
• The project includes 900 km of national highway that will connect the entire Uttarakhand state.

4.     Ganga Expressway

• The Ganga Expressway is an eight-lane access controlled project with express highway of length 1,047 km along the Ganga River.
• The Project aims to connect Greater Noida to Ballia in Uttar Pradesh state via Varanasi, Allahabad, RaeBareli, Kanpur, Farrukhabad and Bulandshahr.
• The expressway will be equipped with all the possible facilities.

5.     Delhi-Jaipur Expressway

• The Delhi-Jaipur Expressway is proposed six-lane expressway that connects Delhi to Jaipur via a 235 km long road length.
• It will run through the Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.

6.     Outer Ring Road Expressway

• The Outer Ring Road Expressway of Hyderabad is an eight-lane controlled-access expressway that aims to connect NH 9, NH-7, and NH-4 with other state highways.
• The 158 km expressway is road encircling the Hyderabad City of Andhra Pradesh.

7.     Mumbai Nashik Expressway

• The Mumbai Nashik Expressway is a 150 km long expressway that connects the financial capital of Mumbai to the holy city of Nashik.
• It is a major gateway that aims to connect Mumbai to the rest of the Indian cities.

1.4           Highway Alignment and Project Preparation

Engineering Surveys for Highway Alignment

The following steps are involved in finalizing the Highway alignment & preparing the project:

a)     Map Study:

• It is the very first step of highway survey.
• In this, we use a topographic map of the area under consideration, which can be availed from the Survey of India. Using the map, we can propose different alternatives of the road alignment. 
• The topographic map usually has contour intervals of around 30 m to 40 m. 
• We can get the details of the natural as well as man-made land features of the area using this map, and based on this we can then suggest a number of options for the road alignment.
• These alternative route options are further studied in detail in the later steps.

b)    Reconnaissance Survey:

• This is done to examine the general character of the area for deciding the most feasible routes for detailed studies.
• Basic surveying instruments are used in the reconnaissance survey.
• Following data is obtained from Reconnaissance Survey:

      Valley, pond, lakes and other features that may not be present on the topographical map.

      A number of cross drainage structures, High Flood Level (HFL), Natural Ground Level etc.

      Values of the gradient, the length of gradients and radius of the circular curve.

      Soil type along the routes from field identification tests and observation of the geological features.

      Sources of construction materials.

c)     Preliminary Survey:

This is carried out to collect all the physical information which is necessary in connection with the proposed highway alignment. This work consists of:

• Primary traverse survey
• Study of topographical features
• Leveling work
• Drainage studies & hydrological data
• Soil survey
• Material survey
• Determination of final centre line

This may be done using:

1. Conventional Approach: This includes using conventional survey instruments.
2. Modern Rapid Approach: This is done by aerial photography.

d)    Final Location & Detailed Survey:

• Final Location: The centre line of the road which is finalized in the preliminary survey is located in the field by establishing the centre line. Major and minor control points are set on the ground and the central pegs are driven.
• Detailed Survey: Temporary Bench Marks (TBMs) are fixed and leveling work is done for vertical alignment, earthwork calculation and drainage details.

Reference Books:

1. S.K. Khanna and C.E.G. Justo - Highway Engineering - 10th Edition, Nem Chand and Bros. Roorkee
2. L.R. Kadiyali - Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning - Khanna Publishers