Highway Construction and Maintenance

The Process: Planning

The plan for the construction of a road or highway varies from one job to another and depends on (among other criteria) available financing, foundation and topography (environmental) conditions, nature of available materials and construction equipment, and the forecast for the type and volume of traffic for this particular roadway. Any road construction job consists of a number of basic steps, although, depending on the job, the relevant importance and the interaction among these steps will vary. These steps can be summarized as planning, programming, and preconstruction activities; site clearance; surveying and setting out; earthworks; bridge construction (if this applies); drainage structures; pavement construction; placement of road surfacing; placement of road furniture; and, landscaping.

A particular “document” read by many highway planners and engineers that is widely circulated and known as the basics of proper road planning is called “The Ten Commandments of a Good Road.” (The origin of this popular paper is a pamphlet printed at St. Michael's College in Vermont in 1984.) It contains sage advice that is still passed around to those in the field of roadway or highway construction.

According to this paper, “The Ten Commandments of a Good Road” are the following: (1) get water away from the road, (2) build on a firm foundation, (3) use the best materials available, (4) compact all materials well, (5) design for winter maintenance, (6) build for traffic loads and volumes, (7) pave roads only when they are ready, (8) build from the bottom up, (9) protect your investment, and (10) keep good records.

Preconstruction Activities

Before any building or construction can begin, a host of preparatory activities must take place at the construction site. These include surveying, setting out of stakes, site clearing, and site layout. Site-based management can significantly improve cost and time savings during the construction process without requiring much additional work. Site management involves many tasks, including site investigation before the construction process begins, material procurement and delivery, systematic performance monitoring, information collection, maintenance of site records, and communication among various responsible parties involved. Construction site layout involves identifying, sizing, and placing temporary facilities within the boundaries of the construction site. These may range from simple lay-down areas to warehouses, fabrication shops, maintenance shops, and residence facilities.

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