Afghan Highway and Street Codes (AHSC)

Session - 1
Introduction To Afghanistan
Afghan Highway and Street
Codes (AHSC)
Project Implementer: Regional International Consulting Ltd. (RIC)

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)
 Sessions

2 1. Implementation Manual
2. Geometric Design

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

2
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

3  Manual for implementation of Afghan highway and street

codes
The primary functions “Highway/Street Design Codes or Manual”
are as follows;
 Provide requirements and guidance on highway design

principles which are as current as practicable for the

existing country or regional conditions
 Assure uniformity of design practice throughout the whole

country

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

3
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

4  The secondary functions of “Highway/Street Codes or Manual”

are as follows;
 Reflect current best practices which can be used as a national model
 Provide guidance for the development of stronger definitions of purpose and
need
 Provide technically sound and documented decisions
 Provide more clarity and guidance on where and when certain standards apply
 Take into consideration maintenance issues
 Streamline the review process resulting in quicker review times
 Provide a process that results in less costly projects
 Clearly define when exception requests are required and the process for
obtaining, if necessary

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

4
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

5
 The implementation of codes is strongly required as
 Training of implementation units (such as;
governmental agencies, engineering and/or consulting
services, contractors, etc.)
 Site surveying (such as; volumes, axle loads and speeds)

 Crash data collection and evaluation

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

5
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

6
 Success of Highways and roads planning and design depend
on the following:
 On Engineers who are working in design offices
 On governmental/municipality organizations or in consulting /
construction / maintenance services
 Training of implementation units (such as; governmental agencies,
engineering and/or consulting services, contractors, etc.)
 The education and experience of an engineer play an important role
for the success of roadway design
 Suitable Highway design codes
 Site surveying is essential for the well-designed highway/street
 Traffic counting or volume study is strongly required for the
pavement design. Volume increase projection to be made

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

6
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code
 In order for a planner and engineer to start the planning and
7
design process it is important to have the following information
available:
The Geological Profile
• The geological profile of the area the road is being planned

The Survey
• The survey of the area indicating the coordinates and locations. This includes vertical
dimensions as well as horizontal dimensions.

Geotechnical data
• Preferably having access to the geotechnical data and the bearing capacity of the area
or along the path.

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

• The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports or at least an initial environmental
report that identifies the natural and social specifics of the path.

Aerial photography
• Aerial photography may be an asset.

Transportation Analysis
• Transportation analysis and demand based calculations, traffic counting or volume study

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

7
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

8
 Other Planning Principles
 Axle load surveying is required for the pavement design and
the restriction of the overloading
 Speed studies is required for the determination of travel time
and cost, delaying time and cost, traffic calming, needs of
enforcement
 Establishment, rearrangement or improvement of intersections,
capacity analysis, etc.
 Determination of intersection type and design
 improvement geometric design features of roadways and
intersect

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

8
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

 Other Planning Principles

 Traffic volume studying should be carried on the critical points of
the highway and street networks for everyday, if possible,
otherwise one-week, 24-hour and four-season in order to
determine existing AADT (Annual Average Daily Traffic). The
critical points are considered as the off-peak period and main
intersections.

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

9
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

10

 Other Planning Principles

Speed studies provide an essential measure for evaluating
highway geometry. The speed study contribute to:
 Design speed within an acceptable range for the

functional class of highways/streets.

 Both speed and AADT are the main parameter for the

geometrical design of highway/street.

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

10
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

11
 In case there is no formal speed study:
Select an off-peak 85th percentile speed equal to or above the
regulatory speed based on their expertise and experience.
 85th percentile speed to represent the operating speed. The

 85th percentile speed is the operating speed that only 15%

of the motorists exceed during off-peak hours.

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

11
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

12
 Segment and Intersection accident rate calculations:

Segment Accident Rate(acc/MV-km)=1,000,000xNo.of accidents

per year/365xAADTxSegment length(in kilometers)

SA= 106 xA/365xAADTxL (Unit less number)

Intersection Accident Rate(acc/MEV)=1,000,000xNo.of accidents

per year/365x(½ the sum of AADTs on all approaches)
SA= 106 xA/∑0.5xAADTx Ap (Unit less number)

Ap- Number of approaches

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

12
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

13
 Segment and Intersection accident rate calculations:

Segment Accident Rate(acc/MV-km)=1,000,000xNo.of accidents

per year/365xAADTxSegment length(in kilometers)

SA= 106 xA/365xAADTxL (Unit less number)

Intersection Accident Rate(acc/MEV)=1,000,000xNo.of accidents

per year/365x(½ the sum of AADTs on all approaches)
SA= 106 xA/∑0.5xAADTx Ap (Unit less number)

Ap- Number of approaches

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

13
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

14  Topographic Maps
Topographical surveying is a field survey that gives field data
taken as either DTM (Digital Terrain Model) or
photogrammetric mapping. A correct and suitable field map is
required for the design and construction of roadways. The strip
maps of 300 meters wide for the high class of roads and at least
of RoW wide for the low class of roads are required for the
design studies. The mapping regulations should be immediately
prepared by the governmental services, if no available yet.

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

14
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

15  Geotechnical surveying
Geotechnical surveying contains both geological and soil/rock
mechanics studying that includes:
 Field investigation, laboratory testing, mechanical analysis

 Cut and/or fill slope stability, consolidation, swelling,

settlement, load bearing capacity, compaction, soil
improvement techniques, earthquake, liquefaction, landslide,
rock falling and other problems are determined by
the geotechnical surveying.

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

15
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

16  Traffic surveying
Provides the knowledge about AADT, traffic composition,
trend of yearly volume increasing, speed habit, abiding by the
laws of drivers and pedestrians, power and/or need of the
enforcement
 Field investigation, laboratory testing, mechanical analysis

 Cut and/or fill slope stability, consolidation, swelling,

settlement, load bearing capacity, compaction, soil
improvement techniques, earthquake, liquefaction, landslide,
rock falling and other problems are determined by
the geotechnical surveying.

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

16
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

17  We need Traffic surveying to:

 Design of roadway facilities (e.g.; horizontal/vertical
alignment, intersection, pavement type and thickness, structure
such as under- or over-pass, traffic calming, roadside, climbing
lane, passing lane, signing and painting, left or right turning
restrictions, parking regulation or restriction, traffic flow
regulation as no-entrance, one-way or two-way

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

17
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

18  Traffic surveying in rural areas:

 Traffic surveying is carried on different way for urban and
rural areas. In rural areas, the continuous traffic counting is
required on the permanent stations for the major roads;
seasonal traffic counting is required on the temporary
stations for the minor roads by the four different seasons as
minimum twenty four hours of one week

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

18
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

19
 Traffic surveying in urban areas:
 In urban areas, the continuous traffic counting is required
on the intersections of main arterials;
 Seasonal traffic counting is required on the intersections at
the peak-hours.
 Traffic counting on the intersection should be carried on as the
volumes of through, left-turn and right-turn, separately, in
order to determine the type of intersection, type and place
of traffic island, need of right-turn lane or left-turn lane(s),
auxiliary lane(s), need of signalization, g/c ratio, number of
phase, cycle duration and its details, need of lanes number,
need of pedestrian crossing places, signing/painting, etc.

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

19
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

20  Drainage design :
 Drainage design is an essential part of the design of
highway/street, having subsurface and surface drainage due
to either underground water table or rainfall

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

20
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

21  Drainage design :
 Drainage design is an essential part of the design of
highway/street, having subsurface and surface drainage due
to either underground water table or rainfall

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

21
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

22  Drainage design :
 Drainage design means
the hydraulic design of
drainage structures. So, the
determination of water
quantity, which is carried by
the drainage structures, will
be essential matter. For the
determination of water
quantity, the rainfall intensity
is strongly required

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

22
 Session – 1: Afghan Highway and Street Code

23  Pavement:
Pavement is the most essential features for the riding comfort, riding safety and running
cost.
Requirements:
 Materials/layers characterization/specifications and number of standard axle-
load repetitions are required for the pavement design.
 Technical specifications and requirements of pavement layers and to be used
materials for those layers are prepared.
 Regulations for axle load surveying techniques

Supported by Afghanistan Investment Climate

Facility (HARAKAT)
Afghan National Standard Authority (ANSA)

23