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 INFRASTRUCTURE  IMPORTANCE OF PROPER DESIGN STANDARDS FOR HIGHWAYS IN INDIA.

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Importance Of Proper DESIGN STANDARDS For HIGHWAYS In
India.
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 The geometrics of highway should be designed to provide
optimum efficiency in traffic operations with maximum safety at reasonable cost.
The booming economy and exploding traffic in the country has taken road infrastructure in
India to a new dimension. An efficient planning and construction of highways, expressways
and high-speed corridors have become need of the day. Highways as high-speed corridors are
not just functioning as means of transporting vehicles from one place to another but also
they host numerous industries along the corridor making a hub of economy. The
development of high-speed corridors in the developed countries has revealed the potential of
such corridors to alter the economy of the region. However, all this is possible only with a mix
of proper planning and using the right design parameters while designing the alignment. 
The design of a highway alignment involves great care keeping in view the construction cost,
maintenance cost, vehicle operation cost and accidents. A badly aligned highway is not only a
source of potential traffic hazard but also a cause for considerable increase in transportation
cost and fatigue to road users. Once a highway is constructed and opened for the traffic
development takes place along the adjoining land. After fixing the alignment it is not easy to
revise the alignment due to increase in cost of adjoining land and construction of costly
structures by roadside.
The geometric design of a highway deals with the dimensions and layout of visible features of
the highway such as alignment, sight distance and intersection. The basic requirement while
designing any alignment is that it should be short, easy, safe and economical. The main
factors controlling the alignment fixing are
– Geometric Design
– Obligatory points
– Traffic
– Economics
– Other considerations like hydrological, political, environmental, monotony etc.
Proper investigation and planning is very much essential in finalizing the highway alignment
keeping in view the present traffic and other needs as well as future development of the
region. The geometrics of highway should be designed to provide optimum efficiency in
traffic operations with maximum safety at reasonable cost. The designer may be exposed to
either planning of new highway network or improvement of existing highways to meet the
requirements of the existing and anticipated traffic. Different approaches involve in the
design of alignment depending upon the situation, basically the design of alignment is
required in two situations – new highway alignment and realignment of existing road.
TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY
Topographical survey is the backbone of detailed engineering design. Accuracy of the
information collected during this survey has direct bearing on almost all the design activities
involved in project preparation. The survey should be carried out with GPS and total station.
Currently the LiDar survey system gives more accurate three dimensional data of the ground
and other features.
ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
The design standards are to provide proper guidance to the designer to arrive at effective
highway designs. The standards stipulated by any country will be permitted with sufficient
flexibility to encourage the application of sound principles by the knowledgeable of design
professionals. All the standards from AASHTO, NAASRA, DoT & IRC, etc allows maximum &
minimum values. The larger values within ranges will normally be used, where the social,
economical and environmental (SEE) impacts and not critical.
The major elements of design are:
– Sight distance
– Superelevation
– Traveled way widening
– Guidelines
– Horizontal and vertical alignment
Sight Distance: The four aspects of sight distances are –
– Sight distance for stopping, which are applicable on all highways
– Sight distance for passing of every time vehicle applicable only on 2 – lane highways
– Sight distance for decisions at complex locations
– The criteria for measuring these sight distances for use in design
DESIGN LIFE
It is a moot question whether the design capacity of a highway should be based on its life
expectancy. The decision is greatly influenced by economics. For example, a highway might
be designed for traffic volumes 50 years hence with the expectation that the pavement
structure would be restored in 20 to 25 years. However, if the added cost of a 50-year design
over a design with a 25-year life expectancy is appreciable, it may be imprudent to make a
further investment providing capacity that will not be needed for at least 25 years.
SPEED
Speed is one of the most important factors considered by travelers in selecting alternative
routes or transportation modes. Travelers assess the value of a transportation facility in
moving people and goods by its convenience and economy, which are directly related to its
speed. The attractiveness of a public transportation system or a new highway are each
weighed by the travelers in terms of time, convenience, and money saved. Hence, the
desirability of rapid transit may well rest with how rapid it actually is. The speed of vehicles
on a road or highway depends, in addition to capabilities of the drivers and their vehicles,
upon five general conditions: the physical characteristics of the highway, the amount of
roadside interference, the weather, the presence of other vehicles, and the speed limitations
(established either by law or by traffic control devices). Although any one of these factors may
govern travel speed, the effect of these general conditions is usually interrelated.
OPERATING SPEED
Operating speed is the speed at which drivers are observed operating their vehicles during
free flow conditions. The 85th percentile of the distribution of observed speeds is the most
frequently used measure of the operating speed associated with a particular location or
geometric feature.

DESIGN STANDARDS (GENERALLY ADOPTED FOR NATIONAL / STATE

HIGHWAYS
 Exceptional/
Item Normal Remarks
Min

Design speed 100km/h 80km/h  

Minimum Typical values

horizontal 360m 230m will be much
radius higher

Minimum Typical values

vertical crest 73.6 41.5 will be much
curve K-value higher.

Minimum Typical values

vertical sag 32.6 25.3 will be much
curve K-value higher.

Minimum sight Stopping sight

180m 120m
distance distance
Vertical
Minimum only
clearance for 5.5m 5.0m
on minor roads
roads

Vertical
clearance for 6.5 6.5  
railways

Min. is width of
Width of ROW 60m  
road + 1m

2 lane
7m 7m  
carriageway

Service Roads 5.5m 3.5m  

Kerb shyness
0.25m 0.25m  
width

Sidewalk 2.5m 2.0m Only in built up

 areas

Minimum
distance to 2.5m 1.5m  
obstacles

1.5m/1.2m
Median 3m  
(urban)

Paved 2.5 m on high

1.5m 1.5m
shoulders embankments

Earthen Total width

2.0m 2.0m
shoulder 3.5m

At
Shoulder
1.0m 1.0m Embankments
widening
>6m

Embankment 1:2 1: 1.5 Minimum as per

slopes design

Cross slope on
2.5% 2.5%  
carriageway

Cross slope on
paved 3.0% 3.0%  
shoulders

Cross slope on
earthen 3.5% 3.5%  
shoulders

Cross slope on
3.5% 3.5%  
median

Max super Maximum as

7%  
elevation, SE per IRC

Minimum 1800m    
 Radius without
SE

Normal max 2.5

Maximum
%,
longitudinal Pref. 2%  
Exceptional
gradient
3.3%

EFFECTS OF GRADES
On long or fairly steep grades, drivers tend to travel faster in the downgrade than in the
upgrade direction. In a refined design this tendency should be recognized, and some
adjustment in Superelevation rates should be made.
 The transverse inclination to the pavement surface is known as superelevation. In order to
counteract the centrifugal force generated during negotiation of vehicle on curves and reduce
the tendency of vehicles to overturn or skid this superelevation is provided. The pavement
surface is rotated by raising the outer edge with respect to inner edge of the pavement.
Horizontal Alignment Design
All the curves having poor geometry shall be improved in case of rehabilitation projects to the
acceptable design standards and also to accommodate the widening proposal within the
available Row. Superelevation design shall be carried and applied to all the curves after
identification of black spots and possible causes of accidents the cost effective remedial
measures is suggested.
VERTICAL ALIGNMENT DESIGN
To provide adequate vertical curve length at the grade change on criterion of stopping sight
distance/overtaking sight distance/ passing sight distance. In case of rehabilitation project
care should be taken to avoid cutting/scraping of existing pavement and
CROSS SECTION DESIGN
The cross section details are broadly composed of carriageway, medians, raised footpath,
hard shoulders, and earth shoulder and drainage provisions. In general the carriageway is 7.0
m (two lanes of each 3.5 m). Where kerbs are provided, an additional 0.25 m “shyness” is
added, i.e. the carriageway is 7.25 m wide when kerb provided in one side only – 7.5 m when
kerbs are present in both sides. A 3.5 m wide shoulder should be provided, of which at least
1.5 m is paved and 2 m soft shoulder. On high embankments an extra width is given to
improve the safety and to allow safety barriers to be installed.
LAND ACQUISITION
As per IRC: 73 – 1980, the required Right – of – way (RoW) for National Highway / State
Highway Standards is 60 mtrs.  Efforts should be made to acquire the ROW at initial stages
itself.
UTILITIES
Various types of utilities may exist along the existing alignment. They are OFC, electrical lines,
underground sewage pipe lines and water supply lines etc. In general during up-gradation of
a highway all the utilities should be shifted and well protected. :
ROAD SAFETY
Road safety is an issue of prime importance in all motorized countries. The road accident
results a serious social and economic problems. Studies focused on geometric design and
safety aim to improve highway design and to eliminate hazardous locations. The effects of
design elements such as horizontal and vertical curves, lane width, shoulder width,
superelevation, median width, curve radius, sight distance, etc. on safety should be studied
and well addressed.
CONCLUSIONS
Since the realignment of any highway is tedious due to the developments already taken place
next to the existing road the care should be taken in fixing the initial alignment. All the design
standards cannot be incorporated in the up-gradation and re-alignment project. Hence the
design standards should be judiciously adopted with project specific and type of road so that
the purpose is served with added Road safety Features.
Right of Way (ROW) should be clearly marked on the ground and well protected from any
encroachments. Especially for the country like India the problem of encroachments is very
high. Strict regulations should be followed in protecting the ROW of the Road.
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