Unit Description and General Aims

The aim in presenting this unit is to provide students with an understanding of the theory, principles, and techniques of road design in the context of traffic engineering, with a particular emphasis on road geometry, road construction, and materials. This unit will serve to synthesize much of the subject-matter covered in previous units and apply the student's knowledge to road design scenarios.

The subject matter covered in this unit will include road planning, traffic engineering, particularly on flow theory; materials and pavement, road geometry, and the related civil construction works including roadworks, drainage, plant and explosives, and earthworks.

An important component of the unit is a team road design project which is a problem-based collaborative learning strategy.

At the conclusion of this unit, students will have been imparted with the requisite knowledge to undertake road design and planning and site supervision.

Learning Outcomes

1. Recognize and prioritize factors involved in the planning of the roads and relate this to traffic flow theory.
   Bloom's Level 2
2. Evaluate the operational performance of a road (road capacity) by critically analyzing the often observed traffic flow parameters.
   Bloom's Level 5
3. Adapt road engineering theories and principles to produce effective road design geometry.
   Bloom's Level 6
4. Categorize and prioritize the properties of alternative road materials to justify their selection in specific scenarios.
   Bloom's Level 4
5. Propose drainage and pavement systems and design and critique appropriate systems for roadworks and earthworks actions.
   Bloom's Level 6
6. Communicate and perform effectively on an example road design project by contributing to the production and justification of a report and presentation.
   Bloom's Level 3

Student assessment

Overall requirements: Students must achieve a result of 50% or above in the exam itself to pass the exam, and must pass the exam to be able to pass the unit. An overall final unit score of 50% or above must be achieved to pass the unit once all assessment, including the exam, has been completed.

Prescribed and Recommended Readings

Required textbook(s)

• Austroads, Guide to Road Design: Set - Part 1 - 8, Austroads Publications, Sydney, NSW.
• Department of Transport & Main Roads - Road Planning and Design Manual, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, Chapters 1-5, 13, 14, 18 & 19.

Reference Materials

• Underwood, R. T. 1995, Road engineering practice, South Melbourne: Macmillan Education Australia.
• Austroads, Guide to Pavement Technology Part 5: Pavement Evaluation and Treatment Design, Austroads Publications, Sydney, NSW.
• Garber, NJ & Hoel LA 2009, Traffic and Highway Engineering, SI edition, 4th Edition, Cengage Learning, Stamford, USA.
• Guide to Traffic Management: https://austroads.com.au/network-operations/network-management/guide-to-traffic-management
• Roess, RP., Prassas, E.S and McShane, W.R 2011, Traffic Engineering, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall.

Unit Content

Topic 1

Introduction

• The Purpose of Roads
• Basic Elements of a Road
• The Development of Roads in Australia

Topic 2

Road Planning

• Basic Considerations
• Road Classification
• The Basic Transport Planning Process
• Specific Corridor Studies
• Community Participation
• Environment Assessment
• Planning Scheme Reservations

Topic 3

Traffic Considerations

• Road-user Characteristics
• Vehicle Characteristics
• Traffic Characteristics
• Traffic Noise
• Air Pollution
• Traffic Studies

Topic 4

Geometric Design Principles

• Design Speed
• Cross-section Elements
• Sight Distance
• Horizontal Alignment
• Vertical Alignment
• At-grade Intersections
• Grade Separations and Interchanges

Topic 5

Geometric Design Practice

• Undivided Rural Roads
• Undivided Urban Roads
• Divided Rural Roads
• Divided Urban Roads
• Freeways

Topic 6

Road Capacity

• Concepts of Capacity
• Basic Definitions
• Two-lane Rural Roads
• Multi-lane Rural Roads
• Freeways
• Un-signalised Intersections
• Signalised Intersections
• Urban Roads

Topic 7

Materials

• Naturally Occurring Materials
• Crushed Rock
• Aggregate
• Bituminous Materials
• Concrete
• Geotextiles

Topic 8

Flexible Pavements and Rigid Pavements

• Elements of Flexible Pavements
  • Types of Flexible Pavements
  • Design of Flexible Pavements
  • Construction of Flexible Pavements
  • Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Pavements
  • Stabilisation of Pavements and Subgrades
  • Recycling of Pavement Materials
  • Tests on road sub-base and finish (such as the California BearingRatio (CBR))
  • Top durability and consistency
• Elements of Rigid Pavements
  • Types of Rigid Pavement
  • Factors used in Thickness Determination
  • Reinforcement Design Procedures

Topic 9

Roadworks, Plant, and Explosives

• Basic Types of Plant
• Considerations Relating to the Use of Plant
• Explosives

Topic 10

Earthworks

• Preparation for Earthworks
• Cutting (or Excavation)
• Filling (or Embankment)
• Stability of Slopes and Batters
• Earthworks Calculations

Topic 11

Drainage

• Maintenance of the Natural Flow of Water
• Collection of Surface Water on the Road Reserve
• Control of Moisture in Roads

Topic 12

Unit Review

In the final week, students will have an opportunity to review the contents covered so far. Opportunity will be provided for a review of students’ work and to clarify any outstanding issues.

Software/Hardware Used

Software

• Software: Excel 

• Version: N/A

• Instructions:  N/A

• Additional resources or files: N/A

Hardware

• N/A

Unit Changes Based on Student Feedback