HIGHWAY NETWORK SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION Highway engineering is an engineering discipline branching from civil engineering that involves the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of roads, bridges, and tunnels to ensure safe and effective transportation of people and goods. Highway engineering became prominent towards the latter half of the 20th Century after World War 2. Standards of highway engineering are continuously being improved. Highway engineers must take into account future traffic flows, design of highway intersections/interchanges, geometric alignment and design, highway pavement materials and design, structural design of pavement thickness, and pavement maintenance. A highway is a public road, especially a major road connecting two or more destinations. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a "highway transportation system. The history of highway engineering gives us an idea about the roads of ancient times. Roads in Rome were constructed in a large scale and it radiated in many directions helping them in military operations. Thus they are considered to be pioneers in road construction. The modern roads by and large follow Macadam's construction method, use of bituminous concrete and cement concrete are the most important developments. Various advanced and

cost-effective construction technologies are used. Developments of new equipments help in the faster construction of roads. Many easily and locally available materials are tested in the laboratories and then implemented on roads for making economical and durable pavements. Planning and Development : Highway planning involves the estimation of current and future traffic volumes on a road network. Highway engineers strive to predict and analyze all possible civil impacts of highway systems. Some considerations are the adverse effects on the environment, such as noise pollution, air pollution, water pollution, and other ecological impacts. Scope Scope of transportation system has developed very largely. Population of the country is increasing day by. The life style of people began to change. The need for travel to various places at faster speeds also increased. This increasing demand led to the emergence of other modes of transportation like railways and travel by air. While the above development in public transport sector was taking place, the development in private transport was at a much faster rate mainly because of its advantages like accessibility, privacy, flexibility, convenience and comfort. This led to the increase in vehicular traffic especially in private transport network. Thus road space available was becoming insufficient to meet the growing demand of traffic and congestion started. In addition, chances for accidents also increased. This has led to the increased attention towards control of vehicles so that the transport infrastructure was optimally used. Various control measures like traffic signals, providing Roundabouts and medians, limiting the speed of vehicle at specific zones etc. were implemented. With the advancement of better roads and efficient control, more and more investments were made in the road sector especially after the World wars. These were large projects requiring large investment. For optimal utilization of funds, one should know the travel pattern and travel behaviour. This has led to the emergence of transportation planning and demand management.
Conventional suburban development uses a stem pattern of streets. Like a tree, main branches (arterials) lead to the trunk but not to each other; stems go to the branches (collector streets) but are dead ends, with no other connections. Travel is planned to be most efficient from the outskirts

to the center. Often neighboring development available, traffic congestion can lead Neighborhood Model suggests a network

projects do not connect. With only single routes to a demand for increasingly wider arteries.The

of streets which is more web-like, more adaptable, and less

vulnerable to pressures for widening.Streets are interconnected within and between developments, providing multiple routes to any destination.In addition to streets, pedestrian paths andbikeways in the

can interconnect areas. They do not have to be vehicular in nature. For example, as shown section on parks and open space,open space corridors can link neighborhoods to

each other and to

other sites. Bus and train routes also provide for connection and, when used, reduce reliance on the single-occupancy vehicle. The Neighborhood Model calls for an interconnected network of streets within new developments, and connections with existing development. This network is essential to support the pedestrian environment, mixed use developments, and compact,livable neighborhoods envisioned for the Development Areas. There are five types of transportation networks: 1) streets and roads, 2) pedestrian paths, 3)bikeways, 4) bus routes, and 5) light rail lines. The primary network is the road system and in many cases the other networks will parallel the roads.

The High Five in Dallas, Texas, United States: an example of interchange design. This is a complicated five-level stack interchange due to the proximity of frontage roads. Highway Maintenance : The overall purpose of highway maintenance is to fix defects and preserve the pavement's structure and serviceability. Defects must be defined, understood, and recorded in order to select an appropriate maintenance plan. Defects differ between flexible and rigid pavements. There are four main objectives of highway maintenance: repair of functional pavement defects extend the functional and structural service life of the pavement maintain road safety and signage keep road reserve in acceptable condition

Through routine maintenance practices, highway systems and all of their components can be maintained to their original, as-built condition. Environment :

It should also be noted that road networks can also be improved through reducing its negative environmental impacts. Roads are often physical obstacles for wild life. Wild life reserves may be split in two or more pieces due to roads running through it. It may be possible that these pieces are too small to sustain certain species population. Road authorities in the wealthier countries are already implementing mitigating interventions. These mitigating interventions allow game to cross the roads safely.

Problems Even in lightly populated rural areas disturbance from traffic noise has become problematic, in places severe Traffic noise causes disturbance at distance from roads Noise-affected scenic locations are deliberately avoided by some people,visited less by others, and are felt to be a degraded experience for a proportion of those that do visit Current approaches to assessment of road noise nuisance are inadequate for country areas Some villages heavily affected by traffic noise are nevertheless judged ineligible for amelioration measures Rural traffic noise problems are not restricted to major roads Increased traffic volume has led to more noise nuisance in country areas Increased traffic speed has increased rural noise disturbance Noise disturbance has risen as a result of an increase in particularly noisy types of traffic: HGVs and other large vehicles, motorcycles, hot-rod cars, off-road vehicles. Traffic noise is severe in some country areas Traffic noise causes disturbance at distance from roads Some people consciously avoid noise-affected scenic locations; some of those that do visit have a degraded experience Some villages judged ineligible for amelioration measures are nevertheless heavily affected by traffic noise Noise disturbance has risen with increase in traffic volume Rural traffic noise problems are not restricted to major roads High traffic speeds and noisier types of traffic cause more disturbance Traffic noise disturbance varies with physical and seasonal factors

 Affected residents make lifestyle changes to try to escape traffic noise disturbance Traffic noise affects some providers of tourist facilities Individual sensitivity to noise varies with behaviour and attitude. Pollution problems To reduce the travel cost, as petrol and diesel is much higher Recommendations 1. Recognise the impacts of road noise on rural areas The solution lies in recognising the worth to society of lack of noise and how intrusion of noise fundamentally changes the experience of countryside amongst those living or seeking recreation there. Present noise policy is merely overseeing cumulative worsening of noise intrusion throughout the countryside. Noise policy should be more ambitious: it should aim to clean up the countryside polluted by road noise, just as its rivers and estuaries have been successfully cleaned in recent decades. 2. Set targets for traffic noise reduction throughout the countryside Recognition is required that noise from roads in the countryside is already at unacceptable levels. These noise levels reduce the value of the countryside as a shared resource for the whole of society. Actions are needed to reverse the present trajectory towards ever fewer tranquil areas. Decision-makers should set in place policies to reduce rural traffic noise. 3. Reduce traffic speeds in country areas The quickest way to achieve a large reduction in road noise in the countryside is to cut speed limits. 4. Restrictions on noisy vehicles The rapid growth of heavy goods vehicles and other commercial vehicles on rural roads demands consideration of where these vehicles are or are not appropriate. Enforceable controls are required for particularly noisy motorbikes and cars. 5. Recognise the deficiencies of road appraisal for rural areas Appraisal guidance for road schemes should make it clear that noise disturbance generally extends beyond 300m in country areas and should be explicitly included in the assessment process. 6. Re-assess the approach to noise mitigation measures

The Noise Severity Index should be amended so that it has a fairer application to small communities and extended to include disturbance that occurs at lower noise levels. The overall budget for physical noise mitigation measures should be increased. However, mitigation measures considered for trunk roads and motorways should not, as at present, be restricted to constructional solutions but should include minimal cost measures such as reducing speed limits to 50 mph from the current 70mph on dual carriageway roads close to settlements. Local authorities should rebalance their assessment of noise problems on roads under their control to lower the threshold for application of reduced speed limits and weight restrictions where noise is an issue. 7. Invest in smart tourism Visiting and taking recreation in scenic country areas is liable to become a selfdestructive activity if it is reliant on private vehicles. National Parks and other areas that attract high numbers of visitors and their cars require public transport access options (scheduled and demand-responsive) of sufficient quality to permit restrictions on private car movements, with the aim of concentrating a large proportion of car destinations at places that can act as public transport hubs near the boundary of the area in question. METHODOLOGY AND LIMITATIONS To understand the problems, their reasons and possible solutions for better traffic management, 50 respondents consisting of officials from State Roadways Transport Corporation (SRTC), Traffic Police, State Police Department, Highway Division of the Public Works Department(PWD), Forest Department, Non Government Organisation, Transporters and 100 truckdrivers were interviewed following random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information from the drivers. Both formal and informal discussions with drivers were taped in audiocassettes. Primary record of police stations along the highway were extensively referred for comprehensive information on road accidents and related traffic jams. Related reports from secondary sources were also consulted for the purpose of this study. The study has the following limitations:

(1) Primary data in the study are only from truck drivers who constitute about 42% of total traffic; (2) In this study, focus is on social and administrative aspects of the problem. Engineering aspect has not been studied in depth; (3) Primary and secondary data are confined to the Ahmedabad-Vadodara section in NH-8 and thus the findings of the study may not be fully applicable to the entire NH-8 or NH system of the country; (4) In spite of our bests effort, four police stations with a jurisdiction of about 6 kms (about 5% of stretch being studied) of highway could not be covered because of non -availability of primary records and/or absence of concerned officials. The data were collected from 12 Police Stations namely Aslali, Kheda (town), Matar (rural), Vaso, Nadiad (town),Nadiad (rural) Chaklasi, Anand (town), Anand (rural), Vasad, Fazalpur (rural), and Chhan. (5) Must avoid steep turning; (6) Proper vertical or horizontal turning design; (7) Proper signal,Road width,Zebra crossing,Speed Breakers,Foot path; (8) Proper design of pavement; (9) Proper division of road and proper drain of rain water on pavement; Conclusions While it has been agreed upon that traffic congestion is a major problem in this country, as well as others, the solutions to this problem have ranged from the simple to the exotic. The same is true with the development of the Automated Highway System. While some of the benefits which are being promoted the most are increased safety and increased capacity, and thus decreased travel time during heavy traffic periods, exactly how much of a benefit which will be realized is debatable.