International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management (IJSREM)

Volume: 08 Issue: 10 | Oct - 2024 SJIF Rating: 8.448 ISSN: 2582-3930

Geometric Design of a Highway using Mx Road

1
Yadala Prasanna Kumar, 2 Mr. B. Krishna Naik, M.tech
1M. Tech Student, Department of Civil Engineering, MVR College of Engineering and Technology (autonomous)
paritala, India.
2Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, MVR College of Engineering and Technology, paritala,

India.
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Abstract - This study addresses the need for road travel. To address these challenges, advanced road design
widening to accommodate increasing traffic intensity on the software such as MX Road or Open Roads Designer by
Vijayawada Highway (30.8 km). Road widening can Bentley can be employed. These tools enable efficient and
improve traffic performance by increasing capacity, though accurate road design, providing precision in calculations and
it may also attract more users. The research involves saving valuable time. MX Road, for example, offers 3D
analyzing the effects of road widening on traffic flow and visualization, giving designers a comprehensive view of the
safety, using Bentley MX Road software for road geometric road layout, including earthwork and horizontal and vertical
design. The project includes importing existing road profiles. In this project, the road's horizontal and vertical
geometry into the software, applying design standards, and alignments will be reconfigured to ensure adequate sight
generating alternatives for optimization. The redesign aims distances and increased curve radii, allowing vehicles to
to improve efficiency, safety, and compliance with travel at higher speeds while maintaining safety.
standards while minimizing costs and environmental
impact. 2. Objectives
Keywords: road widening, traffic performance, road To maintain an effective radius for horizontal curves to
capacity, geometric design, Bentley MX Road, Vijayawada ensure optimal vehicle placement and reduce accidents. • To
Highway, safety, traffic flow. review baseline maps of existing roads when designing new
profiles, which helps in saving time and costs. • To provide
1.Introduction safe sight distances and gradients to enable the highest
Roads are the primary mode of transportation in India, with possible speed safely. • To develop a design that is both safer
a vast network extending over 5.89 million kilometers, and more cost-effective.
making it the second-largest road network globally, just
behind the United States with its 6.65 million kilometers. 3.Scope of the present study:
These roads are vital for the movement of people and goods
across the country. India's national highways, connecting Srikiran et al. (2018) conducted a geometric design study on
major cities, are classified based on the width of their a 10 km segment of NH-9, from Humnabad to Sangareddy,
carriageways. However, the country's main roads are focusing on improving horizontal curves by increasing the
currently under immense strain, requiring significant radius of curvature to meet four-lane standards. They also
modernization to keep up with the growing demands of the optimized the vertical profile in line with sight distance,
economy.As traffic volumes in India continue to rise, gradients, and economic considerations. This approach
maintaining existing roads and expanding them to enabled the achievement of a design speed of 100 km/h for
accommodate more vehicles is essential. Widening roads to the stretch by enhancing the radius of the horizontal curves
handle increased traffic flow will also facilitate higher and optimizing the vertical curves.
average travel speeds. Therefore, it is critical to redesign the
current road infrastructure to support the surge in vehicle Ali et al. (2018) worked on the design of a 1.51 km sub-
movement efficiently. The expansion of road projects across arterial urban road, extending from Devegowda Circle to
India underscores the need for precise, efficient design Nice Road via Kerekodi Road. The alignment featured a
methods to meet modern transportation demands. Another minimum horizontal curve radius of 40 meters, limiting the
major concern is the increasing number of road accidents, design speed to 30 km/h. Their design aimed for a ruling
often attributed to poor road design. In India, many accidents speed of 60 km/h, utilizing MX Road software for high
are caused by inadequate sight distance, particularly on precision and efficiency.
curved roads. Designing curves with appropriate sight
distances is both a challenging and time consuming task. For Srikanth and Raveesh (2019) designed a rigid pavement for
example, the Krishna district road stretch is surrounded by a route from Thullar to Amravati in Andhra Pradesh,
buildings, shops, offices, schools, and parks, with sharp emphasizing the increase of horizontal curve radii to reduce
curves that have very small radii—some as tight as 50 highway accidents. They set a ruling design speed of 100
meters—forcing a significant reduction in design speed. km/h, with a minimum of 30 km/h. The proposed alignment
Research by Jesna N.M. and M.V.L.R. Anjaneyulu on two- included areas with minimum curve radii at two minor
lane highways has shown that the safety of horizontal curves junctions, necessitating speed reductions.
is primarily dependent on their radius. Their findings indicate Akshay et al. (2018) conducted geometric design work for a
that as the curve radius increases, so does the safety or section of NH 99, from Nawadih to Chandwa, prioritizing
reliability index. Larger curve radii allow for safer, smoother

© 2024, IJSREM | www.ijsrem.com DOI: 10.55041/IJSREM38241 | Page 1

 International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management (IJSREM)
Volume: 08 Issue: 10 | Oct - 2024 SJIF Rating: 8.448 ISSN: 2582-3930

safety and appropriate travel speeds. They enhanced both Ultimately, the methodology culminated in a final cost
vertical and horizontal geometry to support a design speed estimation for the project, ensuring that all aspects of the
of 100 km/h using MX Road software. design were thoroughly evaluated and accounted for. This
structured approach allowed for a comprehensive design
Kumar et al. (2015) focused on the geometric design of SH- that addressed the identified issues while adhering to the
131 to upgrade the existing roadway with improved necessary standards and requirements for highway
geometric features through MX Road software. Meanwhile, construction. As shown in flow chat fig.1.
Malooa et al. (2016) standardized baseline surveys for the
road sector in Chikurde and Bhulane, Maharashtra, creating
a flexible framework for village road design.
Das et al. (2016) noted that vehicles tend to gravitate
towards the road center on curves, with a more pronounced
shift as the curve radius increases. Nazimuddin et al. (2017)
designed alignments to match existing layouts at major
drainage sections, incorporating a ruling speed of 100 km/h
and adhering to gradient limitations.
Horníček and Rakowski (2017) developed a crack
propagation barrier method combining geogrids and various
material layers to minimize reflective cracking during road
reconstruction. Kozlov et al. (2017) highlighted a shift in
Russia towards user-friendly infrared toll stations.
Yao et al. (2019) found that foundation settlement increases
with higher surcharge loads, while longer column lengths
mitigate this effect. Kefei et al. (2016) focused on measuring
surface characteristics of warm mix asphalt using an Atomic
Force Microscope.
Hossain et al. (2019) revealed that axle load peak values for
Class 9 vehicles were higher than default values. Dive et al. Fig.1 Methodology flowchart
(2016) reported that increasing base layer thickness reduces
rutting damage but less so for fatigue damage. Sabih et al. 4.1 MX Road software
(2018) concluded that concrete strength improves with
higher elastic modulus, affecting performance. Martin et al. MX Road, developed by Bentley Systems, a UK-based
(2016) noted rapid pavement deterioration following company, has seen numerous upgrades to adapt to the
flooding. Chen et al. (2016) introduced a cyclic fuzzy set increasing demands for accuracy and efficiency in highway
model for material analysis. Luo et al. (2016) derived design. This advanced string-based modeling tool enables
equations for beam deformation in concrete pavements, and rapid and precise design of various road types. With MX
Svatovskaya et al. (2017) explored soil strengthening Road, highway designers can efficiently finalize design
techniques. Grygierek et al. (2017) continued research on alternatives and automate many detailing processes, leading
geogrids and stiffness, while Peng and Zornberg (2017) to significant time and cost savings.
effectively used transparent soil for displacement analysis.
The software employs 3D string modeling technology, a
4.Materials and Methodology robust yet user-friendly approach for creating 3D surfaces.
Its interoperable database allows engineers to create and
The methodology commenced with a comprehensive review annotate 3D project models compatible with popular AEC
of existing research on highway design and software platforms and Windows.
applications in India. This initial phase aimed to identify key
issues affecting highway design. Based on the insights Recently, highway projects in India have increasingly relied
gained from the literature review, effective solutions were on Public-Private Partnerships, reflecting a shift toward
developed. collaborative approaches in infrastructure development. MX
Road's capabilities support these initiatives by streamlining
Data collection for the new design focused primarily on the design process, ensuring that projects meet the necessary
highway widening and increasing curve radii. After standards while facilitating efficient collaboration among
gathering the necessary information, appropriate design stakeholders. This combination of advanced technology and
parameters were selected to guide the project. A new collaborative frameworks positions MX Road as a vital tool
centerline was then established, serving as the foundation in the evolving landscape of highway design.
for subsequent design activities.
4.2 Applications of the software
Following this, the team formulated the horizontal and
vertical alignments, taking into account necessary factors MX Road delivers high precision in road construction within
such as superelevation and cross-sections. Earthwork, constrained land widths, helping to reduce land acquisition
pavement, and sub-grade designs were also developed as costs, which directly impact the overall project budget. It
part of the design process. facilitates the alignment of horizontal designs for upgrade
projects to integrate seamlessly with existing cross-drainage
structures and adjusts vertical profiles to align with current

© 2024, IJSREM | www.ijsrem.com DOI: 10.55041/IJSREM38241 | Page 2

 International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management (IJSREM)
Volume: 08 Issue: 10 | Oct - 2024 SJIF Rating: 8.448 ISSN: 2582-3930

levels of these structures. The software effectively designs 4.7 Thin bituminous surface
various geometric elements, such as carriageways and The thin bituminous surface course acts as a barrier to
shoulders, and allows for precise control of design prevent surface water from infiltrating the pavement layers
parameters including design speed, horizontal curvature, during rain, thereby protecting the base course and other
superelevation, and vertical curvature. underlying layers. A well-maintained surfacing combined
with an effective drainage layer helps keep the soil subgrade
relatively dry, preserving its stability. Additionally, the
4.3 COMPONENTSOF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT bituminous surfacing functions as a wearing course for
traffic, providing a dust-free pavement surface in dry
conditions.

4.8 Detail sof project area

A case study is conducted on a state highway, specifically

the Jhalawar-Payli road, as illustrated in the figure.
Jhalawar, a city in the southeastern part of Rajasthan, India,
is situated at an average elevation of 312 meters (1023 feet).
The existing 2-lane road, with a width of 7 meters, has been
redesigned with an increased curve radius to enhance safety.
Fig.2 Cross-section of a flexible pavement In order to carry out this research a different method is used
for both Geometric and
4.4 SOILSUBGRADE PavementDesignofhighwaybyuseofMXRoadsoftware.Theg
roundprofileoftheexisting2laneroadfrom Jhalawar to Payli
The soil subgrade, composed of natural or selected soil was given using which the new 2 lane road is to be designed
compacted in layers, serves as the lowest layer of the for the given stretch. As shown in fig.3.
pavement system, supporting all other layers and traffic
loads. In India, the minimum thickness is 500 mm for
National and State Highways and major arterial roads, and
300 mm for rural roads. Proper drainage is vital for
maintaining soil strength and support year-round.

4.5 GRANULARSUB-BASE ANDDRAINAGE LAYER

The Granular Sub-Base (GSB) course functions as an
effective drainage layer within pavements and must endure
lower compressive stresses compared to the base course.
Consequently, aggregates with lower strength but good
permeability can be used in the GSB layer. Crushed stone
aggregates are commonly employed in GSB layers for major
highways due to their high permeability, which enhances Fig 2 : Locating study area from Google Earth
drainage. Coarse-graded aggregates with a low percentage
of fines (less than 5% finer than 0.075 mm) are ideal for 5. DESIGN OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT
ensuring effective drainage
IRC: 37- 2018 pavement method require a large number of
4.6 GRANULAR SUBBASE-AND DRAINGANGE below listed parameters to be evaluated and used for the
LAYER design of flexible pavement as presented in Table 1
Traffic input parameters for flexible pavement design as per IRC:37-
The granular base course is a crucial component of flexible 2018
pavements, designed to absorb wheel load stresses and Base year traffic volumes of commercial vehicles in terms of AADT
distribute them over a larger area onto the Granular Sub- Design period
Base (GSB) layer beneath. A high-quality base course
Traffic growth rate
significantly improves the load-carrying capacity of the
flexible pavement structure. Typically, good quality coarse Composition of commercial traffic in terms of single, tandem, tridem and
multi-axles
aggregates are used for the granular base course. According
Vehicle damage factors
to the specifications set by the Ministry of Road Transport
and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India, the Lane distribution factors
aggregates for the base course should have a low Aggregate
Impact value (less than 30%) and a low Los Angeles
Abrasion value (less than 40%). Table 1. Design of flexible pavement

© 2024, IJSREM | www.ijsrem.com DOI: 10.55041/IJSREM38241 | Page 3

 International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management (IJSREM)
Volume: 08 Issue: 10 | Oct - 2024 SJIF Rating: 8.448 ISSN: 2582-3930

5.1 Base year traffic volumes 6.1 Plotting of data in open roads
A comprehensive survey of the project road was conducted
in May 2018, referred to as the “Base Year.” Traffic Importing necessary data
projections and growth rates for various vehicle types, • Rename the data file as ‘spot.csv’.
detailed in a separate Traffic Study Report, have been • Create a folder on the drive named ‘Jhalawar Data’
analyzed. For pavement design, commercial vehicles with a and include two subfolders within it named ‘Raw
Data’ and ‘Processed Data’.
• Copy the ‘spot.csv’ file into both the ‘Raw Data’
and ‘Processed Data’ folders.
• When opening the data processing software, a
dialogue box will appear; click on ‘Create New
Project’. Name the project ‘Jhalawar Data’ and
click on ‘Browse’.
In the browse tab, navigate to D:/Jhalawar Data/Processed
Data and click ‘OK’. As shown in figure.
gross vehicle weight exceeding 3 tons—including buses, Fig 5. Creating new project
light goods vehicles (LGVs), 2-axle trucks, 3-axle trucks,
and multi-axle trucks—have been considered. Based on
traffic characteristics, the project road has been segmented Fig.6. Existing road profile
into two homogeneous sections according to traffic
estimates, as outlined in Table 3.7.2. Creating new model
• In the data conversion tool, create a model named
‘DATASET’.
• Within the ‘DATASET’ model, define all relevant
parameters such as Categories, Fields, Data Types,
Table 2. Traffic homogeneous sections

Homogeneous Existing Chainage (km) Length(km)

Section From To

(HS)
HS-I 106+00 110+000 4.00
0
HS-II 110+00 129+050 19.05
0
and Labels based on the requirements for the new
5.2 Design life data structure.
• Next, navigate to Display > Clear Display…, and
The design life represents the anticipated duration of the then Display > View with Style Set…, select the
pavement, from construction until it requires reconstruction. ‘DATASET’ model and click OK.
Pavements are generally designed to accommodate the • A new window will open, displaying the selected
expected traffic throughout this period. For flexible parameters from the existing data profile.
pavements, a design life of 15 years is standard, while for
rigid pavements, it is 30 years. These design lifespans 6.2 Analysis of horizontal alignment
adhere to IRC guidelines.

5.3 Taffic growth rates

Traffic growth rates have been considered for each category
of vehicles using econometric models. A minimum traffic
growth rateof5%, incompliance with IRC: SP:073-
2007(Clause5.5.4) is considered for design

6. Results and Discussion

To develop the new data alignment, various design steps
were followed according to industry standards using
specialized software. Based on the analysis results, the data Fig.6 GROUND model displaying the selected parameters
was reorganized and optimized, followed by thorough for new design
discussions. The new data alignment was then compared to
the standard approach in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and ow go to Design> Quick Alignment> Horizontal Design…,
overall cost-effectiveness. The following are the design in the displayed tab create a new model ‘DESIGN’ and name
steps taken for the new data structure. string as ‘MC00’ and click Next.

© 2024, IJSREM | www.ijsrem.com DOI: 10.55041/IJSREM38241 | Page 4

 International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management (IJSREM)
Volume: 08 Issue: 10 | Oct - 2024 SJIF Rating: 8.448 ISSN: 2582-3930

7.Conclusion International Journal of Applied Engineering Research

ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 13, Number 7 (2018) pp. 174-179
MX Road is a string-based road design software developed Research India Publications. http://www.ripublication.com
by Bentley Systems, recently upgraded for faster and more [7] “Upgradation of Geometric Design of SH-131(Ch.
accurate results. Creating a new data alignment in 9.35km-15.575km) using MX Road software.” by
accordance with the existing data profile is straightforward Ashok Kumar, Dhananjay A.S, Agarwal Alkesh,
using this software. Additionally, horizontal and vertical Badage Ganesh, Chavan Bhagatsinh, Devkar Anil and
data profiles can be easily defined. Similarly, tasks such as Kadam Shubham.
data adjustments, cross-sections, data analysis, field International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology
definitions, and structural design were efficiently managed [8] “Geometric Design of Highways for Accommodation
using the software. of More Traffic Volume with Increased Design
Speed.” by S Srikiran, S Deepak Kumar, C
Compared to conventional methods, software tools have Venkatasubramanian, D Muthu and S Suriyanarayanan
significantly saved time and resources. Using MX Road International Journal of Engineering & Technology
software, the time required to design a road and estimate [9] “Design of Rigid Pavement by using MX Road
volumes and construction costs is greatly reduced. In this software.” by Srikanth. B and Raveesh International
project, the primary focus was on reducing costs and Journal of Scientific Research and Review
enhancing road safety. This was achieved by redesigning the
[10] Traffic & Transportation Policies and
alignment of the existing road and decreasing the overall
Strategies in Urban Areas in India, final report,
length by increasing the radius of curves. As a result, the
Ministry of Urban Development (MOUD), Government
distance and the number of curves were reduced, shortening
of India, New Delhi, May 2008.
the travel time between Jhalawar and Payli. The new design
was then compared to the previous one to calculate changes [11] Ross, H. E., Jr. Evaluation of Roadside Features
in volume and cost reduction, summarized below. to Accommodate Vans, Mini-Vans, Pickup Trucks and
4- Wheel Drive Vehicles (NCHRP Project 22-11). TRB,
From the above earthworks report it can be concluded that: National Research Council, to be published.
Reduction in volume cut and fill= (4688.432 – 4444.956) + [12] Ross, H. E., D. L. Sicking, R. A. Zimmer, and J. D.
(49886.17 – 47305.95) = 243.476 Michie. NCHRP Report 350: Recommended
+ 2580.22= 2823.696 m3 Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation
Therefore, cost reduced in volume cut and fill= 3960875.1 – of Highway Features. TRB, National Research
3755912.1= Rs 204963 Council, Washington, D.C., 1993.
From the above pavement layers report it can be concluded [13] National Cooperative Highway Research Program
that: NCHRP Report 350 recommended Procedures for the
Reduction in volumes of different layers: Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway
BC= 4758.52 – 4352.6= 405.92 m3 Features, Transportation Research Board, and National
DBM= 7340.16 – 7000= 340.16 m3 Research Council USA.
WMM= 31246.8 – 30021.46= 1225.33 m3 [14] Government of India Ministry of Road
GSB= 16967.45 – 16051.96= 915.48 m3 Transport & Highways Transport Research Wing,
Therefore, cost reduced in pavement= 67035155.94 – New Delhi, 2012.
63111118.68= Rs 3924037.26 [15] Singh, A.P, Agarwal P.K, Sharma A., “Road
Table 7. Drain down by wire basket method Safety Improvement: A Challenging Issue on Indian
Roads”, International Journal of Advanced Engineering
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[2] IRC: SP-23-1993 “Vertical curves for Highways”.
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[3] IRC:73-1980 “Geometric Design of Standards for
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© 2024, IJSREM | www.ijsrem.com DOI: 10.55041/IJSREM38241 | Page 5