STANDARD SPECIFICATION FOR COBBLESTONE ROAD

CONSTRUCTION (Simplified Version)

 1. Surveying and Setting out

Surveying

Fix Station points, PI, at 100-200m intervals for reference of the Centreline of the Road. Where there is a
Horizontal curve or vertical curve the interval of the PIs will be less than 100 m.

Setting out

Fix centreline of the road by putting pegs at 20m intervals including setting of horizontal and vertical
curves. Set out also cross-section of the road at 20m intervals or less as convenient, if terrain is very
ragged, by placing pegs on centre, two sides and drainage lines of the road as well as following design
patterns of the cobblestone. Pegs for cobblestone roads are in most cases made from pieces of
reinforcement steel for accuracy and strength for driving them deep into the ground. The number of pegs
along the cross-section of the road ranges from 7 to 13 depending on the pattern of the cobblestones and
requirement of side drains.

Hand Tools for Surveying and Setting out

The hand tools to be used for surveying and setting out, but not limited to, are: pegs, strings,
mason hammer, wooden or steel rods, profile boards, boning rods, etc.

2. Earthwork

Clearing and Grubbing

Remove trees, tree roots, bushes, big stones, grass and other obstacles with 15m width of the road reserve
to allow movement of workers for smooth surveying and setting out works. Those trees to be retained, as
ordered by the Engineer, will be kept undamaged. The material or debris as a result of clearing and
grubbing will be deposited to the location as directed by the engineer.

Top Soil Excavation

Excavate the top 15-20 cm top soil to remove the soil with grass and organic layer of the soil which is
very weak, compressible and not required for road construction. The excavated material will be deposited
at a place directed by the Engineer.

Bulk Excavation

Excavate the layer of the soil next to the top 15-20 cm, if directed by the Engineer, where the soil
layer is silt or black-cotton-soil or humus and not accepted as a sub-grade. The excavated
material will be deposited at a place directed by the Engineer.

Backfill using Sub-base Material

Supply, spread and compact 15-20cm, or more of sub-base granular material or gravel sub-base as
directed by the Engineer, to raise the level of the road fixed by the Engineer or as per the road design to
the specific site. The material could be from a borrow pit or from site but approved by the Engineer.
 Hand Tools and Equipment for Earthwork

The hand tools and equipment to be used in the activities under earthwork category, but not
limited to, are: pickaxe, hoe, shovel, wheelbarrow, mattock, crowbar, axe, hand rammer, animal-
drawn carts, tractor-trailer combinations (or trucks for Sub-base transportation), etc.

3. Cobblestone Paving

Laying of Fine Crushed Aggregate Base Course

Supply, spread to level and compact 5 to 7 cm base course, fine crushed aggregate from stone crusher
site, keeping the design slope so as to enable Cobblestone paving following the slope.

Cobblestone Paving

Supply and lay to the required level 10x10x10 cm shaped cobblestones made of hard rock as per the
layout, design & slope for the main body of the road and 15x15x10 cm shaped edge cobblestones
following the design pattern of the cobblestones road pavement.

Filling Voids by Crushed Fine Aggregate and Finishing

Supply, fill and compact the spaces or voids between the cobblestones with fine crushed aggregate to
prevent the movement of the stones due to traffic and make the pavement stiff. The surface should be
cleaned afterwards.

Hand Tools and Equipment for Cobblestone Paving

The hand tools to be used for the cobblestone paving (including chiselling) and base-course
laying activities, but not limited to, are: chisel, wedge, wheelbarrow, mason hammer, hammer,
spirit level, wooden or rubber hammer, hand rammer, broom, wooden or metal plank, etc.
4. Curb stone
Supply and fix 15x25 cm shaped curb stones, 30 to 50 cm long each, between pavement and
sidewalk, along both sides of the road with a cement mortar base of 1:4 mix and backed with C-
15 concrete on the external sides of the road, for support, as shown in the design and fill joints
with cement mortar of 1:4 mix. Additional hand tools for this activity are measuring box (for
sand and crushed aggregate), bucket, plasterer knife, etc.

Storm Water Drains

Two categories of storm water drains are considered in this manual. They are road side drains
that run parallel to the road and cross drains that take water on one side of the road to the other.
The side-drains include, among the few, curved-shape surface water drain, open drains, catch
water drains and mitre drains. Whereas cross-drains (include for Labour-based works among the
few) pipe culverts, box culverts, arch culverts and drifts.
Road Side Drains

(a) Curved Stone Side Drains

Supply and fix 50x30 cm chiselled curved stone drains to drain rainwater, where necessary, the
curved part is 5 cm is deep out of the 10 cm thickness, length of the stone piece is 30 to 50 cm
and to be laid on a compacted base and joint filled with mortar of 1:4 mix.

Open Drains

Excavate and finish open drains as per the design provided and as directed by the Engineer.
These are either trapezoidal earth canals or trapezoidal/rectangular lined canals to drain storm
water on the sides of the road.

5.2 Cross Drainage

Pipe Culverts
These are to be constructed from prefabricated concrete pipes well-jointed with mortar. The
culvert diameter, slope and length will be determined by the Engineer as well as wing walls,
head walls, inlet/outlet riprap plus type of excavation/backfill to be as per design.

(a) Box Culverts

These are to be constructed from in-situ prepared concrete and masonry/concrete walls as
determined by the Engineer following the design provided. The opening (size) of the culvert,
wall material, top slab, length, wing/head walls, inlet/outlet riprap and excavation as well as
detail design for reinforcement will be as per design.

(c)Arch Culverts

This type of culverts will be as decided by the Engineer and detailed design will be provided if it
is recommended at some locations.

(b) Drifts

These are simple concrete-masonry combination structures where by water flows on it across the
road without causing erosion and smooth crossing of the waterway by traffic. The Engineer
decides the width, length of drift and wing wells as well as inlet/outlet riprap and provides
drawing for construction.

6. Wearing Course Option 2 – Gravel Wearing Course

6.1 Gravel wearing course
After road level is maintained using sub-base material, apply a well-graded Gravel Wearing
Course with CBR > 20% compacted to 95% of modified AASHTO density for high traffic
 (AADT>15) road with 15 cm minimum compacted layer thickness and CBR>15 for low traffic
road (AADT<15) (Refer to ERA 2002).

6.2Gravel shoulders wearing course

Gravel shoulders wearing course with CBR > 20% compacted to 95% of modified AASHTO density (for high
traffic AADT>15) with 10 cm minimum compacted layer thickness (Refer to ERA 2002).

7. Wearing Course Option 3 – Bituminous Wearing Course

After road level is maintained using sub-base material, apply Bituminous Surfacing Wearing
Course by spraying hot bitumen on a well-graded spread crushed aggregate of a specified
thickness as per the design laid on a clean, prime-coated surface. Then apply fine-grained
crushed dust to fill the voids and compact it. Shoulder is same as Gravel Wearing Course. (Refer
to ERA 2002).

i. Tolerance

Where necessary, the surface of the concrete shall have a plus or minus deviation of not more
than 10 mm when measured with a 2 metre straight edge, in any direction. Where as chiselled
stones for cobblestone and curb stone a plus or minus deviation of 10 mm. In the case of
chiselled stones, small sized pieces can be used where chipping is required with no wastage.

ii. Testing

The Contractor shall help the Supervisor to sample the concrete and to make test cubes. The test
cubes shall each be labelled with a paper label giving the date, the concrete mix and the position
where the concrete was used.
Slump cone measurements are to be made as frequently as required by the Supervisor. The
results must be recorded in a site logbook.

iii. Overhaul
Hauling distance is taken as 150 m and when hauling is more than the allowable distance,
overhauling will be paid to the contractor as decided by the Engineer.
iv. Measurement and Payment

11.1 Surveying and setting out, if measured separately, ……….. (Km)

Payment includes supply of manpower and hand tools.

11.2 Clearing and Grubbing …………………………… (Ha)

Payment includes supply of manpower and hand tools.
11.3 Top Soil Excavation, ……………………….….. (M2)
Payment includes supply of manpower and hand tools.
11.4 Bulk Excavation …………………………………. (M3)
Payment includes supply of manpower and hand tools.

11.5 Backfill ………………………………………………..(M3)

 Payment includes supply of manpower and hand tools.
11.6 Laying of fine, crushed aggregate base-course …………(M2)
Payment includes supply of material, manpower and hand tools.

11.7 Cobblestone Paving ……………………………….……..(M2)

Payment includes supply of material, manpower, chiselling, laying and hand tools.

11.8 Curb stone ……………………………………………….(ML)

Payment includes supply of material, manpower, chiselling, laying and hand tools.
11.9 Curved stone side-drains ……………………………….(ML)
Payment includes supply of material, manpower, chiselling, laying and hand tools.

11.10 Open drains and cross-drains:

Each item is measured separately like: excavation (M3), Backfill (M3), lining (M2), concrete
(M3), steel reinforcement (Kg), formwork (M2), masonry (M3), riprap (M2).

11.11 Gravel wearing course for road and shoulder, with specified thickness: …. (M3)
Payment includes supply of material, spreading, compaction, manpower and hand tools.
11.12 Bitumenprime coat: ……………………………………………………(M2).
Payment includes cleaning the surface, applying bitumen and material.

11.13 Bitumen Surface wearing course

Payment includes crushed aggregate, bitumen, applying bitumen, crushed dust, spreading/
compaction of aggregate & dust, equipment, labour and hand tools.