Grade measurement is the geodetic determination of the local radius of curvature

of the road, pavement and etc. the center line of a road consists of a series of straight
lines interconnected by curves that are used to change the alignment, direction, or slope
of the road. Those curves that change the alignment or direction are known as horizontal
curves, and those that change the slope are vertical curves.
When a highway changes horizontal direction, making the point where it changes
direction a point of intersection between two straight lines is not feasible. The change in
direction would be too abrupt for the safety of modern high-speed vehicles. The straight
lines of a road are called tangents since the lines are tangent to the curve used to
change direction. On practically modern highways, the curves are circular curves, or
curves that form circular arcs. In highway work, the curves needed for the location or
improvement of small secondary roads may be worked out in the field. Usually the
horizontal curves are computed after the route has been selected, the field surveys have
been done, and the survey base line and necessary topographic features have been
plotted.
In addition to the horizontal curves that go to the left or right, roads also have
vertical curves that go up and down. Vertical curves at a crest or the top of the hill are
called summit curves, or over verticals. Vertical curves at the bottom of a hill or dip are
called sag curves, or under verticals. Vertical curves are used to connect stretches of
road that go up and down at a constant slope. These lines of constant slope are called
grade tangents. The rate of slope is called the gradient, or simply the grade.
Grades that ascend in the direction of the stationing are designated as plus,
those that ascend in the direction of the stationing are designated as minus. Grades are
measured in terms of percent.