1.
11 Quantity Surveying
The quantity survey for road works
should be carried out after the road
alignment has been selected and the
appropriate road design standard has
been approved. This task should be done
by the engineer and technician with
the setting out team and based on the
data assembled in the road alignment
drawings. Once the initial volumes have
been estimated, it may be necessary to
re-adjust the road alignment in order to
reduce the volumes of work.
If the works consist of improving an
existing road on which no changes are
envisaged to the road alignment, there
should be sufficient data in the road
condition forms.
Recording Information
Once the road alignment (horizontal,
vertical and cross sections) has been set,
all measurements should be carried out
at regular intervals and marked with pegs
and recorded in a Works Quantity Form.
It is useful to draw up the cross section
at regular intervals along the road in a
notebook clearly describing the dimensions
and chainage. By drawing these cross-
sections to scale, it is then easier to
calculate the cross-sections of cut and fills.
Solid offset pegs should be established
during this exercise to mark the alignment
in the field, which can then be used
as a reference when the actual works
eventually commence. The location of the
offset pegs needs to be carefully recorded.
Estimating Quantities
When a final choice of the exact position 1
of the road alignment has been made, the
next step is to carry out a full estimate
P L A N N I N G A N D P R E PA R AT I O N O F W O R K S
of the quantities of work. The estimated
work quantities form the basis of the cost
analysis and determine future inputs of
labour, materials, tools and equipment.
Based on the information recorded in the
road alignment drawings, it is possible
to carry out a complete estimate of the
construction quantities.
Here again, it may be necessary to re-
adjust the road alignment in order to
find the best location and optimal road
levels. When building a new road, the
main task when carrying out a quantity
survey is to estimate the exact volumes
of earthworks. The road alignment
will determine the amount of cut and
fill required. Based on the information
collected during the field surveys and
the quantity estimates, it is possible to
prepare the Bill of Quantities.
BUILDING RURAL ROADS
The work quantities will vary along
the road alignment, depending on the
terrain features. In order to calculate the
volumes of work with a reasonable degree
of accuracy, the road is therefore split into
shorter segments with uniform geometric
features to simplify the calculations.
The estimates of t he volumes of
earthworks are based on the cross-
sections drawn up at regular intervals
along the road alignment during the field
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