ROUTE SURVEYS AND HIGHWAY CURVES

Route Surveys are surveys made for the purpose of locating any buildings, highways. canals, power
transmission lines, pipe lines, and other utilities which are constructed for purposes of transportation
or communications.
 Reconnaissance survey
1. General routes are selected and horizontal and vertical controls are established.
2. Reconnaissance report is made accompanying reconnaissance map.

 Preliminary survey
1. There are survey parties that execute this phase of work.
 Transit Party – runs the traverse
 Level Party – sets bench marks and determines the profile
 Topographic party – runs the cross-sectioning work
2. A preliminary map is prepared for the determination of possible cost of the project.

 Location survey
1. Five survey teams go out the field.
 Transit Party – stakes the location of circular curves with proper stationing.
 Level Party – checks the selected bench marks and executes profile work.
 Cross-section party – slopes stakes are set on the ground.
 Land line Party – property lines and other important details are indicated on the
plan.
 Special team – takes care of the special surveys for structure.’
2. Location map, location profile, cross sections, earthwork estimates, right of way maps,
and structure maps and plans are prepared.

 Construction survey
1. Slope stakes for construction works are staked, spirals are laid and lines and grades for
tract or pavement are defined.
2. Final plans are prepared, profile sections, as revised during construction

 The proposed centerline (CL) is laid out on a series of straight lines.

 Each time the route changes direction, the deflection angle between the back tangent and
forward tangent is measured and recorded .
CIRCULAR CURVES
 The most common type of horizontal curve used to connect intersecting tangent (or straight)
sections of highways or railroads.
 A common method of locating a curve in the field is by deflection angles.
 The theodolite or total station is set up at the BC, and the deflection angles are turned from
the tangent line.

MOVING UP ON A CURVE
 The curve deflections suitable for deflecting in while set up at the BC, with a zero setting at
the PI.
 It often occurs that the entire curve cannot be deflected in from the BC, and two or more
instrument setups may be required before the entire curve has been located.
 This is due to the loss of line of sight because of intervening obstacles.

General rule
 When the instrument is moved up on the curve and the instrument is back sighted with the
telescope inverted at any other station, the theodolite will be “oriented to the curve” if the
horizontal circle is first set to the value of the deflection angle for the sighted station.

SUPERELEVATION
 On high-speed highways and railroad curves, the velocity of movement of the vehicle or
train develop a horizontal centrifugal force.
 In order that the plane of the pavements or rails may be normal to the resultant of the
horizontal and vertical force acting on the vehicle, the outer edge of the pavement or outer
rail of the track is superelevated, or elevated above the inner edge of the pavement or
inner rail of track.
 The superelevation of highway curves usually is combined with a friction factor, f, between
the wheels of the vehicle and the pavement.
 A spiral is a curve with a “uniformly changing radius”.
 Spirals are used in highway and railroad alignment to overcome the abrupt change in
direction that occurs when the alignment changes from a tangent to a circular curve, and
vice versa.
 The length of the spiral curve is also used for the transition from normally crowned
pavement to fully superelevated (banked).
 As vehicles travel circular curves, they exert outward centrifugal force on the roadbed in
direction proportional to the degree of curvature present and velocity of travel.
SPIRALS
Basic Assumptions:
1. The length, Ls, equals twice the length of circular curve from shifted PC to SC.
2. The spiral angle, Sc, is duplicated at the circular curve radius point.