8.3 - Safety On Hill Roads

Safety on Hill Roads
Dr. Errampalli Madhu

Presentation Focus on…
 Definitionof Hill Roads
 Design Issues in Hill Roads
 Special Consideration in Hill Road Design
 Route Selection
 Engineering Data for Design
 Geometric Design Standards
 Design of Hair-pin Bends
 Climbing Lane
 Other Geometric Design Safety Aspects (Cross Section etc.)
 SafetyEnhancement on Hill Roads
 Tunnels
 Case Studies
Definition of Hill Roads
 Road
which passes through a terrain with a cross slope of
25% or more
IRC:52 (2019), IRC:SP:73

(2015) and IRC:SP:84
(2019) have merged the
mountainous and steep
terrain under the overall
category of Hill Roads
0-10%
Typical Elements of Roadway
Typical Elements of Roadway in Hilly Terrain
CAMBER
CAMBER
Desirable Geometric Specifications
 Road Land Width (Right of Way) in m
Desirable Geometric Specifications (2)
 Widths of Carriageway, Shoulder and Roadway (in m)
Desirable Geometric Specifications (3)
 Widths of Carriageway, Shoulder and Roadway (in m)
Design Issues in Hill Roads
 Design and Construction of Hill roads are more complex than in
plain terrain due to factors summarized below:
 Highly broken relief with vastly differing elevations and steep slopes, deep
gorges etc. which increases road length.
 Geological condition varies from place to place
 Variation in hydro-geological conditions
 Variation in the climatic condition such as
 change in temperature due to altitude difference
 pressure variation
 precipitation increases at greater height etc.
 Filling may overload the weak soil underneath which may trigger landslides
 Proper design of hairpin bends to attain heights
 Save/ relocate commercial/ residential establishments near to the road
 Save the ecology of the hills
Special Consideration in Hill Road Design
 Alignment of Hill Roads
 Choose a short, easy, economical and safe comforting route
 Consider following in respect to the variations in:
 Temperature
 Rainfall
 Atmospheric pressure and winds
 Geological conditions
 Resettlement and Rehabilitation considerations
 Environment Considerations
 General
 Route is located along valleys, hill sides and if required over
mountain passes
 Due to complex topography, the length of the route may be more
Route Selection River Route
 Hillroad alignment may follow alignment at Valley bottom or

on a ridge depending on the feasibility of the road
Ridge Route
 River route
 Most frequent case of hill alignment as there is a great advantage
of running a road at a gentle gradient
 Runs through lesser horizontal curvature
 Requirements for the construction of bridges over tributaries
 Construction of special retaining structures and protection walls on
hill side for safe guarding the road against avalanches in high
altitude areas
 Benefit of low construction cost and operation cost
River Route
 Road along River Route
Route Selection (2)
 Ridge route
 Characterized by very steep gradient
 Large number of sharp curves occurs on the road with hair pin
bends
 Extensive earthwork is required
 The requirement for the construction of special structures
 High construction and operation cost
Ridge Route
 Road along Ridge Route
Engineering Data for Design
 Terrain data of all along the alignment (through topographic data/
contours of the area using Satellite Imagery)
 All features like river course, streams, cross-drainage structures
(for existing alignment), flooding areas, high flood levels, landslide
areas, snow/ avalanche prone areas etc.
 River Morphology and Regime data
 Chainage wise inventory of the side slope material type i.e. soil with
classification and properties, rock type and its structural geology of
the area
 Hydrological data for all stream and river crossings
 Available material and resources that can be used in the road
construction
 Geometric standards
Contour Data for Design
Geometric Design Standards (1)
 Hill Road Capacity
Design Service Volume in PCU per day
As per IRC:SP:48-1998 & As per IRC:SP:73-2015 &
IRC:52- 2001 IRC:SP:84-2014
Type of Road
For Low Curvature For High Curvature
Level of Level of
(0-200 degrees per (above 0-200
Service ‘B’ Service ‘C’
km) degrees per km)
Single lane 1,600 1,400 - -
Intermediate lane 5,200 4,500 - -
Two Lane 7,000 5,000 9,000 -
Four Lane - - 20,000 30,000

 Camber/ Cross Fall
 Camber/ Cross Fall
 For straight sections:
 For shoulders:
 At least 0.5% more than the pavement camber subject to min. of 3%
 For Super elevated sections: reverse cross fall of 0.5% on outer side of the
curve
 Super Elevation/ Camber Radii beyond
which super
elevation is
not required
 Sight Distance
 Visibility is an important requirement for safety on roads
 Sufficient sight distance should be available to permit drivers enough
time and distance to stop their vehicles to avoid accidents
As per IRC:SP:48-1998 & IRC:52- 2001 As per IRC:SP:73-2015 & IRC:SP:84-2014
Design Absolute min.
Mountainous and Steep Terrain
Speed from safety angle
(Km/h) Stopping Sight Intermediate Sight Safe Stopping Sight Desirable Minimum
Distance (m) Distance (m) Distance (m) Sight Distance (m)
20 20 40 Desirable and
- -
overtaking
25 25 50 with caution is
- -
possible
30 30 60 - -
35 40 80 - -
40 45 90 45 90
50 60 120 60 120
60 - - 90 180
 Design Speed
As per IRC:SP:73-2019
As per IRC:SP:48-1998 & IRC:52- 2019
& IRC:SP:84-2019
Road
Classification Mountainous and Steep
Mountainous Terrain Steep Terrain
Terrain
Ruling Minimum Ruling Minimum Ruling Minimum
National and
50 40 40 30 60 40
State Highways
Major District
40 30 30 20 - -
Roads
Other District
30 25 25 20 - -
Roads
Village Roads 25 20 25 20 - -
 Horizontal Alignment
 Fluent and blend with surrounding topography
 Confirms to natural contours
 Coordinated with longitudinal profiles Curve Length should be 150
m for Deflection Angle of 5o
(30 m increase for each
degree decrease)
Bad Alignment
 Reverse Curves
 On Hilly Terrain, it may become unavoidable to eliminate reverse curves due
to the undulating terrain conditions
 Under such instances, it is essential to ensure that there is sufficient length
between the two curves for the introduction of requisite transition curves
Geometric Design Standards (10) broken – back curves
 Curves in same direction separated by short tangents
 Should be avoided, as far as possible, in the interest of aesthetics and safety
and replaced by a single curve.
 If this is not feasible, a tangent length corresponding to 10 seconds travel
time must at least be ensured between the two curves.
 Compound curves
 May be used in difficult topography but only when it is impossible to fit in a
single circular curve
 To ensure safe and smooth transition from one curve to the other, the
radius of the flatter curve should not be disproportional to the radius of the
sharper curve
 A ratio of 1.5:1 should be considered
the limiting value
 Horizontal Alignment - Set Back Distance
 Requisite sight distance should be available to sight the inside of
horizontal curves
 Lack of visibility in the lateral direction may arise due to obstructions
like walls cut, slopes, wooded areas, high protruding vegetation ,etc.
 Horizontal Alignment - Set Back Distance (Single Lane where
n is taken a Zero)
May be taken as
Geometric Design Standards (14) 0.7m for stopping
sight distance
 Horizontal Alignment - Vision Berm
 Where there is a cut slope on
the inside of the horizontal
curve, the average height of
sight line can be used as an
approximation for deciding
the extent of clearance
 Cut slope shall be kept lower
than this height at the line
demarcating the set back
distance envelop, either by
cutting back the slope or
benching suitably, which is
also generally known as vision berm
 Horizontal Alignment - Minimum Radius of Horizontal curves
As per
IRC:SP:73-2019
As per IRC:SP:48-1998 & IRC:52- 2001
& IRC:SP:84-
2019
Classification Mountainous terrain Steep terrain
Mountainous
Area not affected Snow Bound Area not affected Snow Bound
and Steep
by snow Areas by snow Areas
Desirable Absolute
Ruling Absolute Ruling Absolute Ruling Absolute Ruling Absolute
Minimum Minimum
Minimum Minimum Minimum Minimum Minimum Minimum Minimum Minimum
Radius Radius
National
Highway and 80 50 90 60 50 30 60 33 150 75
State Highways
Major District
50 30 60 33 30 14 33 15 - -
Roads
Other District
30 20 33 23 20 14 23 15 - -
Roads
Village Roads 20 14 23 15 20 14 23 15 - -
 Horizontal Alignment - Widening at Curves
 Extra width to be provided on horizontal curves
 Horizontal Alignment - Blind Curves
 Sight distance available is less than safe stopping sight distance
 Set-back distance is less than standards
 Safety measures
 Better benching or vision berms
 Making the road two-lane with lane dividers (central studs or
medians etc.)
 Restriction of traffic to one way at a time
 Vertical Alignment
 Adopting mild vertical grades for reduced potential for erosion
of road bed.
 Designing vertical profile compatible with natural topography for
optimum and balanced cut-fill quantities hence generate less spoil.
 Keeping finished road level and fill slopes higher than the high flood
level (HFL).
 Avoiding interception with water table line which cause wet
pavement layers.
 Optimizing the cut height at landslide and rock fall prone areas.
 Ensure Easy Access to Properties.
 Ensure Safer Junction Design.
 Vertical Alignment
 Vertical curves are introduced for smooth transition at grade change.
 Both Summit curves and Valley curves should be designed as Square
parabola.
 The Length of vertical curves is controlled by sight distance
requirements.
 Curves with greater length are aesthetically better.
 Vertical Alignment - Min. Length of Vertical Curves
 Vertical Alignment - Summit Curve
 Vertical Alignment - Valley Curve
 Vertical Alignment - Recommended vertical gradients for
different terrain conditions
As per IRC:SP-73 & IRC:SP-
As per IRC:SP-48 (1998) and IRC-52 (2019)
84 (2019)
Classification of Steep Terrain
Gradient Mountainous Terrain and
up to 3000 m
Steep Terrain more than Mountainous Steep
above MSL
3000 m above MSL
Ruling Gradient 5% 6% 5% 6%
Limiting Gradient 6% 7% 6% 7%
Exceptional 7% 8% - -
Hair-pin Bends
 At unavoidable circumstances Hair-pin Bends may be designed
as Circular Curve with Transitions or as Compound Circular
curves
Illustration of Hair-pin Bends
Design of Hair-pin Bends Design Criteria for Hair-pin Bends As
per IRC:SP:48-1998 and IRC:52- 2019
Description Criteria
Min Design Speed 20 Km/h
11.5 m (Double lane)
NH/SH
9.0 m (Single lane)
Min Roadway width at apex
MDR/ODR 7.5 m
Village Roads 6.5 m
Min radius for the inner curve 14 m
Min Length of transition Curve 15 m
Maximum 1 in 40 (2.5%)
Gradient
Minimum 1 in 200 (0.5%)
Max Super elevation 1 in 10 (10%)
Minimum Intervening distance between the successive hair pin bends 60 m
Hair-pin Bends - Other safety Issues
 Widening at hair-pin bends is costly and difficult, hence care
needs to be taken at planning stage considering future
 Full roadway width shall be surfaced
 Cross drainage to be provided 20 m before the start of hair-
pin bend
 Adequate drainage to be provided on the hill side of the bend
Passing Lanes
 Passing places are required
 On Single lane hill roads to facilitate
crossing of vehicles approaching
opposite direction
 To tow away disabled vehicles Location can be decided judiciously
considering extra width available and visibility
Cross Section (1) As per IRC:SP:48-1998 and
IRC:52- 2019
Road Classification Carriageway Width (m) Shoulder Width

(m)
National and State Highways
i) Single lane 3.75 2 x 1.25
ii) Two Lane 7.00 2 x 0.9
Major District Roads and Other District 3.75 2 x 0.5
Roads
Village Roads 3.00 2 x 0.5
Cross Section (2)
 Typical Cross-sections – 2 lane carriageway
As per IRC:SP:73-2019
Cross Section (3)
 Typical Cross-sections 4-Lane Carriageway Widening Towards
Valley Side As per IRC:SP:84-2019
Cross Section (4)
 Typical Cross-sections: 4-Lane Carriageway Widening Towards
Hill Side As per IRC:SP:84-2019
Cross Section (5)
 Typical Cross-sections: 4-Lane Carriageway Widening both
Sides As per IRC:SP:84-2019
Climbing Lane
 Climbing Lane shall be provided in order to address the necessity of
making available separate lane for safe overtaking for vehicle
travelling uphill
 IRC:52-2019, IRC:SP:73-2015 and IRC:SP:84-2014 mandates for
provision of climbing lanes but no warrants are provided
 AASHTO provide guidelines for the provision of climbing lanes:
 Up Grade traffic flow rate in excess of 200 vehicles per hour
 Up Grade truck flow rate in excess of 20 vehicles per hour
 One of the following conditions exists:
 15 kmph (10 mph) or greater speed reduction is expected for a typical heavy
truck
 Level of Service ‘E’ or ‘F’ exists on the grade
 A reduction of two or more levels of service is experienced when moving from
the approach segment to grade
 In addition, safety considerations may justify the addition of a climbing lane
regardless of grade or traffic volumes
Escape lane
Other Geometric Design Aspects

 Escape Lane
 Grade Compensation at Curves
 Vertical and lateral Clearances
 Coordination of Horizontal and Vertical Alignments
 Tunnels
Passing Places Widening at Curves

Safety Enhancement on Hill Roads
 Providing Geometric Standards of roads as per specifications
 Adequate warning, cautionary and informatory signs
 Regular maintenance of road
 Adequate drainage system
 Construction of protective structure for traffic like parapets,
railings, snow sheds, boulder net, crash barriers etc.
 Appropriate road markings
 Enforcement of traffic discipline, traffic rules/ regulations
 Introduction of gate system of traffic on crucial road sectors
 Ensure safer speeds (speed control devices)
Crash barrier for Hilly Roads
 Thrie Beam type steel barriers (semi-rigid) is recommended
 About 85cm above ground level (suitable for vehicles having higher
centre of gravity)
 Modified Thrie beam crash barriers (semi-rigid) by
 increasing the spacer channel size
 lower edge of the thrie bream unconnected to the spacer channel and
 providing large notch cut to the web of the spacer channel at the lower end
 Min. of 1 m distance (in case of space constraints, 0.6m) to provide
lateral support to the crash barrier posts and ensuring stability
 The post should be taken below ground level up to sufficient depth
(not less than 1.15m)
Due to improvements in Modified Thrie beam
type crash barrier, it is considered most
appropriate for the hilly areas where space is
Source: Report on Installation of Crash Barriers at accident prone
constrained and lesser space is available for
locations on National Highways in Hilly Terrain, MoRTH, 2016 deflection and is recommended for installation
Crash barrier for Hilly Roads
 Installationof crash barriers in hilly terrain on National
Highways on the following criteria:
 Locations of repeated fatal accidents as evidenced by accident
records.
 Locations at which the sight distance is less than 60m
 Locations where the radius of curve is less than 100 m.
 Locations where cross roads are joining the NH at acute angles.
Source: Report on Installation of Crash Barriers at accident prone

locations on National Highways in Hilly Terrain, MoRTH, 2016
Tunnels (1)
 Economical if alignment is passing through high ground
Typical Cross section
for 3-lane Tunnel As
per IRC:SP:91-2010
Tunnels (2)
 Design Elements with respect to road safety
 Alignment plan
 Ideally straight (sharp curves and steep gradients should be avoided)
 Min. 200 m curve radius (exceptional 100 m)
 Gradients
 Avoid high gradients causing congestion for heavy traffic
 0.2% is satisfactory for effective drainage
 Length more than 300 m - not greater than 4%
 Two outward falling gradients are permitted Less than 300 m- straight fall
Tunnels (3)
 Design Elements with respect to road safety
 Cross Section
 No. and width of traffic lanes
 Vertical headroom for vehicles
 Space for ventilation ducts, walkways, lighting, drainage, fire services etc.
 Ventilation
 Sufficient fresh air
 Good visibility
 Artificial ventilation - more than 400m length
 Illumination
 Zones of Different Lighting Intensities
Case Study: Mumbra bypass on NH4 (Thane to Panvel)
Ill Maintained Side Drains with Landslide Proneness



Rain Water on Carriageway through Retaining Wall with
no Side Drains

Rain Water on Carriageway through Retaining Wall with
no Side Drains

Ill Maintained Side Drains

Ill Maintained Side Drains with Unprotected Culvert

Uncontrolled Access (near Km 0.750)

Staggered Crash Barriers at Uncontrolled Access

Proposed Safety Features at Horizontal Curves

Mumbai-Pune Expressway aligned on sharp curves
(48 km)
Unwarned opening in the parapet walls
is like to result in accidents
Road side Hillocks are potential danger
to the traveling vehicles
A Properly lit tunnel enhances safety
Odisha (Kanjipani - Kuntala)
Hair Pin Bend Ahead and ‘Triple Chevron’ warning signs are required. Speed
Limit sign of 20 km/h to be installed. Road Studs are also required. Parapet
Wall/Metal Beam Crash Barriers to be provided on the LHS for enhanced
safety
Absence of series of curves ahead sign and curve chevron signs
is a safety problem
Absence of retro reflective tapes on the trees and electric poles
located close to carriageway.
Absence of series of curves ahead sign and curve chevron signs is a
safety problem . Absence of OHM on culvert parapet is safety
problem
3 rows of TBM (of 8 mm thickness) to be provided before 50 m so as to reduce
the vehicle speeds . Speed Limit sign of 20 km/h to be installed
Absence of OHM on culvert parapet is safety problem. Approaches
shall be protected with WBM crash barrier
safety problem. Crash barrier required
safety problem. Crash barrier required
Absence of road marking, Absence of Hairpin bend ahead sign and
curve chevron signs, Hairpin bend lens, speed limit signs, curve
delineation is a problem. 3 rows of TBM (of 8 mm thickness) to be
provided before 50 m so as to reduce the vehicle speeds. Absence of
OHM on culvert parapet is safety problem. Crash barrier required
on approach.
Absence of road marking, Absence of Hairpin bend ahead sign and
curve chevron signs, Hairpin bend lens, speed limit signs, curve
delineation is a problem. 3 rows of TBM (of 8 mm thickness) to be
provided before 50 m so as to reduce the vehicle speeds
Insufficient barricading at work zone
Provide no overtaking and compulsory
horn sign
Absence of road marking
absence curve warning sign with single chevrons
Tree close to the shoulder is a safety problem and shall be relocated
Absence of marking, curve ahead sign and chevron signs is a safety
problem 12/400. 3 rows of TBM (of 8 mm thickness) to be provided
before 50 m so as to reduce the vehicle speeds coupled with Red
Road Studs along with the Zebra Crossing to be provided so as to
facilitate Pedestrian Crossing
Absence of road hump warning sign is safety problem
Provide petrol pump ahead sign. 3 rows of TBM (of 8 mm
thickness) to be provided before 50 m on both sides so as to
reduce the vehicle speeds
Pot holes shall be filled up to avoid accidents. Provide reflectors on
trees and poles close to roadway
Provide curve ahead sign and chevron signs
Provide speed limit sign and no over
taking sign
Absence of S curve ahead sign and single chevron signs is a safety
problem. Provide reflectors on trees close to roadway . Provide
access road ahead sign.
Dust is obstructing the visibility when vehicles pass through work
zone. Watering required.
Aggregates without compaction is safety problem
Public water supply taps close to road way is safety problem.
Remove them or provide crash barrier. Provide reflectors on it.
Relevant IRC Codes
 IRC:52-2019 “Guidelines for the alignment survey and
geometric design of hill roads”
 IRC:SP:73-2019 “Manual of specifications and standard for
two laning highways with paved shoulder”
 IRC:SP:84-2019 “Manual of specification & standard for four
laning of highways”
 IRC:SP:48-1998 “Hill Road Manual”
 IRC:SP:91-2010 “Guidelines for Road Tunnels”

8.3 - Safety On Hill Roads

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Safety on Hill Roads

Dr. Errampalli Madhu

IRC:52 (2019), IRC:SP:73

 Hillroad alignment may follow alignment at Valley bottom or

Intermediate lane 5,200 4,500 - -

Two Lane 7,000 5,000 9,000 -

Four Lane - - 20,000 30,000

Road Classification Carriageway Width (m) Shoulder Width

Other Geometric Design Aspects

Passing Places Widening at Curves

Source: Report on Installation of Crash Barriers at accident prone

Ill Maintained Side Drains with Landslide Proneness

Ill Maintained Side Drains with Landslide Proneness

Ill Maintained Side Drains with Landslide Proneness

Ill Maintained Side Drains with Landslide Proneness

Ill Maintained Side Drains with Landslide Proneness

Ill Maintained Side Drains with Landslide Proneness

Ill Maintained Side Drains with Landslide Proneness

Ill Maintained Side Drains with Landslide Proneness

Ill Maintained Side Drains with Landslide Proneness

Ill Maintained Side Drains with Landslide Proneness

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