ROADS

A way leading from one place to another that has been paved or improved to allow travel by
foot, or especially one with a specially prepared surface which vehicles can use. Roads are very
important projects carried out in any country and have to be very carefully constructed and
need to be maintained.
Roads- construction in different geological terrains
a) Roads in marshy regions
In such regions, the soils are very loose and unconsolidated and failures of the road are often
caused due to subsidence of the soil which is might be underlain by weak loose material like
mud, peat and so on. One of the significant methods in ensuring stability is by excavating the
weak soil and replacing it a stronger material, even by controlling the drainage in that area it is
possible to stabilize such regions.
b) Roads in waterlogged areas
Often roads in these regions are always damaged due to the rise of water table to the ground
and subjects the soil to excessive moisture which causes it to get deformed. Due to rise in water
table in such regions, the capillary moisture wets the sub grade soil to varying degrees
depending upon its texture. This leads to unequal reduction in the bearing capacity of the soils
leads to road deformation. Few possible ways to treat this is by lowering down the water table
to safe limits and by increasing the thickness of the road crust.
c) Roads in hilly regions
Construction of roads in hilly regions are very complicated due to the topography it is always
necessary to build a meandering, zig-zag like structure most times. The most important
principle for road alignment based on connecting two visible points by the shortest route is the
most difficult to be followed in hilly regions. Geological investigations such as aerial
surveying, alignment of the rocks, lithological characteristics & presence of hazardous
geological structures such as faults, joints, and other features need to be carefully studied.
d) Roads in permafrost regions
Regions in which the ground remains permanently frozen it is dangerous to build a road over
the frozen ground as the warm fill material used for construction acts as a blanket and causes
melting of the ice below which causes subsidence, necessary precautions need to be taken such
as a well-planned insulating layer should be given between the warm fill of the road surface
and ice below.
e) Roads in desert
Deserts are those regions on earth which are categorized as having arid climates. Due to
blowing of winds, sand dunes are formed in the desserts. The location of road is not preferred
where sand is loose and unstable. Align road where sand is covered by vegetation. Preference
should be given to areas having coarse sands. Location of the road on the slope of sand ridge
should be avoided, instead locate them on the dunes or the inter-dunal space.