CHANDIGARH UNIVERSITY

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering)
TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING(CET-283)

HIGHWAY DRAINAGE DISCOVER . LEARN . EMPOWER

 • Space for visual (size 24)

HIGHWAY DRAINAGE

Course Outcome
CO Title Level
Number

CO1 What is water table? Remember

 
CO2 What is median drainage? Remember
 
CO3 What is sub base drainage system? Understand

CO4 What is shoulder drainage Understand

 
CO4 What is significance of highway drainage? Understand
 

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INTRODUCTIO
N 
 Highway drainage is a process of
removing and controlling excess
surface and sub-soil water within
the right of way.
 It includes interception and diversion
of water from the road surface and sub
grade.

Excess moisture in soil subgrade causes
considerable lowering of its stability.
Increase in moisture cause reduction in
strength of many pavement materials
like stabilized soil and water bound
macadam.

Sustained contact of water with bituminous
pavements causes failure due to stripping of
bitumen from aggregates like loosening or
detachment of some of the bituminous
pavement layers and formations of pot holes
 Excess water on shoulders and pavement
edges causes considerable damage.
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Significance of Highway Drainage
 In clayey soil variation in moisture content causes considerable variation in volume of sub grade.
 High moisture content causes increases in weight and thus increase in stress and simultaneous reduction in strength
of soil mass.
 Erosion of soil from top of unsurfaced roads and slopes of embankment,
• cut and hill side is also due to surface water.
 In cold regions presence of water in the subgrade and a continuous supply of water from the ground water can cause
considerable damage to the pavement due to frost action.

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Requirement
 The surface water from the carriageway and shoulder should effectively be drained off without
allowing it to percolate to sub grade.
 Surface water from adjoining land should be prevented form entering the roadway.
 Side drain should have sufficient capacity and longitudinal slope to carry away all surface water
collected.
 Flow of surface water across the road and shoulders and along slopes should not cause formation of
cross ruts or erosion.
 Seepage and other sources of under ground water should be drained off by the subsurface drainage
system.
 Highest level of ground water table should be kept well below the level of subgrade, preferably by
atleast 1.2m.
 In waterlogged areas special precautions should be taken, especially if detrimental salts are present
or if flooring is likely to occur.

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Surface Drainage

 During rains, part of the rain water flows on surface and part of it percolate
through the soil mass as gravitational water until it reaches the ground water
below the water table.
 Removal and diversion of surface water from the road way and adjoining land is
termed as surface drainage.
 Diversion and removal of excess of soil water from the subgrade is
termed as Surface Drainage.
Methods
1. By Longitudinal side drains.
2. Catch basins and Inlets in urban areas
3. Providing damp proof course
4. Providing proper camber
5. Providing sufficient slope to the sides
6. Keeping the level of carriage way at least 60 cm above the HFL.

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Side drains for road in embankment

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 It is necessary to provide side drain on one side or both sides, when
road is constructed in embankment.
 Side drains should be at least 2.0 m away from bottom edge of an
• embankment.
 Depth of side drains is kept 1.0 to 1.5 m to prevent the entry of
drain water into the embankment.

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 Side drains for road in cutting

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Catch basins

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Inlets
• Inlets is a concrete box with grating either at the top or in the side.

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Shoulder Drainage
 For a quick drainage it is necessary to ensure that shoulder surface
is properly sloped and free from irregularities and depressions.
 In impervious type, it is practiced to extend the subbase course
with drainage across the shoulder upto side drain.
 Alternatively we can provide cont layer of 75- 100 mm thick laid
under the shoulder at the bottom layer of sub base about 150 mm
thick extended upto the edge.
 The paved shoulder should be at least 0.5% steeper then
camber subjected to min of 3%
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 The unpaved shoulder should be further 0.5% steeper along the
horizontal curve, Shoulder on inner side of the curve should have
slope steeper than that of pavement.
 On the outer side, the shoulder should be made to drain away from
the pavement, a low rate of super elevation are provided.
 On the other hand, where higher rate of super elevation, the outside
shoulder are kept level or rounded.

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 Median Drainage
 Except for a median less than 5m wide, it is not desirable to drain the median area towards
the pavement surface.
 1.2-1.8 m wide median – Provided with kerbs and always paved.
 1.8-5 m wide median – Usually turfed and crowned so that surface water could run towards
the pavement maybe with or without kerbs.
 Median wider than 5m are without any kerbs at edge
 If carriage way slopes towards the median, central drain maybe made to carry the runoff and
slope should not be steeper than 6:1.
 When the median has only earthen surface, it should not be crowned because it can result in
soil particles being carried to the pavement surface making it slippery.

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 Sub Surface Drainage
 Removal or Diversion of excess soil-water from sub-grade is termed as sub-surface drainage.
 The change in moisture of sub-grade are caused by the following
 Fluctuations in Ground Water Table
 Seepage Flow
 Percolation Of Rain Water
 Movement of Capillary Water
 In sub-surface drainage it is practiced to keep the variation of moisture in sub-grade to a minimum.
 When road is in cutting and water seeping from sides.
 When road is near the foot or hill and is likely to be damaged by water flowing down the hill.
 When road is passing through plain area and water is likely to accumulated on sides.
 Where water rises up to sub-grade by capillary action.
 Where sub-grade soil is affected by the drain passing near the road.

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 Factors affect the OSD
 In order to that the sub-grade and pavement are not subjected to excessive moisture the water table should kept
at least 1.0 to 1.2 m below the sub-grade.
 In places where water table is high to take the road formation on embankment of height not less than 1.0-1.2m is
the best approach.
 But When the formation level is at or below the general ground level it is necessary to lower the water table.
If soil is relatively permeable, it may be possible to lower WT by constructing longitudinal drainage trenches with drain pipe
and filter sand and top of trenches is covered with clay seal.
The depth of trench depend on:
(i) The required lowering of water table
(ii) distance b/w the drainage trenches
(iii) Types of soil

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FAQ
• What is water table?
• What is median drainage?
• What is sub base drainage system?
• What is shoulder drainage?

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 REFERENCES
• https://www.slideshare.net/ShubhamSadh/highway-engineering-topics
• https://www.slideshare.net/kavin_raval/highway-engineering-ppt
• http://www.nptel.ac.in/courses/105101087/
• Principles and Practices of highway Engineering (Dr. L.R Kadyali)
• Highway Engineering (Khanna & Justo)
• https://www.google.co.in/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi&authuser=0

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THANK YOU

For queries
Email: aditya.civil@cumail.in