www.covenantuniversity.edu.

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Raising a new Generation of Leaders

CVE 415 Lec 1

Introduction to Transportation and
Highway Engineering
Engr. Sani Reuben .O.
Office: 36A, Civil Engineering Building
Email: reuben.sani@covenantuniversity.edu.n
 Overview
 Mobility is a basic human need.

• everyone travels either for food or leisure.

• Raw materials needs to be transported to manufacturing unit or finished goods for

consumption.

 Transportation plays a major role in the development of the human civilization.

• For instance, one could easily observe the strong correlation between the evolution of
human settlement and the proximity of transport facilities.

• Also, there is a strong correlation between the quality of transport facilities and standard of
living, because of which society places a great expectation from transportation facilities.

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 Overview Cont’d
• the solution to any transportation problem must be analytically based, economically sound,
socially credible, environmentally sensitive, practically acceptable and sustainable.

• Alternatively, the transportation solution should be safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient,

economical, and eco-friendly for both men and material.

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 WHAT IS TRANSPORTATION?

 Transportation is all about moving goods and people from one

place to another.

 It is also involves the Safe, efficient, reliable, and sustainable

movement of persons and goods over time and space

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 ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE DIFFERENT MODES OF TRANSPORT

ROAD TRANSPORT
Advantages Disadvantages
1. Less Capital Outlay 1. Seasonal Nature
2. Door to Door Service 2. Accidents and Breakdowns
3. Service in Rural Areas 3. Unsuitable for Long Distance and Bulky
4. Flexible Service Traffic
5. Suitable for Short Distance 4. Slow Speed
6. Lesser Risk of Damage in Transit 5. Lack of Organisation
7. Saving in Packing Cost
8. Rapid Speed
9. Less Cost
10. Private Owned Vehicles
11. Feeder to other Modes of Transport

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 RAILWAY TRANSPORT
Advantages Disadvantages
1. Dependable 1. Huge Capital Outlay
2. Better Organised 2. Lack of Flexibility
3. High Speed over Long Distances 3. Lack of Door to Door Service
4. Suitable for Bulky and Heavy Goods 4. Monopoly
5. Cheaper Transport 5. Unsuitable for Short Distance and Small
6. Safety Loads
7. Larger Capacity 6. Booking Formalities
8. Public Welfare 7. No Rural Service
9. Administrative Facilities of Government 8. Under-utilised Capacity
10. Employment Opportunities 9. Centralised Administration

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 AIR TRANSPORT

Advantages Disadvantages
1. High Speed 1. Very Costly
2. Comfortable and Quick Services 2. Small Carrying Capacity
3. No Investment in Construction of Track 3. Uncertain and Unreliable
4. No Physical Barriers 4. Breakdowns and Accidents
5. Easy Access 5. Large Investment
6. Emergency Services 6. Specialized Skill
7. Quick Clearance 7. Unsuitable for Cheap and Bulky Goods
8. Most Suitable for Carrying Light Goods of 8. Legal Restrictions
High Value
9. National Defense
10. Space Exploration

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 Elements of transportation system

 Generally a transportation system has three elements this are;

• Infrastructure: which includes Road, canal, rail, air Transfer points Supporting elements
(signs, signals, safety)

• Vehicles: which includes Planes, trains, autos, buses, ships, trucks

• Operators/Content : which includes Drivers, pilots, freight, passengers

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 What is Transportation engineering?

 Transportation engineering is a type of civil engineering which focuses on the

infrastructure of transportation, that is, all the elements which support the movement of
goods and people.

 The application of technology and scientific principles to the planning, functional design,
operation, and management of facilities for any mode of transportation in order to provide
for the safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and environmentally compatible
movement of people and goods

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 Characteristics of transportation system
 The characteristics of transportation system that makes it diverse and complex are;

1. Multi-modal: Covering all modes of transport; air, land, and sea for both passenger and
freight.

2. Multi-sector: Encompassing the problems and viewpoints of government, private industry,

and public.

3. Multi-problem: Ranging across a spectrum of issues that includes national and international
policy, planning of regional system, the location and design of specific facilities, carrier
management issues, regulatory, institutional and financial policies.

4. Multi-objective: Aiming at national and regional economic development, urban development,

environment quality, and social quality, as well as service to users and financial and economic
feasibility.

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 Characteristics of transportation system Cont’d
5. Multi-disciplinary: Drawing on the theories and methods of engineering, economics,
operations research, political science, psychology, other natural, and social sciences,
management and law.

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 Transportation system study context

• The context in which transportation system is studied are:

1. Planning range: Urban transportation planning, producing long range plans for 5-25
years for multimodal transportation systems in urban areas as well as short range
programs of action for less than five years.

2. Passenger transport: Regional passenger transportation, dealing with inter-city passenger

transport by air, rail, and highway and possible with new modes.

3. Freight transport: Routing and management, choice of different modes of rail and truck.

4. International transport: Issues such as containerization, inter-modal co-ordination.

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 Transportation system study context
 Therefore as we understand from above Transportation engineering is a very diverse and
multidisciplinary field, which deals with the planning, design, operation and maintenance
of transportation systems.

 Good transportation is that which provides safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient,

economical, and environmentally compatible movement of both goods and people. This
profession carries a distinct societal responsibility.

 Transportation planners and engineers recognize the fact that transportation systems
constitute a potent force in shaping the course of regional development.

 Planning and development of transportation facilities generally raises living standards and
enhances the aggregate of community values.

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 History of transportation engineering
 Long before cars, trains, boats and airplanes, humans had migrated to all over the Earth
powered almost exclusively by their feet.


 Eventually, people got tired of walking around and carrying everything they needed on
their backs. They started to use domesticated animals to carry goods.

 They also built machines and devices, like sleds and travois, to
help them carry more.

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 History of transportation engineering Cont’d
 In some parts of the world, they began using the wheel and axle to build carts and carriages.

 As people travelled back and forth, establishing trading routes, well-used paths became
more and more permanent.
 These paths became the first roads.

 As time went on, people

started to maintain the roads and look at ways in which they could
be made easier to travel, these people were the first transportation engineers.

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 A changing world
 The strong interrelationship and the interaction between transportation and the rest of the
society especially in a rapidly changing world is significant to a transportation planner.

 Among them four critical dimensions of change in transportation system can be identified;
which form the background to develop a right perspective.

1. Change in the demand: When the population, income, and land-use pattern changes, the
pattern of demand changes; both in the amount and spatial distribution of that demand.

2. Changes in the technology: As an example, earlier, only two alternatives (bus transit and
rail transit) were considered for urban transportation. But, now new systems like LRT,
MRTS, etc offer a variety of alternatives.

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 A changing world Cont’d
3. Change in operational policy: Variety of policy options designed to improve the
efficiency, such as incentive for car-pooling, bus fare, road tolls etc.

4. Change in values of the public: Earlier all beneficiaries of a system was monolithically
considered as users. Now, not one system can be beneficial to all, instead one must
identify the target groups like rich, poor, young, work trip, leisure etc

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 Major disciplines of Highway Engineering
 Transportation engineering can be broadly consisting of the four major parts:
1. Transportation Planning
2. Geometric Design
3. Pavement Design
4. Traffic Engineering

 Transportation planning
• Transportation planning essentially involves the development of a transport model which will
accurately represent both the current as well as future transportation system.

 Geometric design
• Geometric design deals with physical proportioning of other transportation facilities, in contrast
with the structural design of the facilities.

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 Major disciplines of Highway Engineering cont’d

 Pavement analysis and design

• Pavement design deals with the structural design of roads, both (bituminous and concrete),
commonly known as (flexible pavements and rigid pavements) respectively.

 Traffic engineering
• Traffic engineering covers a broad range of engineering applications with a focus on the
safety of the public, the efficient use of transportation resources, and the mobility of people
and goods.

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 Other important disciplines
 Public transportation: Public transportation or mass transportation deals with study of the
transportation system that meets the travel need of several people by sharing a vehicle.

 Financial and economic analysis: Transportation facilities require large capital investments.
Therefore it is imperative that whoever invests money should get the returns.
• The economic analysis of transportation project tries to quantify the economic benefit which
includes saving in travel time, fuel consumption, etc. This will help the planner in evaluating
various projects and to optimally allocate funds.

 Environmental impact assessment: The depletion of fossil fuels and the degradation of the
environment has been a severe concern of the planners in the past few decades.
Transportation; in spite of its benefits to the society is a major contributor to the above
concern.

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 Other important disciplines
 Accident analysis and reduction: One of the silent killers of humanity is transportation.
Several statistics evaluates that more people are killed due to transportation than great wars
and natural disasters.

 Intelligent transport system: With advent to computers, communication, and vehicle

technology, it is possible in these days to operate transportation system much effectively
with significant reduction in the adverse impacts of transportation.

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 Factors that affect Transportation Development
 Transportation develops because of several and frequently overlapping factors. From the
many, the following are important:
• Economic Factors
• Geographical Factor
• Political Polices
• Military
• Technological Factor
• Competition
• Urbanization

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 Sections of Transportation Engineering
TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING

Highway Engineering Railway Engineering Airport Engineering Sea port Engineering Pipeline Engineering

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 Activity

Read Extensively on the Roles of transportation in the society. And in your own
understanding, with your words, summarize in not more than 1 and half page

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