Introduction
It is a branch of Civil Engineering, which deals with Design, Development, Construction and Maintenance of Roadways, Railways, Airports, Harbors, Docks, Tunnels and Bridges.
Modes of Transportation System
- Roads
- Railways
- Airways
- Waterways
Road Transport
- Expressways
- National Highways (NH)
- State Highways (SH)
- District Roads (DR)
- Village Roads (VR)
Express Ways
- These are suggested in third road development plan (1981-2001).
- These are used to connect the Metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai.
- They have the highest design speed.
- They should have at least four lanes.
National Highways (NH)
- They run through the length and breadth of the country.
- They connect national capital to all state capitals, major cities, towns, border areas.
- They should have at least two traffic lanes, good surface finishing and excellent strength to carry heavy traffic.
- The construction and maintenance of these roads usually carried out by central government.
State Highways (SH)
- These are main roads running within the states.
- They connect important towns, cities of state with national highways.
- These are generally one lane but two lanes are always be preferred.
- They have modern type of bituminous or concrete surfacing.
- The construction and maintenance of these roads are usually carried out by the state government.
District Roads
Major District Roads
- These roads connect all the district, all production areas and markets with state highway or national highway or railways.
- They have single metallic lane of traffic.
District Roads
- These provide links to villages and serve a large rural population.
- They should have good metallic surface and proper drainage.
- Construction and maintenance are carried by District Authority or Zilla Parishad.
Village Roads
- These connect the villages with each other and also towns nearby.
- These are generally established earth roads but metal surface is preferred.
- The construction and maintenance are carried by local district boards.