PLANNING SURVEYS about highway project
Highway planning phase includes
i) Assessment of road length requirement for an area (it may be a district, state or the whole country)
(ii) Preparation of master plan showing the phasing of plan in annual and or five year
plans.
Thus for assessing the road length requirement, field surveys are to be carried out to collect the data required for determining the length of the road system. The field surveys
thus required for collecting the factual data may be called as planning surveys or fact finding surveys. The planning based on the factual data may be considered scientific and Sound.
The factual studies point to an intelligent approach for planning and these studies
should be carried out if the highway programme is to be protected from inconsistent and short sighted policies.
The planning surveys consist of the following studies; the details
(a) Economic studies
(b) Financial studies
(c) Traffic or road use studies
(d) Engineering studies
(a) Economic Studies
The various details to be collected are useful in estimating the economics involved in the highway development programme. Hence it is desirable to find the serVice given by each road system to the population and products of the area. All details of the existing facilities should be available before estimating the requirement such that economic
justification can be made for each plan. The details to be collected include the following:
(i) Population and its distribution in each village, town or other locality with the area
classified in groups.
(ii) Trend of population growth.
(iii) Agricultural and industrial products and their listing in classified groups, area wise.
(iv) Industrial and agricultural development and future trends.
(v)Existing facilities with regard to communication, recreation and education etc.
(vi) Per capita income.
(b) Financial Studies
The financial studies are essential to study the various financial aspects like sources of income and the manner in which funds for the project may be mobilized. The details to be collected include
i) Sources of income and estimated revenue from taxation on road transport
( ii) Living standards
(iii) Resources at local level, toll taxes, vehicle registration and fines.
(iv) Future trends in financial aspects.
(c) Traffic or Road Use Studies
All the details of the existing traffic, their volume and pattern of flow should be knownbelore any mprovement could be planned. Traffic surveys should be caried out in the whole area and on selected routes and locations in order to collect the followlng particulars
(i) Traffic volume in vehicles per day, annual average daily traffic, peak and design hourly traffic volume.
(1i) Origin and destination studies
(iii) Traffic flow patterns
(1V) Mass transportation facilities
(v) Accidents, their cost analysis and causes
(vi) Future trend and growth in traftic volume and goods traftic; trend in traffic pattern
(VI1) Growth of passenger trips and the trend in the choice of modes.
(d) Engineering Studies
All details of the topography, sol and other problems such as drainage, construction
and maintenance problems should be investigated before a scientific plan or programme is Suggested. Ihe studies include
(i) Topographic surveys
(11) Soil surveys
(iii) Location and classification of existing roads
(iv) Estimation of possible developments in all aspects due to the proposed highway
development.
(V) Road life studies
(vi) Traffic-studies-Origin and Destination studies
(Vii) Special problems in drainage, construction and maintenance of roads.
Thus all the above studies for collecting the factual data for highway planning are
known as fact finding surveys. The details collected are tabulated and plotted on the
maps ot the area under planning.
