Chapter One

INTRODUCTION TO HIGHWAY
ENGINEERING
Road Classification
Function of Roads

Transportation
• To transport people and goods

Mobility
• To move from one place to another

Accessibility
• To gain access to places
Road Standards & Classification
Road Standards
The geometric design of roads needs to be standardised
in order to provide:

• uniformity in the design according to their

performance requirements

• consistent, safe and reliable facilities for the

movement of traffic

• guide for less subjective decisions on road design

 Standard Description
R6 / U6 - highest geometric design standard
- serves long trips with high speeds, comfort and safety
- with divided carriageway
- full access control
- e.g. rural and urban expressways
R5 / U5 - high geometric design standard
- serves long to intermediate trips with high to medium
speeds
- partial access control
- e.g. highways, primary roads and arterials
R4 / U4 - medium geometric standard
- serves intermediate trip lengths with medium speeds
- partial access control
- e.g. primary roads, secondary roads, minor arterials and
major collectors
 Standard Description
R3 / U3 - low geometric standard
- serves mainly local traffic
- partial or no access control
- e.g. secondary roads, collectors and major local streets
R2 / U2 - lowest geometric standard for two-way flow
- applied only to local traffic with low volumes of vehicles
of commercial traffic
- e.g. minor roads and local streets
R1 / U1 - very low geometric standard
- applied to very low traffic where the chances of two-way
flow is low
R1a applied to local access to restricted areas such as access to
microwave stations and security areas
U1a applied to local access to low cost housing areas
Access Control
Full access control
• Access is allowed through interchanges for
selected roads only
• At-grade intersections are prohibited

Partial access control

• At-grade intersections with selected roads are
allowed
• Crossings and driveways may be permitted

No access control
• No restriction on access to roads
What is the type of access control for this highway?
What is the type of access control for this highway?
What is the type of access control for this highway?
 Categories of Roads

Rural Roads Urban Roads

• Expressway • Expressway
• Highway • Arterial
• Primary Road • Collector
• Secondary Road • Local Street
• Minor Road
 ROAD HIERARCHY
RURAL STREETS Schematic illustration of an urban road network
Expressway
Highway
Primary Road
Secondary Road
Minor Road

URBAN STREETS
Expressway
Arterial
Collector
Local Street
 ROAD HIERARCHY

RURAL STREETS URBAN STREETS Higher road standard

Expressway Expressway Better geometric design

Highway Arterial Higher speeds

Primary Road Collector Higher volumes

Secondary Road Local Street For longer journeys

Minor Road Higher mobility

Lower accessability
 Mobility & Access

ARTERIALS
Higher mobility MOBILITY
Lower access

COLLECTORS
Balance between mobility and access

LOCALS
Lower mobility ACCESS
Higher access
Rural Roads
EXPRESSWAYS

• divided interstate highways for through traffic

• has full access control
• with grade separated intersections
• for fast traveling
• serve long trips
• provide higher traveling speed and comfort
• designed to the highest standards
Rural Roads
HIGHWAYS

• constitute the interstate national network

• complement the expressway network
• link up directly or indirectly the federal and state
capitals, and points of entry/exit to the country
• serve long to intermediate trips
• high to medium speed
• smooth traffic is provided
• partial access control
Rural Roads
PRIMARY ROADS

• constitute the major roads forming the basic network

within a state
• serve intermediate trip lengths and medium traveling
speeds
• smooth traffic is provided
• partial access control
• link up state and district capitals or other major towns
Rural Roads
SECONDARY ROADS

• constitute the major roads forming the basic network

within a district or regional development areas
• serve intermediate trips
• partial access control
• link up major towns within the district or regional
development areas
Rural Roads
MINOR ROADS

• apply to all roads other than those described above

• form the basic road network within a land scheme or
other inhabited areas
• include roads with special functions such as holiday
resort roads, security roads or access roads to
microwave stations
• serve local traffic with short trip lengths
• partial or no access control
Urban Roads
EXPRESSWAYS

• divided highways for through traffic

• form the basic network in urbanized area
• has full access control
• with grade separated intersections
• for fast traveling
• serve long trips
• provide higher traveling speed and comfort
• designed to the highest standards
• complement the rural expressways
Urban Roads
ARTERIALS

• continuous roads with partial access control for

through traffic
• convey traffic from residential areas to the vicinity of
the central business district, or from one part of the city
to another which does not intend to penetrate
identifiable neighborhood
• smooth traffic flow is essential since they carry large
traffic volumes
Urban Roads
COLLECTORS

• roads with partial access control designed to serve on

a collector/distributor of traffic between arterials and
local road systems
• major roads which penetrate and serve identifiable
neighborhood, commercial areas and industrial areas
Urban Roads
LOCAL STREETS

• the basic network within a neighborhood and serves

to offer direct access to abutting land
• links to the collector roads and thus serve short trip
lengths
• through traffic should be discouraged
Urban Roads Arterial

An Urban
Street
Network

Local street

Collector
Urban Roads Proportion of service

Relationship of Arterials
Mobility
functionally classified
urban systems in serving
traffic mobility and land
access
Collectors

Land Access Locals

Classification of Roads based on Road
Administration
Tolled Highways

Federal Roads

State Roads

Local Authority Roads

Village/District Office Roads

TOLLED HIGHWAYS

• used to link the cities, towns and new development areas

in order to increase mobility and reduce congestion on
federal highways
• usually, the carriageway consists of two to three traveling
lanes or an emergency lane
• facilities such as rest and relax areas, shelters for
motorcyclists and emergency phones are also provided
• e.g. PLUS, NKVE, ELITE, SPRINT, KESAS
FEDERAL ROADS

• used to link the state capitals, airports, railway station

or ports and these roads are gazette under the Federal
Road Ordinance
• also include the roads within FELDA land schemes and
those in other regional land schemes constructed with
federal funds
• the maintenance of these roads is the responsibility
and funded by the federal government, and is carried
out through the state JKR
STATE ROADS

• all other roads within the states outside the

jurisdiction of the local authority or district office
• built according to JKR standards and constructed with
state funds
• the maintenance of these roads is the responsibility of
the state government and carried out through the state
JKR
LOCAL AUTHORITY ROADS

• all roads within the limits of the local authority (city

hall, municipal or town council)
• the local authority is responsible for the maintenance
of these roads

VILLAGE/DISTRICT OFFICE ROADS

• mostly unpaved roads with no right of way, which are

directly under the jurisdiction of the district office
• the district office is responsible for the maintenance of
these roads
Organisations involved in Roading
matters in Malaysia

ECONOMIC PLANNING UNIT (EPU)

• forms and plans policies for all aspects of

socioeconomic developments for the country.
• the Infrastructure and Utilities Section plays a
role in the planning, formation and evaluation of
transportation policies and programs
• this section is also responsible to identify,
analyze, evaluate and coordinate all road
developments plans.
HIGHWAY PLANNING UNIT (HPU)
• conducts traffic engineering studies such as traffic
volume, origin-destination, traffic growth rate,
vehicle speed and accident-prone areas
• collects data of travel characteristics and traffic
operations, incorporating highway and land use
planning and establishing the needs of the highway
sector for long-term/short-term programs
• also conducts studies on the feasibility of highway
projects and the causes of accidents by identifying
areas prone to accidents and coming up with steps
to reduce/prevent accidents.
MALAYSIAN HIGHWAY AUTHORITY (MHA)

• responsible in the supervision and execution of

highway design, construction and maintenance but
also for the design, construction and maintenance
of rest and relax areas and other facilities
• also responsible for toll collection from highway
users
• plans and conducts research on effective usage of
highways
• takes steps to further develop existing highways
and its facilities
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT (PWD)
• responsible for project development especially in
the planning, construction and maintenance of
public buildings, federal roads, state roads and
bridges
• the Road Branch (Cawangan Jalan) is responsible
for planning and preserving the conditions of roads
for the safety and comfort of the road users
• the Road Branch is also involved in pavement
rehabilitation, road widening, strengthening and
repairing pavements, pavement drainage systems
and road furniture
ROAD TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT (RTD)
• plays a role in improving road safety by monitoring
motorized vehicles and drivers
• responsible for the collection of road taxes
• other functions: enforces the Road Transport Act
1987, updates the tax collection system, assists in
reducing road accidents, and assists the
government in their efforts to reduce the effects of
transport on the environment
COMMERCIAL VEHICLE LICENSING BOARD (CVLB)

• responsible for issuing and controlling of license

permits of commercial vehicles and public
transport such as taxis, buses and rented cars
• the function of this board is limited to the
consideration of applications for licenses and the
imposing restrictions after applications are
approved
Traffic Branch of the State Police
• responsible for ensuring safety and discipline of
drivers on the road, and law enforcement against
traffic offenders
• ensures smooth traffic by patrolling the roads and
easing traffic congestion manually if the need
arises
• issues summonses to traffic offenders and collects
compounds from them
• records, analyses and investigates road accidents
• controls traffic during large-scale functions
Department of Town and Country Planning
• in charge of carrying out planning of transportation
systems within a town and arrange and control
developments in accordance with the Town and
Country Planning Act 1976
• assists the State government and Town Councils in
the planning of land use and the control of
development in accordance with state and national
policies
• also prepares structure plans and local plans
covering all aspects related with planning, which
includes transportation
Local Authority (City Hall, Town Council,
Municipal Council)

• plan and develop areas within its administration

• accountable for infrastructure allocation and road
planning, managing and controlling traffic
congestion, creating adequate parking space and
managing parking fee collection, street
landscaping, providing public transportation
services which are prompt, affordable and effective
besides constructing and maintaining roads
Department of Environment (DOE)

• controls and monitors environmental pollution by

preserving and conserving the environment
• in the context of road transport, the DOE plays its
role in enforcing the Motorized Vehicle Regulations
1977 through the Environment Quality Act 1974,
controlling and monitoring of exhaust and noise
emission of vehicles, studying and analyzing the
impacts of transportation on the environment
besides producing Environmental Impact
Assessment reports for new projects and
developments