Highway Planning and Development Process

Highway design is only one element in the overall highway development process.
Historically, detailed design occurs in the middle of the process, linking the
preceding phases of planning and project development with the subsequent
phases of rightofway acquisition, construction, and maintenance. While these are
distinct activities, there is considerable overlap in terms of coordination among
the various disciplines that work together, including designers, throughout the
process.

THE STAGES OF HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT

There are different steps in the planning of

any highway but the important and general
one are planning, project development
(preliminary design), final design, rightofway,
and construction. After that the maintenance
activities and other one will continue
throughout the life.

Planning:
The initial definition of the need for any highway or bridge improvement project takes place
during the planning stage. This problem definition occurs at the State, regional, or local level,
depending on the scale of the proposed improvement. This is the key time to get the public
involved and provide input into the decisionmaking process. The problems identified usually
fall into one or more of the following four categories:

1. The existing physical structure needs major repair/replacement (structure repair).

2. Existing or projected future travel demands exceed available capacity, and access to
transportation and mobility need to be increased (capacity).
3. The route is experiencing an inordinate number of safety and accident problems that can
only be resolved through physical, geometric changes (safety).
4. Developmental pressures along the route make a reexamination of the number, location,
and physical design of access points necessary (access).
Planning Occurs at Three Government Levels:

State Planning Regional Local Planning

Planning

State Planning:
At the State level, State DOTS are required to develop and maintain a statewide, multimodal
transportation planning process. Broad categories of highway improvement needs are defined,
based primarily on ongoing examinations of roadway pavement conditions and estimates of
presentday and 20year projections of traffic demands. In addition, each State is required to conduct
biennial inspections of its major bridges (and similar, less frequent, inspections of minor structures)
to determine their structural adequacy and capacity. In a number of States, regional transportation
plans for multiple counties are prepared within the context of the statewide planning process. Every
few years, the State selects improvement projects based on the longrangeplan and includes them in
the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, or STIP.

Regional Planning:

State efforts are supplemented in urbanized areas with a population of more than 200,000
through the metropolitan transportation planning process. Metropolitan planning
organizations (MPOs) develop their own regional plans, unlike nonMPO areas, which must
rely on the State planning process. The metropolitan planning process requires the
development of a longrange plan, typically prepared with a 20 to 25year planning horizon.
The plan not only defines a region's multimodal transportation needs, but also identifies the
local funding sources that will be needed to implement the identified projects. Each
urbanized area or MPO then uses this information to prepare a shorter, more detailed listing
and prioritization of projects for which work is anticipated within the next 3 to 5 years. The
listing of these projects is referred to as the shortrange Transportation Improvement
Program, or TIP The TIP is incorporated into the STIP

Local Planning:

Most cities and counties follow a similar process of project identification, conceptual
costing, and prioritization of the roadways for which they are responsible. Generally, these
are roads that are not the responsibility of the State DOT. However, the State must work
with localities to get their input into the longrange plan and STIP.
 Factors To Consider During Planning:

Following figure shows the factors which are important from planning point of
view

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT:

After a project has been planned and programmed for implementation, it moves
into the project development phase. At this stage, the environmental analysis
intensifies. The level of environmental review varies widely, depending on the
scale and impact of the project. It can range from a multiyear effort to prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement (a comprehensive document that analyzes
the potential impact of proposed alternatives) to a modest environmental review
completed in a matter of weeks. Regardless of the level of detail or duration, the
product of the project development process generally includes a description of
the location and major design features of the recommended project that is to be further
designed and constructed, while continually trying to avoid, minimize, and mitigate
environmental impact.

The basic steps in this stage include the following:

 Refinement of purpose and need

 Development of a range of alternatives (including the "nobuild" and traffic management
system [TMS] options)
 Evaluation of alternatives and their impact on the natural and built environments
 Development of appropriate mitigation
Assessing the Character of an Area
In order for a designer to be sensitive to the project's surrounding environment, he or she
must consider its context and physical location carefully during this stage of project planning.
This is true whether a house, a road, a bridge, or something as small as a bus passenger
waiting shelter is to be built. A data collection effort may be needed that involves site visits
and contacts with residents and other stakeholders in the area. A benefit of the designer
gathering information about the physical character of the area and the values of the
community is that the information will help the designer shape how the project will look and
identify any physical constraints or opportunities early in the process see in figure,

Understanding what is
important about land,

FINAL DESIGN:

After a preferred alternative has been selected and the project description agreed upon, a
project can move into the final design stage. The product of this stage is a complete set of
plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&Es) of required quantities of materials ready for the
solicitation of construction bids and subsequent construction. Depending on the scale and
complexity of the project, the final design process may take from a few months to several
years.

The interests and involvement of affected stakeholders are critical to making design
decisions during this phase, as well. Many of the same techniques employed during earlier
 phases of the project development process to facilitate public participation can also be used
during the design phase.

The terms that are important consideration in design ,

 Developing a concept
 Considering scale
 Detailing the design

Developing a concept:
A design concept gives the project a focus and helps to move it toward a specific direction.
There are many elements in a highway, and each involves a number of separate but
interrelated design decisions.
 Some of the many elements of highway design are including:

a. Number and width of travel lanes, median type and width, and shoulders
b. Traffic barriers
c. Overpasses/bridges
d. Horizontaland vertical alignment, and affiliated landscape

Considering Scale:

People driving in a car see the world at a much different scale than people walking on the
street. This large discrepancy in the design scale for a car versus the design scale for people
has changed the overall planning of our communities. For example, it has become common
in many suburban commercial areas that a shopper must get in the car and drive from one
store to the next. Except in the case of strip malls, stores are often separated by large
parking lots and usually have no safe walkways for pedestrians. This makes it difficult to get
around any other way but by car. This type of design scale is in sharp contrast to
preautomobile commercial areas that commonly took the form of "main streets," where
walking from one store to the next ,was the norm
Detailing the Design:

Particularly during the final design phase, it is the details associated with the project that are
important. Employing a multidisciplinary design team ensures that important design details
are considered and that they are compatible with community values. Often it is the details
of the project that are most recognizable to the public. A special type of tree that was used
as part of the landscape plan, antique lighting, brick sidewalks, and ornamental traffic
barriers are all elements of a roadway that are easily recognizable and leave an impression.
Because of their visibility, the treatment of details is a critical element in good design.

RIGHTOFWAY, CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE:

Once the final designs have been prepared and needed rightofway is purchased,
construction bid packages are made available, a contractor is selected, and construction is
initiated. During the rightofway acquisition and construction stages, minor adjustments in
the design may be necessary; therefore, there should be continuous involvement of the
design team throughout these stages. Construction may be simple or complex and may
require a few months to several years. Once construction has been completed, the facility is
ready to begin its normal sequence of operations and maintenance.

Even after the completion of construction, the character of a road can be changed by
inappropriate maintenance actions. For example, the replacement of sections of guardrail
damaged or destroyed in crashes commonly utilizes whatever spare guardrail sections may
be available to the local highway maintenance personnel at the time. The maintenance
personnel may not be aware of the use of a special guardrail design to define the
"character" of the highway. When special design treatments are used, ongoing operation
and maintenance procedures acknowledging these unusual needs should be developed. For
example, the Oregon DOT has developed a special set of maintenance procedures for its
scenic and historic highways.

ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL PROCESS:

This table will summarize the the highway design process:

 In other words, a successful highway design process includes the following:

 Early and continuous public involvement throughout the project

 The use of visualization techniques to aid the public
 Early and continuous use of a multidisciplinary design team
 The application of flexible and creative design criteria
Public Involvement:
A successful highway process includes public involvement. To be effective, public
involvement must be sought from the beginning, during the definition of need for the
project. The public should be involved while there are the greatest opportunities for
changes in the design. This will result in a smoother and faster process.
Public input can also help in assessing the characteristics of the area and determining what
physical features are most valued by the community, thus having the greatest potential for
impact. Knowing the features of an area are valued may help designers avoid them
altogether and reduce the need for mitigation and the likelihood for controversy. After
working with the community to define the project and assess the physical character,
continuous public involvement is important to gain input on possible alternatives.
Visualization Tools:
The most effective communication between two parties takes place when both speak the
same language. This can be achieved in design using illustrations that show the public what
a project will look like before it is built. Increasingly, computer generated visualization
tools are being used for this purpose. Designers can communicate conceptually what they
are planning for an area, and citizens can react with a certain degree of confidence that
they understand what is being communicated to them. Lower end computer systems use a
photograph taken of the existing project area and superimpose a drawing, using computer
graphics, of what the new construction will look like. Visualization tools, such as these,
help the public gain a better understanding of the proposed improvement project
Flow Chart:

State Planning Regional

Planning

Local Planning

Construction

Refrence:
US Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Transportation
Federal Highway Administration | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20590 | 202-366-4000