History of Road Development

Kenneth John B.
Casalta | Structural Designer | TritonTek |(032) 266-1433|12th Flr The Link Bldg | IT Park, Lahug Cebu City| www.tritontek.ph | Part-time Civil Engineering Instructor |
History of highway engineering
Ancient Roads
By foot
These human pathways would have been developed for specie
purposes leading to camp sites, food, streams for drinking water
etc.
The next major mode of transport was the use of animals

For transporting both men and materials. Since these loaded
animals required more horizontal and vertical clearances than the
walking man, track ways emerged.
The invention of wheel
• Led to the development of animal drawn vehicles. Then it
became necessary that the road surface should be capable of
carrying greater loads. Thus roads with harder surfaces
emerged.
• To provide adequate strength to carry the wheels, the new
ways tended to follow the sunny drier side of a path. These
have led to the development of foot- paths. After the invention
of wheel, animal drawn vehicles were developed and the need
for hard surface road emerged.
• Traces of such hard roads were obtained from various ancient
civilization dated as old as 3500 BC. The earliest authentic
record of road was found from Assyrian empire constructed
about 1900 BC.
Roman roads
• The earliest large scale road construction is
attributed to Romans who constructed an
extensive system of roads radiating in many
directions from Rome.
• Appian way which was build by Romans in
312 B.C. extended over a length of about 580
KM.
Features of Roman roads
• An earthed road with a graveled surface.
• They were build straight without any gradient.
• The soft soil from top was removed till the
hard stratum was reached.
• The total thickness of road section worked out
as high as 750 mm to 1200 mm.
French roads or Tresaguet road
• The next major development in the road construction occurred during the regime of
Napoleon.
• The signicant contributions were given by Tresaguet in 1764 and a typical cross section
of this road is given in Figure 2:2.
• He developed a cheaper method of construction than the locally unsuccessful

revival of Roman practice
• The pavement used 200 mm pieces of stone of a more compact form and shaped such that
they had at least one at side which was placed on a compact formation.
• Smaller pieces of broken stones were then compacted into the spaces
between larger stones to provide a level surface.
• Finally the running layer was made with a layer of 25 mm sized broken stone.
Telford Construction
• The next development was done by Scottish engineer Thoms Telford
(1757-1834).
• The foundation was prepared for a road with width of 9 m and it was
levelled.
• Large size stones of width equal to 40 mm and depth 170 to 220 mm were
then laid.
• After filling the spaces between foundation stones, two layers of stones
having compacted thickness of 100 and 50 mm respectively laid in the
center of 5.4 m. of width.
• The top layer of road was made of 40 mm thick binding layer of

gravel.
British roads or Macadam Road
• The British engineer John Macadam introduced what
can be considered as the first scientific road
construction method.
• Stone size was an important element of Macadam

road. By empirical observation of many roads, he
came to realize that 250 mm layers of well compacted
broken angular stone would provide the same strength
and stiffness and a better running surface than an
expensive pavement founded on large stone blocks.
Thus he introduced an economical method of road
construction.
• A typical cross section of British roads is given in

Figure 2:3.
Difference between Telford and Macadam road
construction
Parameter Telford Macadam
Subgrade slope Horizontal 1 in 36
Foundation stone From 170 mm to 220 mm. From 50 mm to 100 mm.
Base course Two layers of broken One layer of broken stone

stones
Surface course 40 mm thick with slope 1 in 50 mm thick with slope 1 in
45 36
Thickness of cross section 410 mm at center and 350 Uniform 250 mm only.
at edge
Modern roads
• The modern roads by and large follow Macadam's construction method.

Use of bituminous concrete and cement
• Various advanced and cost- effective construction technologies are

used.
• Development of new equipment's help in the faster construction of

roads.
• Many easily and locally available materials are tested in the laboratories
and then implemented on roads for making economical and durable
pavements.
Roman roads
French roads
British roads
Flexible Pavement
Modern roads
Concrete Pavement

History of Road Development

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Kenneth John B.

The next major mode of transport was the use of animals

• He developed a cheaper method of construction than the locally unsuccessful

• The top layer of road was made of 40 mm thick binding layer of

• Stone size was an important element of Macadam

• A typical cross section of British roads is given in

Subgrade slope Horizontal 1 in 36

Foundation stone From 170 mm to 220 mm. From 50 mm to 100 mm.

Base course Two layers of broken One layer of broken stone

• The modern roads by and large follow Macadam's construction method.

• Various advanced and cost- effective construction technologies are

• Development of new equipment's help in the faster construction of

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