The different modes of transport are air, water, and land transport, which includes rails or railways, road and off-road transport.

1. TRANSPORTATION
ENGINEERING
CONNECTING ALL OF US WITH THE WORLD
MRS. S. M. MADHALE
Assistant professor

2. Modes of Transportation

3. Characteristics
Mode of Transportation
Roadway Railway Airway Pipeline way Waterway
Speed of Delivery
High - short
distances.
Medium - long
Distances
The rapid
speed of
delivery
The very fast
speed of
delivery
The slow speed
of delivery
The very slow
speed of
delivery
Door to Door
service
Best
Sometimes
occur
NO
Sometimes
occur
Sometimes
occur
Price Very High Low High Very low Very low
Reliability Medium Medium Very High Very High Low
Packaging Medium High High -------- High
Risk of loss /
damage
Medium Medium Very Low Low Medium
Flexibility High Low Very Low Very Low Low
Environmental
Impact
Medium Low Low High Low

5. According to Material
Earthen Roads
Earthen roads are laid with soil.
They are cheaper than all types of roads.
This type of road is provided for fewer traffic areas or countryside
areas.
A good drainage system should be provided, which reflects excellent
performance for a more extended period.
Gravel Roads
Gravel roads are also low-quality roads, but they are better when
compared with earthen roads.
A compacted mixture of gravel and earth is used as pavement material
in this case.

6. Murrum Roads
Murrum is a matter obtained from the disintegration of igneous
rocks by weathering agencies. This is used to make roads called
murrum roads.
Kankar Roads
Kankar is an impure form of limestone. Kankar roads are provided
where lime is available in a reasonable quantity. The Kankar roads
are low quality and performance.
Bituminous Roads
Bituminous roads are prevalent roads around the world. They are
the most used roads in the world. This road types are low in cost and
suitable for driving conditions. The thickness of bituminous roads
depends upon the subgrade soil conditions.

7. WBM Roads
Water Bound Macadam (WBM) roads contain crushed stone aggregate
in its base course. The aggregates are spread on the surface and rolled after
sprinkling water. WBM roads provide better performance compared to
earthen, gravel, murrum, and kankar roads.
WBM roads are laid as layers of about 10cm thickness of each layer. They
are very rough and may disintegrate immediately under traffic.
Concrete Roads
Cement concrete is used to construct the pavements in case of concrete
roads. These are very popular and costlier than all other types of roads.
They are not flexible, so they require less maintenance.
Concrete roads are suitable for high traffic areas. They are laid with joints
and time of construction is more.

8. According to location and function
National Highways
National highways are the main roads that connect all major cities
to the capital of the country. They run throughout the leng
th and breadth of the country. A minimum two-lane road is
provided for national highways.

10. Type of road
Total
length
No. of connecting states No. of connecting cities
National
Highway 44
(Previously
called national
Highway 7)
4,112 km
11
Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab,
Haryana, Delhi, Uttar
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Telangana,
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,
and Tamil Nadu.
30
Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Jalandhar,
Ludhiana, Ambala, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat,
Delhi, Mathura, Agra, Gwalior, Jhansi,
Narsinghpur, Nagpur, Adilabad, Hyderabad,
Jadcherla, Kurnool, Anantapur, Bengaluru,
Dharmapuri, Salem, Namakkal, Karur,
Dindigul, Madurai, Kovilpatti, Tirunelveli and
Kanyakumari, Nirmal, Karur.
The Central Public
Works Department
(CPWD) takes care of
the maintenance of this
highway.
National
Highway 27
3,507 km
7
Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, West Bengal, and
Assam
47
Porbandar, Bamanbore, Morvi, Samakhiali,
Radhanpur, Palanpur, Pindwara, Udaipur,
Mangarwar, Chittaurgarh, Kota, Baran,
Shivpuri, Ganj, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow,
Faizabad, Gorakhpur, Gopalganj, Pipra,
Kothi, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Forbesganj,
Araria, Purnia, Dalkola, Islampur, Shiliguri,
Jalaiguri, Mainaguri, Dhupgar, Falakata,
Sonapur, Salsaguri, Bongaigaon, Bijni, Howly,
Patacharkuchi, Nalbari, Guwahati, Dishpur,
Nagaon, Dobaka, Lumding, Haflong, and
Silchar
NH 27 is considered as
the economical pulse of
the country.

11. Type of road Total length No. of connecting states No. of connecting cities
National Highway 48
(Previously known as
NH 4 & NH 8)
2,807 km
7
Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil
Nadu.
33
New Delhi, Gurugram,Rewari, Bawal, Kotputli,
Shahpura, Jaipur, Ajmer, Rajsamand, Kishangarh,
Nasirabad, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Ahmedabad,
Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Navsari, Vapi, Ankleshwar,
Surat, Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Satara, Kolhapur,
Belgaum, Hubballi, Davangere, Chitradurga,
Bengaluru, Krishnagiri, Vellore, and Chennai
The highway starts from
New Delhi and
terminates in Chennai.
It became the most used
highway as it connects
the major states and
cities to each other.
National Highway 52 2,317 km
6
Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka
33
Sangrur, Dirba, Pattran, Narwana, Hisar, Siwani,
Sadulpur, Churu, Fatehpur, Ramgarh, Sikar, Churu,
Jaipur, Tonk, Bundi, Talera, Kota, Jhalawar, Aklera,
Rajgarh, Biora, Dewas, Indore, Sendhwa, Dhule,
Chalisgaon, Aurangabad, Beed, Osmanabad, Solapur,
Bijapur, Hubli, and Ankola
The highway is
economically beneficial
due to its connectivity
with the major
commercial cities of
India..
National Highway 30
(Previously known as
NH 221)
1,984 km
6
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra
Pradesh, and Telangana
29
Sitarganj, Pilibhit, Bareilly, Tihar, Shahjahanpur,
Sitapur, Lucknow, Raebareli, Allahabad, Mangawan,
Rewa, Katni, Jabalpur, Mandla, Chilpi, Simga, Raipur,
Dhamtari, Keskal, Jagdalpur, Konta, Nellipaka,
Bhadrachalam, Palwancha, Kottagudem, Tiravuru,
Mailavaram, Kondapalle, and Ibrahimpatnam
It is considered as one of
the safest highways in
India owing to the less
number of road
accidents.

12. Type of road Total length No. of connecting states No. of connecting cities
National Highway 48
(Previously known as
NH 4 & NH 8)
2,807 km
7
Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil
Nadu.
33
New Delhi, Gurugram,Rewari, Bawal, Kotputli,
Shahpura, Jaipur, Ajmer, Rajsamand, Kishangarh,
Nasirabad, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Ahmedabad,
Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Navsari, Vapi, Ankleshwar,
Surat, Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Satara, Kolhapur,
Belgaum, Hubballi, Davangere, Chitradurga,
Bengaluru, Krishnagiri, Vellore, and Chennai
The highway starts from
New Delhi and
terminates in Chennai.
It became the most used
highway as it connects
the major states and
cities to each other.
National Highway 52 2,317 km
6
Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka
33
Sangrur, Dirba, Pattran, Narwana, Hisar, Siwani,
Sadulpur, Churu, Fatehpur, Ramgarh, Sikar, Churu,
Jaipur, Tonk, Bundi, Talera, Kota, Jhalawar, Aklera,
Rajgarh, Biora, Dewas, Indore, Sendhwa, Dhule,
Chalisgaon, Aurangabad, Beed, Osmanabad, Solapur,
Bijapur, Hubli, and Ankola
The highway is
economically beneficial
due to its connectivity
with the major
commercial cities of
India..
National Highway 30
(Previously known as
NH 221)
1,984 km
6
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra
Pradesh, and Telangana
29
Sitarganj, Pilibhit, Bareilly, Tihar, Shahjahanpur,
Sitapur, Lucknow, Raebareli, Allahabad, Mangawan,
Rewa, Katni, Jabalpur, Mandla, Chilpi, Simga, Raipur,
Dhamtari, Keskal, Jagdalpur, Konta, Nellipaka,
Bhadrachalam, Palwancha, Kottagudem, Tiravuru,
Mailavaram, Kondapalle, and Ibrahimpatnam
It is considered as one of
the safest highways in
India owing to the less
number of road
accidents.

13. State Highways
State highways are the second main roads that connect significant parts of the state
within it. State highway ultimately connects to the national highways.
District Roads
District roads are provided within the cities and connect markets and production
places to state and national highways. Two types of district roads are there namely,
Major district roads
Minor district roads
Rural Roads or Village Roads
Village roads connect the nearby villages.
They lead to a nearby town or district roads.
Usually, low-quality roads are provided as village roads because of low traffic.
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14. Based on Traffic Volume
Light Traffic Roads
The roads which are carrying 400 vehicles daily on
an average is called light traffic roads.
Medium Traffic Roads
If a road is carrying 400 to 1000 vehicles per day,
then it is said to be a medium traffic road.
High Traffic Roads
If a road is carrying is more than 1000 vehicles per
day then it is considered as high traffic road.
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15. Based on Rigidity
Flexible roads
Rigid roads
Flexible Roads
Flexible roads consist of a flexible layer as a pavement surface,
which requires proper maintenance; otherwise, it can be
disintegrated easily with heavy traffic. All types of roads
except concrete roads fall under this category.
Rigid Roads
Rigid pavements are non-flexible and cement concrete roads
are fall under this category.
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