This document provides an introduction to highway engineering. It defines highway engineering as the branch of transportation engineering dealing with design, construction, and maintenance of roads. It outlines the importance of highways for transportation, economic development, and national defense. The document then summarizes the history of highway development in India from pre-historic footpaths to the current large network of national highways and rural roads under development.

1. HIGHWAY ENGINEERING: INTRODUCTION
A lecture by..
Raghubir Singh
B.E, M.Tech (Structures)
Lecturer (Civil Engg.)
Pt.JR Govt.Polytechnic College, Hoshiarpur
Highway Engineering:Introduction
HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
5TH SEMESTER (3 year Diploma in Civil Engineering)

2. CONTENTS
 Definition of Highway engineering
 Importance of Highway engineering
 History of Highway development in India
• Pre-historic period
• Roads under early Indian Rulers
• Roads during Mughal Periods
• Roads during British Rule
• Roads during Post-Independence period
• Present scenario of roads
Highway Engineering:Introduction

3. HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
Highway engineering is the branch of
transportation engineering which deals
with the design, construction and
maintenance of different types of roads.

4. Importance of Highway Engineering
1. Facilitate conveyance of people and goods.
2. Source of Communication in hilly regions .
3. Help in the growth of trade and other
economic activities.
4. Help in cultural and social ties among
people.
5. Help in providing improved medical facilities
especially in remote areas.
Highway Engineering:Introduction

5. Importance of Highway Engineering
6. Provide more employment oppurtunities.
7. Enhance land value and thus bring better revenue.
8. Serve as feeders to railways, waterways and
airways.
9. Important medium during famine to provide food,
clothing and medicines to needy people.
10. Play an important role in the defence of a country
during wars.
Highway Engineering:Introduction

6. History of Highway development in India
Highway Engineering:Introduction

7. Pre-historic period
 Use of foot paths or pathways: first road mark laid
on the surface of earth.
 Introduction of wheel carts: pathways
converted/widened into roadways gradually.
 Beginning of the roads as a mean of communication
and transport.
Highway Engineering:Introduction

8. Roads under early Indian rulers
 Aryan Period and Mauryan period
 Mahapathas: means of communication in Aryan
period.
 Pucca road( 6.1-7.3m wide) built 600 B.C by
Bimbisara in Rajgir(Patna)
 Roads with specifications were laid in Maurayan
period viz. Road width, road surface, Camber.
 ArthaShastra written by Kautilya in 300 B.C gives a
detailed information regarding roads with specifications
during Maurayan period.
Highway Engineering:Introduction

9. Roads under early Indian rulers
 Chandragupta Maurya (322-298 B.C) made separate
department to look after public roads. He introduced
milestones and signposts along the road side at regular
intervals.
 Emperor Ashoka further made improvements by
introducing plantation of trees, digging wells and
constructing rest houses.
Highway Engineering:Introduction

10. Roads under Mughal period
 Great improvement in the roads during Mughal
period.
 A book “Chahar Gulshan” written by Rai chatar
in 18th century mentioned important 24 roads in
India during Mughal period.
 The road system during Mughal’s was one of
the best systems in the world that time.
 The present Grand trunk road(GT Road) is the
part of “Badshahi Sadak” constructed by Sher
Shah Suri.
Highway Engineering:Introduction

11. Roads during British Rule
• Lord Dalhausie established Central Public Works Dept.
( CPWD) to look after maintenance of roads.
• Roads received a serious setback with the development of
railways. Govt. of India Act,1919 transferred all affairs of
roads from central to provincial Governments.
• In 1927, the Central Govt. appointed Jayakar Committee to
report on existing conditions of roads. The responsibility was
again given to central govt. by the committee to look after
roads of national importance.
Highway Engineering:Introduction

12. Roads during British Rule
 The central Road fund (CRF) was enforced on 1st
march,1929 on the recommendations of jayakar
Committee. The petrol tax surcharge was imposed to
build road development fund.
 20% of the funds were retained by the central Govt.
while 80% was distributed to the provinces for the
maintenance and construction of roads.
Highway Engineering:Introduction

13. Roads during British Rule
 Nagpur plan is the landmark in the history of roads.
 A conference of Chief engineers convened by central
govt. was held in 1943 to prepare road development
programme in a planned manner.
 A twenty year plan (1943-1963) was finalised.
 All roads were classified as National Highways, State
Highways, District Roads and Village roads.
Highway Engineering:Introduction

14. Roads during British Rule
 Indian Road Congress (IRC) was established in
1934 by central govt. as per the recommendations
of Jayakar committee.
 This body was formed to control standardisation,
specifications and recommendations regarding
design and construction of roads and bridges.
Highway Engineering:Introduction

15. Roads during post independence period
 The targets of Nagpur plan were achieved by 1960
through first and second five year plans (1951-56 and
1956-61).
 Central Road research Institute (CRRI) was started in
1950 for applied research and offering technical advice
to state governments.
 National Highway act was passed in 1956 and central
govt. was given responsibility for the development and
maintenance of National Highways.
Highway Engineering:Introduction

16.  Road development Plan (1961-81) was finalised in 1958
at the meeting of Chief Engineers of the states also
known as Chief Engineer’s Plan.The road length was
doubled in this plan to that of Nagpur plan.
 In 1973, A Highway Research board has been set up by
Govt. of India to identify the nature , extent and priority
for road research and to advice and recommend Govt.
the items of priority research.
Highway Engineering:Introduction
Roads during post independence period

17. Present Scenario of Roads in India
 India has the second largest road network in the world, spanning a
total of 5.89 million kilometres (kms).
 This road network transports 64.5 per cent of all goods in the
country and 90 per cent of India’s total passenger traffic uses road
network to commute.
 In April 2020, the Government set a target of constructing roads
worth Rs 15 lakh crore (US$ 212.80 billion) in the next two years.
Highway Engineering:Introduction

18. Present Scenario of Roads in India
 To widen and revamp 1.25-lakh km of roads, Government of India
has approved the launch of Phase-III of its rural road programme
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
 Under the Union Budget 2020-21, the Government has allocated Rs
91,823 crore (US$ 13.14 billion) under the Ministry of Road
Transport and Highways.
 A total of 65,000 km of roads and highways are to be constructed under
Bharatmala Pariyojana.
Highway Engineering:Introduction

19. Summary
 Definition of Highway engineering
 Importance of Highway engineering
 History of Highway development in India
• Pre-historic period
• Roads under early Indian Rulers
• Roads during Mughal Periods
• Roads during British Rule
• Roads during Post-Independence period
• Present scenario of roads
Highway Engineering:Introduction