TRANSITIONAL GRADING OF HIGHWAY SLOPES
SOUND ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES, APPLIED TO ROADSIDES, RESULT IN THE USE OF TRANSITIONS MOLDING THE ROADSIDES TO FLOW FROM FORM TO FORM. THE USE OF TRANSITIONS PROVIDES INCREASED STABILITY, ECONOMIES IN MAINTENANCE AND GREATER SAFETY. IMPROVED APPEARANCE IS PROVIDED CONCURRENTLY. THE WORK OFFERS A NATURAL, PLEASING APPEARANCE. "PRISM" CONSTRUCTION IS UNSIGHTLY IN CHARACTER. IT IS USUALLY DIFFICULT TO SECURE A GOOD STAND OF VEGETATION WHICH WILL PROTECT THE SLOPES AGAINST EROSION AND CONCEAL THE SCARS CAUSED BY CONSTRUCTION. THE SWEEP OF THE TERRAIN IS NOT COMPOSED OF PLANES, STRAIGHT LINES OR SIMPLE CURVES. THE SURFACE FLOWS FROM FORM TO FORM. HIGHWAY ROUNDINGS AND OTHER TRANSITIONS SHOULD BE OF SIMILAR CHARACTER, USING CURVES LIKE PARABOLAS RATHER THAN CIRCULAR CURVES AND STRAIGHT LINES, IN ORDER TO BE MORE PLEASING. VARIATIONS SECURED BY TRANSITION TREATMENTS INCLUDE THE USE OF FLATTER SLOPES WHERE CUTS AND FILLS ARE LOWER, THE ROUNDING OFF OF THE INTERSECTIONS OF SLOPES WITH THE NATURAL GROUND SURFACE AND AT THE SHOULDERS WHERE FEASIBLE, AND THE BLENDING OUT OF THE ZONES BETWEEN CUTS AND ADJACENT FILLS. EXAMPLES ARE GIVEN OF METHODS OF ACCOMPLISHING SUCH TRANSITIONS AS A PART OF THE HIGHWAY GRADING. IT HAS PROVED PRACTICABLE TO USE MACHINE METHODS TO DO SUCH WORK. /AUTHOR/
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Supplemental Notes:
- pp 20-32, 4 FIG, 1 TAB, 3 PHOT. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Authors:
- Dubois, R S
- Publication Date: 1949
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
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Serial:
- Highway Research Board Roadside Development Committee Reports
- Publisher: Highway Research Board
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Design; Excavations; Fills; Grading (Earthwork); Landscape design; Prisms; Roadside; Slopes; Topography; Transition curves
- Uncontrolled Terms: Grading
- Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00205006
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: pp 1-8
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Dec 6 1971 12:00AM