A road is a straight path for moving traffic that often has a better surface for usage by cars and pedestrians. Routes serve the purpose of transportation more than streets do. Road transportation is a crucial component of every nation’s infrastructure. This article describes how roads are categorised, depending on various elements, including materials, geographic locations, traffic, etc.
Types of road based on materials
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Earthen Roads
Soil is used to lay down earthen roadways. They are more affordable than any other kind of road. This kind of road is preferred in rural or urban regions where traffic is negligible. A proper drainage system ensures outstanding performance for earthen types of roads over extended periods.
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Murrum Roads
Murrum is a substance created when igneous rocks are broken down by weathering processes. These roads are constructed with this substance.
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Gravel Roads
Even though gravel roads are of poor quality, they are preferred over earthen routes. This pavement material is a compact blend of gravel and soil used to construct these types of roads.
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WBM Roads
The foundation course of Water Bound Macadam (WBM) highways contains crushed stone aggregate. After applying water, the sums are spread out and rolled. Compared to earthen, gravel, murrum, and kankar roads, WBM roads perform better.
WBM roads are constructed in stages, with each layer around 10 cm thick. As a result, they can instantly fall apart while driving due to their extreme roughness.
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Kankar Roads
Limestone in the impure form is called kankar. Kankar roads are constructed where lime is readily accessible in a fair amount. Unfortunately, the Kankar roads are of poor quality and performance.
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Concrete Roads
Concrete roads are pavements built using cement concrete. These are the most common and expensive roads. However, since they are rigid, they require less upkeep.
Concrete roads best serve high-traffic locations. They take longer to build since they are placed with joints.
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Bituminous Roads
Around the world, bituminous roads are the most found roads. They are the busiest roads on the entire planet and are the most practical and safe kind of roads for driving. The subgrade soil conditions determine the thickness of bituminous roadways.
Road types based on function and location
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National Highways
National Highways are the names given to the primary roadways connecting most of India’s regions, state capitals, and important industrial and tourism hubs.
The appropriate numbers have been issued to each national route.
Example:
Delhi-Agra-Kanpur-Kolkata Road-NH2
Amritsar-Ambala-Delhi Road-NH1
The central government oversees constructing and maintaining these highways. Therefore, these highways’ building and upkeep are the central government’s responsibility.
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State Highways
State Highways are the roads connecting the states’ major cities, district offices, and national highways in neighboring states.
For NH and SH, the geometric design requirements and design speed are the same. These roads carry traffic from district roads inside the state as arterial routes.
The state government is accountable for building and maintaining these highways. However, development grants are provided by the national government.
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Major District Roads
Major District Types of Roads are the significant roads inside a district that connect the major regions or the areas of production and marketplaces to one another.
The District Authorities oversee the building and maintaining these roads. The state government does, however, provide funding for the construction of these highways.
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Other District Roads
The roads that connect rural producing regions to market hubs, tahsil offices, block development offices, railroad terminals, etc., are referred to as other district roads (ODRs). Compared to MDR, this has a less complex design specification.
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Village Roads
Village roads are the ones that link communities or a group of villages to other villages or the closest road of a higher grade.
From the perspective of rural area development, these routes are crucial. They typically have a single lane width of stabilized dirt or gravel and are unmetalled. The regional district administrations oversee the building and maintaining these highways.
Road types based on rigidity
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Rigid Roads
Tough types of roads are usually more costly, harder to build, and require more upkeep. It is because they have a foundation and a sub-base and are constructed of cement concrete. In addition, tough roads, in contrast to flexible ones, have high flexural strength, making each layer impervious to bending under tension.
Installing a rigid road has certain drawbacks, including expensive installation costs but affordable maintenance costs. However, rigid roads are a robust product that will endure for a long time.
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Flexible Roads
The aggregates used to apply flexible roads are bituminous or asphaltic. The road’s structure is made to flex and deflect in response to environmental elements, weather, and traffic volumes. In general, flexible roadways are more resilient to environmental influences.
Repair work is relatively simple because this kind of road needs routine upkeep.
Road types based on traffic type
- Heavy Traffic Roads: A road is deemed heavy traffic if it carries more than 1000 vehicles per day.
- Medium Traffic Roads: A road is considered medium traffic if it carries 400 to 1000 vehicles daily.
- Light Traffic Roads: Light traffic roads transport, on average, 400 cars each day.
Road types based on traffic type
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Expressways
Only a small number of cars may utilize this sort of route, allowing autos to move with high-speed acceleration. Expressways expedite travel while providing comfort for fast cars.
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Cycle Tracks
Bicyclists may travel securely because cycle paths or bicycle lanes are provided on both sides of the pavement.
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Pedestrian Ways
Vehicles are not allowed on pedestrian paths since they are specifically designed for pedestrians.
Road types based on carriageway
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Paved Roads
The roads that have been hardened with materials like WBM, bituminous, and cement concrete are called paved types of roads.
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Unpaved Roads
The unpaved roads are not built with hard pavement in the Murram manner. Kankar and earthy are a couple of these.
Road types based on topology
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Hilly Area Roads
Mountainous roads are frequently found in hilly terrains, such as mountains or hills. These types of roads have steep turns, ups and downs, and slopes because of the topography of the hills and mountains.
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Plain Area Roads
Plain area roads are constructed on flat terrain with relatively few steep slopes, curves, or ups and downs.
Road types based on usage
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All-Weather Roads
An all-weather road can be used in any condition. Typically, this refers to a road built to prevent flooding or to sodden to the point that moving cars are likely to become stranded on it during periods of heavy rain.
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Fair-Weather Roads
“Fair weather” refers to a closed road during the rainy season. The river or one of its forks will pour across the street during the monsoon. A causeway is the ideal illustration of a fair-weather road.
FAQs
How many layers of flexible and rigid roads are there?
The surface, base, subbase, and subgrade course are the four layers that make up the flexible pavement. However, the three layers of rigid types of roads are the surface course, base course, and subgrade course.
What is the best material available for the construction of roads?
The most excellent material for building roads is unquestionably asphalt. When compared to concrete, it is simpler to handle. Aggregate materials, such as sand, gravel, stone, and petroleum wastes, are crucial component elements.
What is the estimated life of a newly-built road?
A brand-new, well-constructed asphalt road should endure at least 15 years before requiring significant maintenance or a complete replacement. The time between major work can be increased to 20 years with surface treatments or thin overlays every 7–10 years.
Why is road safety so crucial?
Road safety is crucial because road accidents are one of the leading causes of fatalities in the nation. Therefore, everyone should be aware of the traffic and comply with all road safety regulations as the number of vehicles on the road is growing by the hour.
