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| A Military Road |
The purpose of this article is to provide you with the knowledge to supervise the construction of a military road.
SITE RECONNAISSANCE
- The site reconnaissance is conducted to determine if the proposed location for the road is feasible, or if an alternate route needs to be selected.
- This should be mutually performed involving maximum number of concerned staff.
RECONNAISSANCE CONSIDERATIONS
- Terrain restrictions.
- Location of existing roads.
- Location and utilization of existing bridges.
- Natural or manmade obstacles.
- Vegetation and undergrowth.
- Engineering effort involved for construction.
- Existing soil conditions.
- Location of possible borrow pits.
PRELIMINARY ROAD LOCATION FACTORS
- Soil Characteristics: Locate roads on terrain having the best sub grade soil conditions to decrease construction efforts and make a more stable road.
- Drainage: Locate roads in areas that drain well, and where the construction of drainage structures is minimized.
- Topography: Avoid excessive grades and steep hills. Locate roads on the side of a hill instead of going directly over it.
- Earthwork: Earthwork operations are the single largest work item during the construction of a road. Balancing cut and fill volumes will decrease hauling distances, and the work required to handle the material.
- Alignments: Keep the number of curves and grades to a minimum. Avoid excessive grades which cause mobility problems.
FINAL ROAD LOCATION
- Locate portions of new roads along existing roads whenever possible.
- Locate the road on a stable soil that drains well. Avoid low lying areas where water will cause surface and subsurface drainage problems.
- Avoid areas with high water tables. These areas will have continuing problems from water damage.
- Locate roads along ridges and streamlines to keep the construction of drainage structures to a minimum. Keep the road well above the waterline to prevent flooding.
- Locate roads along contour lines to prevent unnecessary earthwork operations.
- Select locations that avoid rock work or excessive clearing and grubbing.
- Avoid sharp curves and routes which require bridging.
RECORDING RECONNAISSANCE OBSERVATIONS
- Make your notes as detailed as possible when performing the site reconnaissance.
- Use a rough checklist to help you with your site observations.
- Make a rough sketch of the project area.