Highway Engineering and Importance of Highway Engineering

 HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

    The branch of  transportation engineering with deals with the design, construction and maintenance of different types of roads is called highway engineering or road engineering.

Importance of Highway engineering :-

(1) Roads can be constructed to penetrate the interior of any region and to connect in remote villages specially in hilly region where provision of railway lines become uneconomical.

(2) Roads can be constructed at comparatively lower initial cost than any other mode of transport.

(3) The cost of road maintenance is also cheaper than  maintenance cost of railway track, airports and harbours.

(4) The transport offers flexible service, free from fixed schedules. Any number of motor vehicles can be used into service quickly to meet sudden demand.

(5) Roads can be used by various means of transport like privates cars, two wheelers,  cycles  etc.

(6) Road transport has a high employment potential.

(7) Road transport is the only economical means for short hauls.

(8) Roads help in tourism development, some of the monuments, parks and sanctuaries are accessible only by roads.

(9)  Roads help in providing efficient distribution of  agriculture products and naturals resources all over the country.

(10) Roads helps in promoting the culture and social ties among people living in different parts of a country and thus strengthen the  national unity.

(11) Roads helps in providing improved medical facilities quickly to human beings, especially to those who live in rural areas.

(12) Roads serve as feeders for other means of transportation like railways, airways and waterways.

(13) Roads helps in reducing distress among the people, caused due to famine, by supplying them food and clothing quickly.

(14) Roads helps in maintaining better law and order in a country.

(15) Roads play a very important role in defence of a country during war days.

    Highway is very important for any country for development its infrastructure.