Application Of Geological

Investigations: Roads And

Highways
ROADS AND HIGHWAYS:
⚫ Their planning, designing, construction and maintenance are
among the major duties of civil engineers the world over.

⚫ Geological investigations play important role in the design,

stability and economical construction and maintenance of the
roads.
⚫ Such investigations are aimed at providing full details
regarding topography of the area, lithological characters of
the rocks or soil and the ground water conditions.
Topography
⚫ Topography or the landform of a region is single most
important factor that controls the selection of alignment of
a road project.
⚫ Topographic maps would reveal the existence of various
land features like valleys and the inflowing streams, the
hills and their undulations, the plateaus and the plains with
all their varying configuration from place to place.
⚫ Obviously, knowledge of all such features is not only
important but very essential for a right alignment.
⚫ Preliminary surveys, including aerial surveys followed by
detailed surveys are often necessary to obtain desired
topographical information.
Lithological Character
Broadly speaking, ground may be divided into two types:
consolidated, massive hard rock type and soft,
unconsolidated type.
The Massive groups of rocks include all varieties of igneous,
sedimentary and metamorphic rocks which can stand even
with vertical slopes.
For making roads through them, however, these rocks
require extensive blasting operations.
They cannot be simply cut out or dug out, Once cut,
especially if they are free from joints and fractures and un
favorably inclined bedding planes, these rocks stand erect for
year without much maintenance.
⚫ The Unconsolidated group presents the engineer many
complicated problems.
⚫ Thorough soil investigations regarding their mode of
origin, texture, structures, porosity, permeability,
degree of compaction, consolidation characteristics or
compressibility, etc all are requited to be known within
broad limits to design safe and stable roads over them.
⚫ Residual soils are generally homogeneous and properties
evaluated from selective bore hole samples might prove
sufficient.
Geological Structures
⚫ The structural features of rocks, especially in those of
sedimentary and metamorphic origin, have very important
bearing upon the design of cuts as well as on the stability of
the road as a whole.
⚫ A given rock might be quite hard and otherwise sound for a
cut as road foundation.
⚫ But, if in the same rock some planes of weakness (such as
bedding planes, joints, foliation, cleavage) are present in
such a way that these are inclined towards the free side of
the valley, the rock could likely fail along these planes.
⚫ Such structural features include dip and strike, joints, fault
planes and shear zones.
Dip and Strike.
⚫ There may be three possibilities for making a cut in the inclined
beds: it can be made parallel, at right angles or inclined to the
dip direction.
⚫ The relative merits of the cut vis-a-vis its stability would be as
follows assuming other things are favourable:
(i) Cut is parallel to the dip direction: In such a case, the
layers offer a uniform behaviour on either side of the cut and as
such the risk of failure is minimal on this account.
(ii) Cut is made parallel to the strike, that is, at right angles
to the dip direction.
On the dipping inside of the cut, there is always likelihood of
slip
In some cases where the layers dip into the hill rather than
in the road, the cut is considered quite stable
Road Cuts parallel to Road Cuts parallel to
dip of inclined layer strike of inclined layer

Road Cuts parallel to

strike . Beds Dip into
the Hill: Safe
 (iii) Cutting Inclined to Dip and Strike:
⚫ In such cases also, the strata will dip across the cutting and the
slope of cutting will unequal on both sides of strike.
⚫ Hence such a condition would give rise to similar difficulties as
encountered in cuts parallel to strike.
⚫ When there is no alternative to cuts either parallel to or inclined
to strike (other than at right angles), special measure might
become necessary to ensure stability of slopes.
⚫ Such measures would include:
(i) Enlarging of the section of the cutting, particularly on the
hillside face, to stable limits;
(ii) Provision of strong, adequately high retaining walls;
(iii) Very efficient drainage system to effectively remove water
from the affected slopes.
 Joints
⚫ These influence the stability of the cuts in the same way as the
bedding planes.
⚫ When present in great abundance, joints reduce even the
hardest rock to a mass of loosely held up blocks on the side of
a cut which could tumble down on slight vibrations.
⚫ Further, even if the joints are few, but are continuous and
inclined towards the free side of the cut, these and inclined
towards the free side of the cut, these offer potential surfaces
for slips during the presence of moisture.
⚫ In major road construction programmes, therefore, jointed
rocks have to be provided artificial support by breast walls and
retaining walls for ensuring stability.
 Faults
⚫ Faulting generally leads to the crushing of the rock along the
fault planes and shear zones.
⚫ Such a condition is, of course, very unfavourable for a cut
when it happens to form upper or lower slope or even base
of the cut.
⚫ It should not be left untreated in any case.
⚫ These are the worst type of planes of potential failure.
Weathering

Fig: Unequal
weathering of shale
causing Rock fall

When the strata along or under a cut is composed of layers of

rocks of different hardness, the softer layers get weathered at a
faster rate than the overlying or underlying harder rocks.
GROUNDWATER CONDITIONS
⚫ It is always necessary to investigate thoroughly the position
of water table.
⚫ Water exerts influence on the bearing capacity of the rocks
and soil.
⚫ In case of ground with rich moisture, properties of ground
have been determined.
⚫ Condition of free-flow of groundwater through the soil is
quite dangerous.
(A) ROADS IN HILLY AREAS.
⚫ Shortest alignment is difficult.
⚫ Aerial surveying is necessary.
⚫ Structural features of rocks have to be considered.
⚫ In fact, the topographic and permissible factors often
necessitate, a meandering course in hills.
(B) ROADS IN WATER LOGGED AREAS.
⚫ Roads get deformed and damaged due to the
water-logging effects.
⚫ Due to rise of water-table, the capillary moisture wets the
sub grade soils to varying degree, resulting in unequal
reduction in the bearing capacity of the sub grade soils,
which finally leads to deformation.
Measures:-
⚫ 1)Lower down the water table to the safe limits.
⚫ 2)Increase thickness of road crust.
(C) ROADS IN MARSHY REGIONS
Failure due to subsidence might be the threat to the stability of
the road.
Geological investigation should reveal presence of unstable
material at critical depths.
Such unstable areas – that may include swamps, marshes, peat
bogs, or beds filled with soft material – should be properly
located and adequately treated before the road foundation is
laid.
Treatment:-
1)Excavate the weak soil or other such material and
replace it with sound material.
2)Inducing strength by artificial means.
3)Effective drainage system.
(D) ROADS IN PERMAFROST REGIONS.
In permafrost regions, the ground remains permanently frozen.
During summer, however, thawing may start in the top layers.
When a road is constructed over a frozen ground, the warm fill
material acts as a blanket over the ice below and thus causes its
melting, which causes subsidence because the soil below
becomes temporarily saturated.
Treatment:- A well planned insulating layer should be given in
between the warm fill of the road surface and the ice below.