EAL 338: Transportation and Road

Safety

Road and Highway Drainage

Dr Mohd Rosli Mohd Hasan

 Topic outcome
• Students able to comprehend the necessity
for good highway drainage (recognise the
different parts of the drainage system and be
able to explain their function)
 Introduction
• Water contributes to the wear and damage of the
road.
• The water can be in the form of ground water
(e.g. water table), surface water, or precipitation
(rain-which will become surface water when it
collected on the ground surface).
• Damaging the road in two mechanisms:
– Washing away the soil (erosion or scouring)
– Affecting the structural integrity of the road (lowering
the road bearing capacity).
How?
 Issues due to

• Water reduce the

strength of the
pavement

• Pavement distresses
 Another issue due to
• Hydroplaning/aquaplaning
Another issue due to
• Flash flood
 Transverse slope

Longitudinal Slope
Surface
Drainage
Longitudinal Channels

Curbs and Gutter

Types of
drainage
Longitudinal Drains

Transverse Drains
Sub surface
Drainage
Horizontal Drains

Drainage Blankets
 Transverse slope

Longitudinal Slope
Surface
Drainage
Longitudinal Channels

Curbs and Gutter

Type of
drainage
Longitudinal Drains

Transverse Drains
Sub surface
Drainage
Horizontal Drains

Drainage Blankets
 Transverse slope
• To remove surface water from the pavement surface
in the shortest time.
• Crowning at the center of the pavement or
• Cross slope on either side or
• Slope in one direction across the pavement width

Note:
Crown describes the cross-sectional shape of a road surface.
Cross-sloping, either in-sloped or out-sloped, of the road is the slope angle of the road cross-section, typically measured in percent or expressed as inches of
vertical change per foot of horizontal distance
 Centerline Crown
- sheds water to both sides of the road from its longitudinal highpoint
 Cross section of a road.

1. Gutter; 2. Shoulder; 3. Sub-base; 4. Base course; 5. Asphalt

In- sloping
- Drains water from the entire width of
the road toward the cut bank side.
- Commonly used on steep side-hills or
where speed requires a banked curve,
can be useful to direct ditch water to
better discharge points
- Lessen the probability of vehicles
sliding on a steep side-slope.
Out- sloping
-drains water from the entire width of the
road toward the fill-bank or down-slope
side.
- the road is shaped to avoid collection or
concentration of water in a ditch
 Transverse slope

Longitudinal Slope
Surface
Drainage
Longitudinal Channels

Curbs and Gutter

Type of
drainage
Longitudinal Drains

Transverse Drains
Sub surface
Drainage
Horizontal Drains

Drainage Blankets
 Longitudinal slope
• To prevent water accumulation on the pavement surface
• To facilitate the removal of water along the longitudinal
channels that run along the side of the road
• A minimum longitudinal gradient is more important for a
curbed pavement than for an uncurbed pavement since the
water is constrained by the curb
How it works?
 Transverse slope

Longitudinal Slope
Surface
Drainage
Longitudinal Channels

Curbs and Gutter

Type of
drainage
Longitudinal Drains

Transverse Drains
Sub surface
Drainage
Horizontal Drains

Drainage Blankets
 Longitudinal Channels
• Constructed along the sides of the highway to collect the
surface water that run off from pavement surface,
subsurface drains and other areas of the highway right of way
• The water that collected by the longitudinal ditches is then
transported to a drainage channel  retention pond
 Transverse slope

Longitudinal Slope
Surface
Drainage
Longitudinal Channels

Curbs and Gutter

Type of
drainage
Longitudinal Drains

Transverse Drains
Sub surface
Drainage
Horizontal Drains

Drainage Blankets
 Curb and gutters
• Used more in urban areas
• To prevent the encroachment of vehicles on
adjacent areas and delineating pavement
edges.
Subsurface drain
 Transverse slope

Longitudinal Slope
Surface
Drainage
Longitudinal Channels

Curbs and Gutter

Type of
drainage
Longitudinal Drains

Transverse Drains
Sub surface
Drainage
Horizontal Drains

Drainage Blankets
 Longitudinal Drains
• Consist of pipes laid in trenches
within the pavement structure and
parallel to the center line of highway.
• Can be used to lower water table
• Can be used to remove any water that
seeping into the pavement structure
• For location with very high water table
or wide pavement can use two rows
of longitudinal drains.
 Transverse slope

Longitudinal Slope
Surface
Drainage
Longitudinal Channels

Curbs and Gutter

Type of
drainage
Longitudinal Drains

Transverse Drains
Sub surface
Drainage
Horizontal Drains

Drainage Blankets
 Transverse drain
• Placed below the pavement  perpendicular
to the center line
• Use to drain ground water that infiltrated
through the joint of the pavement
EAL 344 Highway Engineering by NSAS

Transverse slope

Longitudinal Slope
Surface
Drainage
Longitudinal Channels

Curbs and Gutter

Type of
drainage
Longitudinal Drains

Transverse Drains
Sub surface
Drainage
Horizontal Drains

Drainage Blankets
 Horizontal Drains
• Commonly use for slope
protection
• To relieve pore pressure at
slopes of cuts and
embankment on the highway
• Small diameter perforated
pipes inserted into the slopes
of the cut and fill
• Subsurface water is collected
by the pipes and discharged
through paved spillways to
longitudinal ditches
EAL 344 Highway Engineering by NSAS

Transverse slope

Longitudinal Slope
Surface
Drainage
Longitudinal Channels

Curbs and Gutter

Type of
drainage
Longitudinal Drains

Transverse Drains
Sub surface
Drainage
Horizontal Drains

Drainage Blankets
 Drainage Blankets
• A layer of material that has a very high coefficient of
permeability (> 9m/day)
• To facilitate the flow of subsurface water away from the
pavement
• To facilitate the flow of ground water that seeped through
the pavement
 Culvert
• A conduit or waterway
usually placed under a fill,
such as a highway or
railroad embankment, to
convey surface flow from
the uphill side of the fill to
the downhill side.
Common types of culverts

Open bottom culvert

Box culvert

Pipe Arch culvert

Stacked/multiple culvert

Cylindrical culvert
Nature is our greatest medicine cabinet

Nature provides the

best remedy for
environmental issues
Each drop of rain is precious
Bad effects due to human hands!!
-Pablo Valle-