Road Construction and Philippine Development

Road Construction

• Thomas Telford (1757-1834) improved on Jerome Tresaguet's road construction methods. Telford's foundation used stones with minimum dimensions of 3 inches thick, 5 inches wide, and 7 inches high.
• John Loudon McAdam designed the first modern roads using a cheaper paving material of soil and stone aggregate (known as macadam). McAdam recognized that massive rock foundations were unnecessary and that native soil could support the road if protected by a road crust.

Philippine Highway Development

• Early 1900s transportation in the Philippines depended on trails, waterways, railroads, and unpaved roads.
• American government initiated roadway development in the Philippines, connecting towns and cities. The Macadam Road was popular due to the abundance of stones and gravel.
• After World War II, the Philippines continued road and bridge construction with reparations from Japan and financial aid from the U.S.
• In the 1960s and 1970s, major highways and expressways were constructed with financial assistance from foreign banks.
• The "This Nation is on Wheels" slogan signifies the government's focus on road construction to boost economic development by getting farmers out of the mud.

Importance of Highways

• Highways are vital for economic development by reducing travel time and costs, making regions more attractive for businesses.

Highway Planning

• Objectives: to plan a road network for efficient and safe traffic operations at minimum cost. This includes considering construction, maintenance, renewal of pavement layers, and vehicle operating costs.
• Key considerations:
  • Maximizing utility within available resources.
  • Prioritizing road development based on utility.
  • Planning for anticipated future requirements and improvements.
  • Establishing financial systems.

Highway Programming Approaches

• Economic: focus on resource allocation.
• Financial: determining who pays and how much for projects.
• Political and Administrative: decision-making process.
• Approaches:
  • Long-range implementation of agency functions (construction, operations, maintenance).
  • Recognizing legislative and administrative desires and constraints.
  • Prioritizing projects based on economic analysis, traffic levels, and political considerations.
  • Ensuring continuity and coordination with other transportation modes.
  • Selecting projects based on labor, material, and climatic conditions.
  • Coordinating implementation with other agencies and acquiring right-of-way.
  • Creating a budgetary reserve for emergencies.

Road Classification

• Functional classification: based on speed and accessibility.
• Jurisdictional classification: based on the entity responsible for construction, maintenance, and operation.
• Accessibility and speed order:
  • Freeways: divided highways with fully controlled access and no at-grade intersections. Usually four lanes but expand in urban areas.
  • Expressways: designed for high speeds (120 km/hr), high traffic volume, and safety. Grade separations at intersections. No parking, loading, or pedestrian traffic allowed.
  • Arterials: directly serve major population centers. They are divided highways with controlled access, limited parking, and restricted pedestrian movements.
  • Collector streets: provide direct service to towns, collect local traffic, and connect to arterials.
  • Local streets: primarily for local access. Minimal traffic volume, unrestricted parking, and allowed pedestrian movements.

Philippine Road Classification

• National Highway: connects provincial capitals, major commercial centers, airports, seaports, national parks, and roads of military importance (as designated by the President).
• National Highway types (Department of Public Works and Highways):
  • ** National Primary Roads**
  • National Secondary Roads
  • National Tertiary Roads
• Provincial Roads: connect cities and municipalities without traversing national roads, connect national roads to barangays (villages), and connect municipalities.
•  Municipal and City Roads:
  • Roads within the Poblacion (town center)
  • Connect to provincial and national roads
  • Provide inter-barangay connections

Road Patterns

• Road patterns are crucial for city development. Improper design can lead to disconnected roads, increased travel distance, and car dependency.
• Types of road patterns:
  • Rectangular: grid or block pattern. Easy to construct and maintain, good aesthetics, but less safe at intersections. Example: Makati City.
  • Radial: circular or elliptical network with roads emanating from the center like a star. Reduces congestion at roundabouts.
  • Star Block Pattern
  • Star Circular Pattern
  • Star Grid Pattern
  • Hexagonal: network of roads forming hexagonal figures. Minimal travel time and distance.
  • Minimum Travel Pattern: sector centers, suburban facilities, and neighborhood centers connected to the city center by highways for fastest travel.