BRENIO, MAYNEL GRACE S.

CE122 / C1

● ACTIVITY 1

1. Define:
a. Traffic
- Refers to all the vehicles that are moving along the roads in a particular area. It also refers
to the people and goods that are being transported.

b. Traffic Engineering

- A discipline which includes the design of highways and pedestrian ways, the study and
application of traffic statistics, and the environmental aspects of the transportation of goods
and people.

c. Highway Engineering

- A branch of civil engineering that includes planning, design, construction, operation, and
maintenance of roads, bridges, and related infrastructure to ensure effective movement of
people and goods.

2. Enumerate at least 5 important historical milestones (like important inventions or any notable
developments and their corresponding dates, local or international) in the development of roads
and highways.
➔ Traces of such hard roads were obtained from various ancient civilization dated
as old as 3500 BC. The earliest authentic record of road was found from Assyrian
empire constructed about 1900 BC.
➔ French roads or Tresaguet road - during the regime of Napoleon in about 1764
➔ Telford Construction - The next development was done by Scottish engineer
Thomas Telford (1757-1834)
➔ British roads or Macadam Road - The British engineer John Macadam
introduced what can be considered as the first scientific road construction method.
➔ Use of bituminous concrete and cement
3. Tell/describe what are the major contributions of the following persons & company in the
development of roads and highways:
a. Napoleon the Great
 - He developed a cheaper method of construction than the lavish and locally
unsuccessful revival of Roman practice. The pavement used 200 mm pieces of
quarried stone of a more compact form and shaped such that they had at least
one flat side which was placed on a compact formation. Smaller pieces of broken
stones were then compacted into the spaces between larger stones to provide a
level surface. Finally the running layer was made with a layer of 25 mm sized
broken stone. All this structure was placed in a trench in order to keep the running
surface level with the surrounding countryside. This created major drainage
problems which were counteracted by making the surface as impervious as
possible, cambering the surface and providing deep side ditches. He gave much
importance for drainage. He also enunciated the necessity for continuous
organized maintenance, instead of intermittent repairs if the roads he roads were
to be kept usable all times. For this he divided the roads between villages into
sections of such length that an entire road could be covered by maintenance men
living nearby.
b. Jerome Tresaguet

- Appointed inspector general in 1775, he prepared a memoir describing in detail a

method of building a hard-surfaced roadway by successive courses of broken
stone. Trésaguet’s base, consisting of flat stones set on edge and hammered in,
was laid parallel to the curving road surface, providing good strength and
drainage. His basic design, first employed in a highway from Paris to the Spanish
border via Toulouse, spread to Central Europe and Sweden and was adopted by
the Scottish road builder Thomas Telford.
c. Thomas Telford

- Telford progressed to designing bridges and building roads. He placed great

emphasis on two features: (1) maintaining a level roadway with a maximum
gradient of 1 in 30 and (2) building a stone surface capable of carrying the
heaviest anticipated loads. His roadways were 18 feet wide and built in three
courses: (1) a lower layer, seven inches thick, consisting of good-quality
foundation stone carefully placed by hand (this was known as the Telford base),
(2) a middle layer, also seven inches thick, consisting of broken stone of two-inch
maximum size, and (3) a top layer of gravel or broken stone up to one inch thick.
d. John Loudon McAdam

- Drainage was essential to the success of McAdam’s method, and he required the
pavement to be elevated above the surrounding surface. The structural layer of
broken stone was eight inches thick and used stone of two to three inches
 maximum size laid in layers and compacted by traffic—a process adequate for the
traffic of the time. The top layer was two inches thick, using three-fourths- to one-
inch stone to fill surface voids between the large stones. Continuing maintenance
was essential.
e. Aveling and Porter (company name)

- One of the first manufacturers of agricultural engines and steam rollers in the
1860s. The production of a steam traction engine prompted the company's
formation in Great Britain.Aveling’s use of technology in machinery set the
standard for many modern traction engines and steamrollers today. By the mid-
1860s, he and Richard Thomas Porter had invented their own steam engine, a
device that converted the thermal energy of steam into mechanical work.

4. What is a "planner" (in relation to traffic & highway engineering) and what are its roles?
A planner in relation to traffic and highway engineering are considered as Transportation Planners
(or Transport Planner). They are responsible for developing transportation strategies that encompass the
needs of all transport users including pedestrians and cyclists, and which consider environmental,
efficiency and safety issues. They can work in the private or public sector. Some of its roles are:

➢ developing potential solutions to problems such as congestion

➢ assessing the impact of recent building developments, such as a new housing estate, on
transport systems
➢ designing research methods and survey techniques
➢ modelling traffic flows using mathematical techniques and specialist computer applications
➢ analysing and interpreting data
➢ preparing reports and publications
➢ giving presentations about proposed transportation options
➢ acting as an expert witness during public inquiries
➢ staying knowledgeable about government transport and planning policy

5. Oftentimes, countries like ours, the Philippines, would acquire loans from foreign lending
institutions/banks (e.g. World Bank/Asian Development Bank) to support the development and
construction of its infrastructures. What are the pros and cons of doing such? And what is your
stand on the matter, are you in favor of acquiring such loans, why or why not?
 CONS PROS

The public infrastructure projects funded by the The new objectives of the Development banks will
Development banks have consistently been improve the quality of lives of the populations of
recognized as unmitigated disasters. developing countries by innovating the current
infrastructure.

The loan strategy of the Development banks is The strategy for financing the loans of the
inherently risky. Development banks remarkably efficient.

Development banks are international financial institutions that specialize in providing loans, grants,
and financial expertise to developing nations. The largest and best known is the World Bank. Such banks
provide services in three ways:

1. Long-term loans.These are normal loans provided to developing nations made at market interest
rates.
2. Credits.These very long-term loans are provided at well below market interest rates and are funded
largely by direct contributions from donor governments.
3. Advice and technical assistance. The Bank also provides development expertise and economic
research, as well as evaluations of existing financial institutions.
I would go and risk loaning to such banks as long as the project that I am proposing is to improve
and innovate the current state of my country. I would also stand firm if this will be means of corruption for
government officials or even members of the bank. The main purpose of these loans should be to help
developing countries reach stability in all aspects.

6. Define (a) remote sensing and (b) Geographic Information Systems or GIS

● Remote sensing
Remote sensors collect data by detecting the energy that is reflected from Earth. These sensors
can be on satellites or mounted on aircraft. It can be either passive or active. Passive sensors respond to
external stimuli. They record natural energy that is reflected or emitted from the Earth's surface. The most
common source of radiation detected by passive sensors is reflected sunlight. In contrast, active sensors
use internal stimuli to collect data about Earth. For example, a laser-beam remote sensing system projects
a laser onto the surface of Earth and measures the time that it takes for the laser to reflect back to its
sensor.

Remote sensing has a wide range of applications in many different fields:

a. Coastal applications: Monitor shoreline changes, track sediment transport, and map
coastal features. Data can be used for coastal mapping and erosion prevention.
b. Ocean applications: Monitor ocean circulation and current systems, measure ocean
temperature and wave heights, and track sea ice. Data can be used to better understand
the oceans and how to best manage ocean resources.
c. Hazard assessment: Track hurricanes, earthquakes, erosion, and flooding. Data can be
used to assess the impacts of a natural disaster and create preparedness strategies to be
used before and after a hazardous event.
d. Natural resource management: Monitor land use, map wetlands, and chart wildlife
habitats. Data can be used to minimize the damage that urban growth has on the
environment and help decide how to best protect natural resources.

● Geographic Information Systems or GIS

It is a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on
Earth’s surface. By relating seemingly unrelated data, GIS can help individuals and organizations better
understand spatial patterns and relationships.

GIS technology is a crucial part of spatial data infrastructure, which the White House defines as
“the technology, policies, standards, human resources, and related activities necessary to acquire, process,
distribute, use, maintain, and preserve spatial data.”

GIS can use any information that includes location. The location can be expressed in many
different ways, such as latitude and longitude, address, or ZIP code.

REFERENCES

> https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/traffic-engineering

> https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/remotesensing.html
> https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/geographic-information-system-gis/

> https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/world-bank-and-international-development-lenders

> https://www.slideshare.net/AbhishekDixit64/history-of-road-66457729