Tambis, Mikaella Patrice C.

CE122/E03

SW#1

1. Define the following:

 Traffic - Traffic is defined as vehicles or people in the vehicles, a delay that involves
transportation or movement through a designated location.

 Traffic Engineering - Traffic engineering is a branch of civil engineering that uses engineering
techniques to achieve the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. It focuses
mainly on research and construction of the immobile infrastructure necessary for this
movement, such as roads, railway tracks, bridges, traffic signs and traffic lights.

 Highway Engineering - Highway Engineering is a specialized field within the discipline of

Transportation Engineering. Highways are a major feature of any industrialized country and
modern economies depend on them. Highway Engineering considers all aspects related to
the design of the roads themselves, as well as how pedestrians are managed.

1. 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.
 In 1920, William Potts, a Detroit police officer, refines Garrett Morgan’s invention by adding the
yellow light. Red and green traffic signals in some form have been in use since 1868, but the
increase in automobile traffic requires the addition of a warning signal.
 In 1937, The Golden Gate Bridge opens and connects San Francisco with Marin County. To
construct a suspension bridge in a region prone to earthquakes, engineer Joseph Strauss uses a
million tons of concrete to hold the anchorages in place. Its two main towers each rise 746 feet
above the water and are strung with 80,000 miles of cable.
 In 1944, The Federal Aid Highway Act authorizes the designation of 40,000 miles of interstate
highways to connect principal cities and industrial centers.
 In 1966, The Highway Safety Act establishes the National Highway Program Safety Standards to
reduce traffic accidents.
 In 1930, Air-entrained concrete, one of the greatest advancements in concrete technology, is
introduced. The addition of tiny air bubbles in the concrete provides room for expansion when
water freezes, thus making the concrete surface resistant to frost damage.

1. Tell/describe what are the major contributions of the following persons & company in the
development of roads and highways:

a. Napoleon the Great- The current Route Napoléon, first opened in 1932, follows the route
taken by Napoléon I (Napoléon Bonaparte) in 1815. The Route Napoleon road itself is a fantastic
design, with cambered corners and fantastic scenery.
In contrast with the mountain passes this route is more designed for speed and the ability to
really appreciate the performance of the car. The advantage of the Route Napoleon is that it is
 much the same smooth rhythm from beginning to end, so you can appreciate any part of the
road without needing to confine yourself to one specific part. The smoothness of this route
makes it a fantastic driving experience for anyone

b. Jerome Tresaguet - The significant contributions were given by Tresaguet in 1764 and a typical
cross section of this road. 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. All this structure was placed in a trench
in order to keep the running surface level with the surrounding country side. 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 to drainage.

c. Thomas Telford - Thomas Telford was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and
road, bridge and canal builder. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal
projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotland, as
well as harbors and tunnels. Such was his reputation as a prolific designer of highways and
related bridges, he was dubbed The Colossus of Roads (a pun on the Colossus of Rhodes), and,
reflecting his command of all types of civil engineering in the early 19th century, he was elected
as the first President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a post he held for 14 years until his
death.

d. John Loudon McAdam - The British engineer John Macadam introduced what can be
considered as the first scientific road construction method. Stone size was an important element
of Macadam recipe. By empirical observation of many roads, he came to realize that 250 mm
layers of well compacted broken angular stone would provide the same strength and stiffness
and a better running surface than an expensive pavement founded on large stone blocks. Thus
he introduced an economical method of road construction.

e. Aveling and Porter (company name) - Aveling and Porter was a British agricultural engine and
steamroller (road roller) manufacturer. Thomas Aveling and Richard Thomas Porter entered into
partnership in 1862, and developed a steam engine three years later in 1865. The company
became the largest manufacturer of steamrollers (road rollers) in the world.

2. What is a "planner" (in relation to traffic & highway engineering) and what are its roles?

Transportation planners 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.
developing potential solutions to problems such as congestion. Key tasks are:

 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

1. 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?

A comprehensive loan and financial assistance program is advantageous for eligible highway projects in
the Philippines because it means more development will happen for the betterment of our civilization.
Some advantages are that loan is not repayable on demand and so available for the term of the loan -
generally three to ten years – depends on the loan condition; also, loans can be tied to the lifetime of the
equipment or other assets you're borrowing the money to pay for. Disadvantages that are evident are
loans are not very flexible – we could be paying interest on funds we’re not using. Highway projects cost
a lot of money and we’re talking about billions of pesos. It is not easy money and it’s certainly not easy
to loan for.

Corruption and debt are two inseparable aspect of the reputation of our country. From my knowledge,
our country still faces external and domestic debts of trillions of pesos up to this day. In my opinion, I am
not in favor of acquiring such loans. Our country is in a state where it is thriving of debts and corruption
in which the government can no longer manage its debt due to a huge budget deficit. I think that we
cannot keep acquire loans when we have so much on our plate already and that building infrastructures
will not solve all of our problems. Its not a good idea to take out a loan for ongoing expenses, as it may
be difficult to keep up repayments especially when the numbers are trillions.

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

 Remote sensing - is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without

making physical contact with the object and thus in contrast to on-site observation, especially
the Earth. Remote sensing is used in numerous fields, including geography, land surveying and
most Earth Science disciplines (for example, hydrology, ecology, meteorology, oceanography,
glaciology, geology); it also has military, intelligence, commercial, economic, planning, and
humanitarian applications.
 Geographic information system (GIS) - is a framework for gathering, managing, and analyzing
data. Rooted in the science of geography, GIS integrates many types of data. It analyzes spatial
location and organizes layers of information into visualizations using maps and 3D scenes. With
this unique capability, GIS reveals deeper insights into data, such as patterns, relationships, and
situations—helping users make smarter decisions.
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