Overview

This unit of study aims to develop an understanding of the objectives, principles and processes of the geometric design of roads, and apply safe construction principles when planning road and pavement construction.

Requisites

Prerequisites
MTH10019 Preliminary Mathematics
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-August-2026
01-November-2026
Last self-enrolment date
16-August-2026
Census date
01-September-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
22-September-2026
Results released date
08-December-2026

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Understand the different components of roads when working on road and pavement construction
  • Define the objectives and apply the principles of road geometric design when working from a design brief
  • Design road geometric elements in accordane with current guidelines when working on a design project
  • Apply safe construction principles when planning road and pavement construction
  • Select the appropriate contruction equipment when planning road and pavement construction

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)

On-campus
Class

 4.00 16 weeks 64
On-campus
Workshop		 2.00 8 weeks 16
Online
Learning Activities		 2.00 8 weeks 16
Unspecified Learning Activities
Independent Learning		 3.38 16 weeks 54
Total     150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULOs
Assignment Individual 30-40 % 3,4,5
Examination Individual 40-50 % 1,2,3,4,5
Test Individual 20-30 % 1,2,5

Hurdle

As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a unit and meet all ULOs to a minimum standard, students must have achieved:

(i) an aggregate mark of 50% or more, and
(ii) at least 40% in the final exam.

Students who do not successfully achieve hurdle requirement (ii) will receive a maximum of 45% as the total mark for the unit.

Content

Road components

  • classifications, cross-section elements, drainage structures, pavements and environmental considerations
     

Geometric design of roads

  • objectives, design inputs, influencing factors
  • Sight distance
  • Design of horizontal alignments and superelevation
  • Design of vertical alignments and earthwork considerations
  • Coordination of horizontal and vertical alignments
  • Intersections
     

Road and pavement construction

  • Safety and environmental considerations
  • Road and pavement construction sequence and processes
  • Construction planning: stockpiles, environmental and sustainability considerations
     

Earthworks

  • Types of excavation
  • Earthworks equipment and production rate
  • Methods of compaction

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.