Chapter 5: Highway Drainage (5hrs)

4.1 Introduction and Importance of Highway Drainage System

Highway Drainage may be defined as the process of interception and removal of water from over,
under and vicinity of the road surface.

 For long life of pavement and other components of a highway system, the subgrade should be
kept at optimum moisture level and avoided to be over wetted.

 Water should be drained away from the road and ground surface as well as under the surface
by a system of surface and subsurface drainage

 Bearing capacity of soil foundation gets decreased when the moisture content in its get
increased and is lowest when the same gets saturated.
 Water standing on the carriageway is danger to high speed traffic.
Destruction of highways by water:
 Softening the road surface constructed of soil or sand-clay or gravel or water bound
macadam.
 Erosion of side slopes forming gullies, erosion of side drains, etc.
 Softening the subgrade soil and decreasing its bearing power.
 Chances of landslides and slips.
Ways of Protecting above effects:
 Interception and diversion of the surface water which would otherwise flow across the road
or along it and cause erosion.
 Interception and rapid removal of seepage of subsurface water.
 Proper soil treatment
 Change of the water course

Importance of Highway Drainage:

Highway Drainage is required to mitigate the effects due to water and moisture variation that are
listed below as:
 Road surface becomes soft and loses its strength.
 Road subgrade may be softened and its bearing capacity is reduced.

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  Variation in moisture content in expansive soil causes variation in the volume of subgrade
and thus failure of road.
 Presence of moisture at freezing temperature may damage road due to frost action.
 Erosion of side slopes, side drains and formation of gullies may result if proper drainage
conditions are not maintained.
 Flexible pavement’s failure by formation of waves and corrugations is due to poor
drainage.
 Formation of pot holes.
 Failure of rigid pavement by mud pumping.
Requirements of Highway Drainage System:
 Surface water from the carriageway and shoulder should be effectively drained off without
allowing it to percolate to the subgrade.
 Surface water from the adjoining land should be prevented from entering the roadway.
 The side drain should have sufficient capacity and longitudinal slope to carry away all the
surface water collected.
 Seepage and other sources of underground water should be drained off by the sub-surface
drainage system.
 Highest level of ground water table should be kept well below the level of subgrade,
preferably by at least 1.20m.
4.2 Causes of Moisture Variation in Subgrade Soil
Moisture variation in subgrade soil can be grouped as:
1) By free water
 Seepage of water from higher adjacent land to the road.
 Penetration of water through the pavement.
 Transfer of moisture from the shoulders and pavement edges.
2) By ground water
 Rise and fall of water table.
 Capillary rise from lower soil level.
 Transfer of water vapor through soil.

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Types(Component) of Highway Drainage System
a) Surface Drainage System
b) Sub-surface Drainage System
c) Cross drainage
d) Energy dissipating structures

4.3 Surface Drainage System

A part of rainwater falling on the road surface and adjoining area, is lost by evaporation and percolation. The
remaining water is known as surface water. Removal and diversion of this surface water from highway and
adjoining land is known as surface drainage. The water from the pavement surface is immediately removed by
providing camber and cross slope to the pavement. The camber and slope depend upon the type of the pavement
and the intensity of rainfall. The road surface is made impermeable to prevent infiltration of water.

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 Water is drained from the road surface with adequate camber of both the carriageway and the
shoulder.
 Road side drains are provided in all cut sections to remove water in the longitudinal direction.
 Toe-of-slope road side drains are constructed in low fill(<0.8m filling height) sections to
convey water away to water courses
 Intercepting or catch water drains are placed on back of the top of cut slopes to intercept
surface water. Distance of these drains from the edge of the cutting should not be less than
5m.
 Flumes are provided to carry collected water down deep cuts or high fill slopes.
 Drains should be provided with minimum 0.5% longitudinal grade.
 Trapezoidal shape of drains is preferred.
 For calculating design discharge on roadside drains following return periods should be taken.
Table 13-2 : Return periods for calculating design discharges

Road Class I and II III IV

Return Period in 50 33 25
years

 Outlets from the side drains should be provided at no more than 500m intervals.
 Sides and bottoms of the drains should be lined according to the longitudinal slope of the
drain as shown in Table 13-3.Size of the drain should be worked out based on the discharge,
longitudinal slope and type of lining.

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 Table 13-3 Type of lining of side drains

Longitudinal slopes,%
Type of lining
Sandy Soil Clayey Soil

No lining required <1 <2

Grass turfing 1~3 2~3

Stone Rip Rap,

3~5 3~5
masonry, concrete

Stepping >5 >5

Collection of Surface Water

The surface drainage may be divided into three categories as:
a) Drainage in rural highway
There is the provision of side drains in these areas which are generally open, unlined and
trapezoidal cut to suitable cross section and longitudinal slopes. Camber is applied to the
pavement to drain the surface water and has to drain across the shoulders which are
provided with more cross slope. Usually, drains are provided on one or both sides in
embankments while drains are provided on both sides in case of roads with cutting. Open
drains are dangerous in the places where space is restricted in cutting and hence covered
drains are used with layers of coarse sand gravel.

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b) Drains in Urban Street
In urban roads, underground longitudinal drains are provided due to the limitation of land
width, the presence of foot path, dividing island and other road facilities. This is provided
where there is lesser number of natural water courses and in the presence of impervious
surfaces. Water is collected in the catch pits at suitable intervals and lead through
underground drainage pipes.

c) Drainage in hill roads

In hill roads, there are complex drainage problems. Water flowing down the hill has to be
efficiently intercepted and disposed of downhill side by constructing suitable cross
drainage works. Catch water drains at the upper hill side, sloping drains and cross slopes
are provided to drain out the water whereas side drains are provided only at the hill side. If
hill roads are not properly drained, rockslides and slips may occur blocking the road during
monsoon season. The shape of the side drains is made in such a way that vehicles can park
at that space during emergency, crossing or parking.

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4.3.1 Different types of road side drain
On the basis of the shape of drain, the road side drain may be rectangular, trapezoidal, triangular
or semi-circular. The type of drain may be angle drain, saucer drain or kerb and channel drain as
mentioned earlier.
4.3.2 Cross Drainage Structures

Cross drainage structures are those structures which are provided whenever streams have to cross
the roadway facility. The water from the side drains is also often taken across these structures in
order to divert the water away from the road to a water course or a valley.

Culverts

A closed conduit placed under the embankment to carry water across the roadway is termed as
culverts. In NRS 2070, culverts are the bridging structures of linear waterway span less than about
6m. It is extensively used in road drainage system. In fact, more than 75% of the cross-drainage
structures are culverts. A culvert is more hydraulically efficient than minor bridge and discharge
through a culvert is more than a minor bridge

Functions of culverts

The functions of culvert are:

 Collection and transport of water across the road so as to not cause damage to the road
bank or the stream bed by scouring.
 To provide sufficient waterway to prevent heading up of water above the road surface.

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Typical Component of Culvert

Types of Culvert

Pipe Culvert

 Used in non-perennial or at very

small stream (Surface runoff
from side drain).
 Minimum of 50cm cover of soil
should be provided so that traffic
load transmitted on pipe is of
small intensity.
 Minimum diameter of pipe –
600mm.
 Pipes may be made of stone
ware, concrete, RCC, etc. with
standard sizes of 0.5m, 0.75m, 1m, 1.25m and 2m in diameter.
 For large areas, multiple pipes are used joined to each other by joints because the length of
a single pipe is limited to 2.5m.

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Box Culvert

 Suitable for large flow where the boulder movement may occur.
 Constructed where the nature of the soil below the foundation is not suitable for individual
footing under piers and abutments.
 The size of rectangular passage should not be less than 60cm*60cm.
 The height of such culverts rarely exceeds 3m.
 These culverts have larger life spans, greater hydraulic efficiency, superior durability for
worst environmental conditions and greater resistance to damage due to debris.

Slab Culvert

 They are used in stream with boulder movement and debris flow.
 These culverts are used where the water opening is less than 15 m2 and road crosses the
waterway on a relatively high embankment.
 Free board of generally 0.5m is seen in this type of culvert thus, no pressure flow occurs in
this culvert.

Arch Culvert

 These culverts are suitable in high discharge areas and low debris flow areas.
 These culverts are constructed when high fillings are involved and there is heavier loading
on the culvert.
 Span of each arch should be kept less than 3m.

Bridge

A bridge is a structure constructed over water course to carry traffic over it. In NRS 2070, bridges
are the structures having linear waterway span more than about 6m.

On the basis of construction materials

 Steel bridges
 Concrete bridges
 Timber bridges, etc.
On the basis of structural point of view
 Cantilever bridges
 Suspension bridges
 Moving bridges, etc.
On the basis of span length
 Minor bridge (up to 30m)
 Major bridge (above 30m)
 Long bridge (above 120m)
On the basis of load carrying capacity
 Class 70 (Corresponding to class AA)
 Class 40 (Corresponding to class A)
 Class 30 (Corresponding to class B)

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  Class 9
 Class 3
 Class 1

Parts of bridge

Bridge is divided into the following three parts structurally:

1. Foundation: Since bridges take very heavy loading upon them, the foundations should be
carefully designed. If rocky strata are available for the abutments and piers at the location
of bridge site it becomes very easy to construct bridge but if they are not available then
well sinking may have to be done or caisson type piers or abutments may have to be
constructed in the foundation site location.
2. Substructure: Substructure is that portion of the bridge which lies between the decking
and the foundation. The various components in the substructure are wing walls, piers,
abutments, etc. The choice of the type of abutment is done according to the site condition
concerning the soil classification which can be made of brick masonry, stone masonry,
PCC or RCC.
3. Superstructure: Superstructure is the portion which lies above the decking and can be
made of material like: timber, steel, RCC or pre-stressed cement concrete.

Causeway

They are constructed instead of culverts on less important roads where the maximum flow of depth
does not exceed 1.5m which saves the construction cost. During the flood, the water flows over
the road and traffic on both sides is stopped but as soon as the flood recedes, the traffic flow is
resumed.

Bed slope of the causeway in estimating the span should not generally exceed (4-5) % in order to
prevent the vehicles from skidding and overturning downstream. The depth of flow in most of the
period of the year should not exceed 30cm.

There are two types of causeway:

1. Low level causeways/Flush Causeway/Irish Bridge of Ford: The causeway which is

constructed at the bed level of the stream which allows flood to pass over the road surface
at any time is termed as low-level causeway. It remains dry for most of the time.

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 2. High level causeways/Submersible Causeway/Vented Causeway: The causeway which
is provided with vents below to pass regular flow under the road and flood across the road
surface at any time is termed as high-level causeways. It is constructed quite above the
stream bed and is also termed as submersible bridge.

Aqueduct
Aqueduct is an open or closed conduit
sufficiently above the roadway to drain
water across the road with the provision of
pillar supports on either side of the road.
These structures can be advantageously
used in hill roads where culverts are not
feasible.

Inverted Siphon
The inverted siphon is a structure which lowers the invert level of the conduit to the desired level
and both inlet and outlet pits are provided to receive flow from the drain and discharge water to
the downstream drain respectively. . It is generally provided when the provision of culvert and
aqueduct is not possible.

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 Sub-Surface Drainage System:

The variation in moisture content of subgrade is caused by the free water and the ground water.
Every effort is needed to reduce the moisture content to a minimum. From usual drainage system,
only gravitational water can be drained by the provision of subsoil drainage.
 Subsurface water table should always be kept 1 to 1.2 m below the subgrade level
to protect pavement layers from excessive moisture.
 If it is difficult to achieve the above difference in levels, subsurface drains need to be
provided.
 To save road subgrade from detrimental effects of moisture from the capillary rise of
water a layer of granular materials is provided between the subgrade and the
highest level of subsurface water.
 Sometimes geotextiles are laid over the subgrade soil to stop the migration of small
clay particles upwards that increase the capillary rise of water to the pavement.
 Subsurface drains are constructed with 150mm-200mm dia perforated pipes with
well designed filter material around them and subsequently wrapped by geotextile
with adequate longitudinal slopes. Numbers and spacing of subsurface drains
should be decided by the design.
Necessary:
 Stability and strength of the road surface depends upon the strength of subgrade.
 With increase in moisture content the strength of the subgrade decreases.

Drainage of infiltrated water

 During rainy season and snow melting season, water will find its way to the subgrade soil
through the permeable surface of the adjoining land, carriageway, shoulder, side slope and
cracks.
 Removal of such infiltrated water from the subgrade may be accomplished by the
arrangements shown in figures below. The control of subsurface water is classified under
three headings:

1. Control of seepage flow

2. Lowering of water table
3. Control of capillary rise

Control of seepage flow

 Seepage may occur from the higher ground in hilly topography or in road cuttings where a
layer of permeable soil overlies an impermeable stratum which affects the strength
characteristics of the subgrade.
 The best solution to this type of problem would be to intercept the seepage water on the
uphill side of the road.

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 If the seepage level reaches a depth less than 60-90 cm from the road subgrade, it should
be intercepted to keep seepage line at a safe depth below the road subgrade.

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Lowering of water table

 The water table may rise and

may come up to the
pavement layers in low-
lying areas during rainy
seasons which becomes
very harmful to the
pavement and the subgrade
especially when the
subgrade is made of fine-
grained soils. Therefore, it
becomes necessary to lower the water table safely below the pavement.
 If the underground water table is more than 1.2m below the surface of the road, it does not
require any subsurface drainage but when it is less than 1.2m the best measure would be to
raise the road formation.
 The water table is lowered to the desired depth by providing sub drains on either side of
the road. It may be possible to lower the water table by merely constructing longitudinal
drainage trenches with drain pipes and filter sand if the soil is relatively permeable.
 But if the soil is relatively less permeable, the water table lowered at the center of the
pavement or between the
two longitudinal drains may
not be adequate. Thus,
transverse drains may have
to be provided in order to
effectively drain off the
water and lower the water table.
 The depth to which the drains should be laid depends upon the width of the roadway,
amount of water table to be lowered, type of subgrade soil and lateral distance between the
trenches.
 The pipe in the drainage system should be laid such that silting and scouring do not occur.
 For maintenance of these systems, manholes and inspection chambers can be provided.

Control of capillary rise

In water logged sections, there will be possibility of rising of water to the subgrade level due to
the phenomenon of capillary action which affects the strength of the subgrade. Thus, capillary cut
off measures needs to be provided to free the subgrade from the excessive moisture. If the subgrade
soil is of permeable type, the lowering of water table is economical but in case of retentive type of
soil, drainage becomes very difficult and costly. In these cases, capillary cut offs become more
economical. There are two types of capillary cut off:

1. Granular capillary cut off:

 Provision of granular material of suitable thickness between the subgrade and the
highest level of subsurface water table during the construction of embankment.

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  The granular capillary cut off layer’s thickness should be sufficiently higher than
the anticipated capillary rise within the granular layer so that the capillary water
cannot rise above the cut off the layer.
 Suitable sand blanket and gravel blanket can be used for cut off.

2. Impermeable capillary cut off:

 Provision of impermeable membrane such as prefabricated bituminized surfacing

is used instead of granular blanket.
 Bitumen stabilized soil, heavy duty tar felt or heavy-duty polythene envelope can
also be used.

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