Route and Transportation Surveys Flashcards
7 cards from real FS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Route and Transportation Surveys flashcards as text
In US route surveying practice, one 'station' along a centerline represents a horizontal distance of:
Answer: 100 feet
In US practice, one station equals 100 feet, so station 12+45.6 represents a distance of 1,245.6 feet from the origin.
Superelevation runoff in highway design refers to:
Answer: The length of roadway needed to transition from a normal crown section to a fully superelevated cross-section
Superelevation runoff is the specific length of roadway over which the outside lane is rotated from its normal 2% cross-slope to the full superelevation rate required for the curve.
A slope stake (catch point) in earthwork field surveying marks:
Answer: The point where the proposed cut or fill slope intersects the existing natural ground surface
The catch point is where the design slope (cut or fill) meets the natural ground, defining the outermost limit of earthwork at each cross-section.
In highway construction economics, the 'free haul distance' is defined as:
Answer: The specified distance within which earthwork can be moved without extra compensation beyond the excavation unit price
Free haul is the contractually specified distance (commonly 500 or 1,000 feet) within which the contractor moves material for the included unit price, with additional payment (overhaul) required beyond that distance.
On a mass diagram, an ascending (rising) portion of the curve indicates:
Answer: Cut sections where excavation is generating a surplus of material
The mass diagram ordinate increases (rises) when moving through cut sections because excavated material is being added to the cumulative mass, and decreases through fill sections as material is consumed.
A spiral (transition) curve is inserted between a tangent and a circular curve in highway design to:
Answer: Provide a gradual change in curvature and allow smooth superelevation transition
A spiral curve provides a continuous change in radius from infinity (on the tangent) to the design circular radius, allowing superelevation and centrifugal force to build up gradually.
In earthwork economics, 'overhaul' is best defined as:
Answer: The transportation of excavated material beyond the free haul distance, billed per station-yard or ton-mile
Overhaul is the extra compensation paid when material must be moved farther than the free haul distance, typically measured in station-yards (volume × distance beyond free haul) or ton-miles.