Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (28/07/2025 - 22/11/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Civil Engineering School
This course provides students with an understanding of the basic principles and techniques of highway design. This will include laying out potential routes, design of the alignment and intersections, evaluation of earthwork and pavement requirements, and pavement design. The student should understand and apply these principles to highway design problems. The student should also use existing computer tools to generate, design, and evaluate these designs.
This course follows on from previous coursework in highway design, emphasising to students both the theory and practice of highway design in terms of the roadway geometry and the roadway pavement design. Students are introduced to principles of highway design relating to the roadway function, context-sensitive design, horizontal and vertical alignments, cross-sectional elements, and junctions. New content discusses highway pavement design and construction. Through practical examples using common software tools, students develop both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in highway design.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Completion of CIVL2420 (Fundamentals of Transportation Engineering) is required, and completion of CIVL3420 (Sustainable Transport Engineering - Planning and Design) or CIVL3430 (Sustainable Transport Engineering) is strongly recommended.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
CIVL2420
Recommended prerequisites
We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:
CIVL3420 or CIVL3430
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Saeed Mohammadian
Tutor
Mr Jeremy Wilson
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
The course aims to enable students to:
- Understand basic principles and techniques of highway design, particularly roadway function, context-sensitive design, and road safety
- Design the vertical and horizontal alignments and cross-sections of roadways and junctions
- Evaluate the earthwork and soil/subgrade requirements within a roadway design
- Consider materials, loading, design features, and performance of a roadway pavement
- Use existing computer tools to generate, design, and evaluate these highway designs
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Describe and explain the principles behind the geometric and pavement design of highway infrastructure
LO2.
Identify the primary factors to be considered in the design and construction of highway infrastructure
LO3.
Identify highway infrastructure problems and create practical and innovative design solutions
LO4.
Understand the social and environmental responsibilities in highway design and construction
LO5.
Create highway design solutions that are sensitive to local context and conditions
LO6.
Use standard industry software to generate highway designs and documentation
LO7.
Report and present design choices, and articulate design tradeoffs and decisions, to the public
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product/ Design, Project | Project | 60% |
Project 1: 15/08/2025 5:00 pm Project 2: 12/09/2025 5:00 pm Project 3: 10/10/2025 5:00 pm Project 4: 31/10/2025 5:00 pm |
| Examination |
Final Exam
|
40% |
End of Semester Exam Period 8/11/2025 - 22/11/2025 |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Project
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Product/ Design, Project
- Weight
- 60%
- Due date
Project 1: 15/08/2025 5:00 pm
Project 2: 12/09/2025 5:00 pm
Project 3: 10/10/2025 5:00 pm
Project 4: 31/10/2025 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
There are four sections in this sequence, each is worth 15%. This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Task Descriptions:
Project 1 has several important learning goals. First, the student should be familiar with the broader social, environmental, and community setting of a road project. Second, in the context of a roadway design, they should be prepared to define the function and context of the roadway in the broader road network, and how it fits into the dimensions of Movement and Place. Third, consistent with this function, they should be prepared to define the road users and how the variety of road users might be accommodated in the road design, especially in the roadway cross-section. Fourth, they should be able to work with existing land use and environmental data with a spatial aspect, including digital elevation models and other on-line sources of environmental data. Finally, they should be able to incorporate land use data, including a digital elevation model and aerial imagery, into design software to begin a roadway design.
Project 2 has several important learning goals. First, the student should be able to carefully weigh initial trade-offs in design regarding the potential social, environmental, and community impacts in choosing a horizontal and vertical alignment for a roadway. Second, for the roadway design, they should be able to identify an appropriate design speed and major elements of the roadway cross-section befitting the Movement and Place function of the roadway. Third, they should also be able to design a horizontal and vertical alignment to meet existing roadway design guidelines and/or to justify use of the Extended Design Domain for exceptions in the roadway design. Finally, they should be able to use software tools to generate these horizontal and vertical alignments.
Project 3 has several important learning goals. First, the student should begin to critique preliminary alignments based on speed, cost, and social, environmental, and community impacts. Second, the student should also understand the potential cost implications of a design, in terms of earthwork, structures, and hydraulic elements in the roadway design. Third, they should be able to use common design software to generate roadsides that are fitting to the Movement and Place framework for the roadway. Finally, they should be able to generate earthwork calculations and to represent major structures in the design using common design software.
Project 4 requires the student to use principles and software for pavement design of the roadway. This would involve an evaluation of traffic loading, geotechnical evaluation of the subgrade, and evaluation of pavement materials and their costs to design a roadway pavement. Then, the student should be able to use common pavement design software to determine the materials and pavement structure necessary to accommodate the design traffic loading on the roadway.
Submission guidelines
Electronic submission of report and any design files must be through the course BlackBoard site.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
The project work in this course is cumulative, so that extensions beyond 14 days will lead to knock-on effects for subsequent projects.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Final Exam
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
End of Semester Exam Period
8/11/2025 - 22/11/2025
- Other conditions
- Time limited, Secure.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
The final exam will include a combination of short answer, short essay and problem solving questions.
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Hurdle requirements
To receive an overall grade of 4 or more, a student must achieve at least 45% on the final exam.Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Calculator options | (In person) Casio FX82 series only or UQ approved and labelled calculator |
| Open/closed book | Open book examination - any written or printed material is permitted; material may be annotated |
| Exam platform | Paper based |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 19 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student fails to understand basic principles and how to apply them. |
| 2 (Fail) | 20 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student fails to demonstrate sufficient knowledge or understanding of the underlying concept. Much of the communication from the student is inaccurate or not relevant. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: The student evidences some knowledge of the subject, but there is limited understanding of the underlying concepts. A substantial part of the communication from the student is inaccurate or not relevant. |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student demonstrates a sound knowledge of the underlying concept and communicates with some accuracy and relevance to specific information on the subject. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student demonstrates a sound knowledge of the underlying concept and communicates with considerable accuracy, relevance, and fluency with specific information on the subject. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student demonstrates in-depth knowledge of the underlying concept and communicates with accuracy, relevance, and fluency with virtually all subject material. There is some ability to translate knowledge, skills and abilities to previously unseen problems. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student demonstrates mastery of the underlying concept and communicates with accuracy, relevance, and fluency across all subject material. The student clearly demonstrates ability to translate knowledge, skills and abilities to previously unseen problems, and shows the ability to analyse those problems critically. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Lecture notes, discussion questions, tutorial work, electronic files, and software tutorial instructions will be made available within Blackboard.
Software exercises in the computer sessions will make use of AutoCAD Civil 3D software for geometric design, and AustPADS software for pavement design. Instructions for accessingﾠtheseﾠsoftware tools will be made available within Blackboard and published course notes.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Not Timetabled |
Self-managed Study and Projects Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
Lecture |
Lectures and In-class Discussion Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
|
IT Computing |
Computer-based Design Activities Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course: