4. Guidelines for Reducing Erosional Impacts of Roads

These guidelines are based upon the four basic principles which have been described above. They are presented in the context of the entire road development process proceeding from broad land use planning through road location, design, construction, maintenance, and closure. Presentation in this manner is not intended to restrict the guidelines to those higher standard roads receiving such formal step-by-step development. To the contrary, the basic erosion control principles apply to any road development and should be used throughout the development process regardless of the intended purpose or standard of the road.

The guidelines are not all inclusive, but rather are based upon concepts and techniques that have been applied in the temperate climates of the United States. They were developed from experience and research mostly in mountainous terrain. Many of the principles and procedures in this paper will be useful in other areas; however, modifications will undoubtedly be needed to accommodate unique site conditions found in a particular location. Therefore, it is important to verify applicability with local experts (e.g., engineers, land-use planners, soil scientists, hydrologists, foresters, geologists) before applying the guidelines.

Much of the material presented here was abstracted from references (7), (10), (11), (12), (13), (21), (28), (29), (30), (31), (32), (33), (34), (35), (36), (37), and (38). The author acknowledges the excellent work of the various authors and institutions and recommends the original references for more in-depth consideration. Undoubtedly, many other excellent references have been developed and should be used where applicable.

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Last Modified: 07/05/2007