5. Land Use Planning

Land use planning with respect to road construction simply means anticipating the present and future uses of the transportation system to assure a maximum of service with a minimum of monetary and erosional costs. The objective of this phase of the road development process is to establish specific objectives and prescriptions for road development along with the broad location needs. This must be a coordinated effort among the land manager, road engineer, forester, geologist, soil scientist, and others who recognize specific problems and needs and recommend alternatives or solutions.

Land use planning is an important factor governing the total area disturbed by road construction. It is particularly important on forested lands where the total mileage of roads constructed is closely related to the timber harvest systems and silvicultural practices prescribed. Harvesting methods also affect the area of disturbance because width and alignment requirements vary with the type of practice used. Additional decisions related to all anticipated traffic, operating speeds, and safety requirements should be made at this time. All of these influence road width and alignment, which affect area of disturbance.
Future as well as present needs must be considered during the land use planning phase. This will help to avoid situations where the road is inadequate for future needs as, for example, in timbered areas where the road network is improperly located for second or third cuts.

The land use planning phase is the time to evaluate environmental and economic tradeoffs. This should set the stage for the remainder of the road development process. If an objective analysis by qualified individuals indicates serious erosional problems, then reduction of erosional impacts should be a primary concern. In some areas, this may dictate the method of land use for the area or may in fact eliminate a land use because reduction of erosional impacts is economically impossible at the time.

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Last Modified: 07/05/2007