Transportation engineering

(engineering) That branch of engineering relating to the movement of goods and people; major types of transportation are highway, water, rail, subway, air, and pipeline.

That branch of engineering related to the movements of goods and people by highway, rail, air, water, and pipeline. Special categories include urban and intermodal transportation.

Engineering for highway transportation involves planning, construction, and operation of highway systems, urban streets, roads, and bridges, as well as parking facilities. Important aspects of highway engineering include (1) overall planning of routes, financing, environmental impact evaluation, and value engineering to compare alternatives; (2) traffic engineering, which plans for the volumes of traffic to be handled, the methods to accommodate these flows, the lighting and signing of highways, and general layout; (3) pavement and roadway engineering, which involves setting of alignments, planning the cuts and fills to construct the roadway, designing the base course and pavement, and selecting the drainage system; and (4) bridge engineering, which involves the design of highway bridges, retaining walls, tunnels, and other structures. See also Highway engineering; Traffic-control systems; Value engineering.

Engineering for railway transportation involves planning, construction, and operation of terminals, switchyards, loading/unloading facilities, trackage, bridges, tunnels, and traffic-control systems for freight and passenger service. For freight operations, there is an emphasis on developing more efficient systems for loading, unloading, shifting cars, and operating trains. Facilities include large marshaling yards where electronic equipment is used to control the movement of railroad cars. Also, there is a trend to developing more automated systems on trackage whereby signals and switches are set automatically by electronic devices. To accommodate transportation of containers, tunnels on older lines are being enlarged to provide for double-stack container cars. See also Railroad engineering; Tunnel.

Engineering for air transportation encompasses the planning, design, and construction of terminals, runways, and navigation aids to provide for passenger and freight service. High-capacity, long-range, fuel-efficient aircraft, such as the 440-seat Boeing 777 with a range of 7200 mi (12,000 km), are desirable. Wider use of composites and the substitution of electronic controls for mechanical devices reduce weight to improve fuel economy. Smaller planes are more efficient for shorter runs. See also Air navigation; Air-traffic control; Air transportation; Composite material.

Engineering for water transportation entails the design and construction of a vast array of facilities such as canals, locks and dams, and port facilities. The transportation system ranges from shipping by barge and tugboat on inland waterways to shipping by oceangoing vessels. Although there is some transportation of passengers, such as on ferries and cruise ships, water transportation is largely devoted to freight. See also Canal; Dam; River engineering.

Pipeline engineering embraces the design and construction of pipelines, pumping stations, and storage facilities. Pipelines are used to transport liquids such as water, gas, and petroleum products over great distances. Also, products such as pulverized coal and iron ore can be transported in a water slurry. See also Pipeline; Storage tank.

Engineering for urban transportation concerns the design and construction of light rail systems, subways, and people-movers, as well as facilities for traditional bus systems. To enhance public acceptance of new and expanded systems, increased use is being made of computer-aided design (CAD) to visulaize alternatives for stations and facilities. Also, animated video systems are used for interactive visualization of plans. See also Computer-aided engineering; Harbors and ports; Subway engineering.

Intermodal transportation, often referred to as containerization, entails the use of special containers to ship goods by truck, rail, or ocean vessel. Engineers must design and construct intermodal facilities for efficient operations. The containers are fabricated from steel or aluminum, and they are designed to withstand the forces from handling. The ships are constructed with a cellular grid of compartments for containers below deck, and they can accommodate one or two layers on deck as well. Advantages include savings in labor costs, less pilferage, and lower insurance costs. See also Hoisting machines; Marine containers; Merchant ship.

The environment and energy consumption are taken into major consideration when planning, designing, and constructing transportation facilities. Efforts to curb energy use arise from a variety of concerns, including security issues and environmental implications. Efforts to relieve congestion in urban areas through incentives to make greater use of car pooling, such as special freeway lanes, and encouraging greater use of mass transit, deserve further emphasis.