In this article, the optimal design of a road joining two terminals is investigated. A geometric model is proposed including horizontal transition curves and vertical curves, obtaining parameterizations for the central axis of the road as well as for its entire surface. These parameterizations allow to express and compute, with great simplicity, the major infrastructure costs, including land acquisition, clearance, pavement, maintenance, and earthwork, where multiple layers of materials with different costs can be handled. The road design problem is formulated as a smooth constrained optimization problem and a two-stage algorithm is suggested for its numerical resolution. Finally, numerical results are presented in an academic test and in a case study that propose designing a bypass in a Spanish national road (N-640) to avoid crossing Monterroso's town center.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.