Road Hall

Road

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This article is about a route, thoroughfare or way that supports travel by a means of conveyance. For a place outside a port where a ship can lie at anchor, see Roadstead. For public roads, see Highway. For other routes, see thoroughfare. For other uses, see Road (disambiguation).

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A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways (British English: carriageways) each with one or more lanes and also any associated sidewalks (British English: pavement) and road verges. Roads that are available for use by the public may be referred to as public roads or highways.

Contents [hide]

1 Definitions

1.1 United States

1.2 United Kingdom

2 Historical road construction

3 Design

4 Construction

5 Maintenance

5.1 Slab stabilization

5.2 Testing

5.3 Joint sealing

6 Safety considerations

7 Environmental performance

8 Terminology

9 Regulation

9.1 Right- and left-hand traffic

10 Economics

10.1 Construction costs

11 Statistics

12 See also

13 References

Definitions [edit]

For purposes of international statistical comparison, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines a road as "a line of communication (travelled way) using a stabilized base other than rails or air strips open to public traffic, primarily for the use of road motor vehicles running on their own wheels," which includes "bridges, tunnels, supporting structures, junctions, crossings, interchanges, and toll roads, but not cycle paths."[1] In urban areas roads may diverge through a city or village and be named as streets, serving a dual function as urban space easement and route.[2] Modern roads are normally smoothed, paved, or otherwise prepared to allow easy travel.[3] Historically many roads were simply recognizable routes without any formal construction or maintenance.[4]

United States [edit]

In the United States, laws distinguish between public roads, which are open to public use, and private roads, which are privately controlled.[5]

United Kingdom [edit]

In the United Kingdom there is some ambiguity between the terms highway and road. The Highway code details rules for "road users".[6] For the purposes of the English law, Highways Act 1980, which covers England and Wales but not Scotland or Northern Ireland, the term road is defined to be "any length of highway or of any other road to which the public has access, and includes bridges over which a road passes."[7] This includes footpaths, bridleways and cycle tracks, and also road and driveways on private land and many car parks.[8] Vehicle Excise Duty, a road use tax, is payable on some vehicles used on the public road.[8]

The definition of a road depends on the definition of a highway, however there is no formal definition for a highway in the relevant Act. A 1984 ruling said "the land over which a public right of way exists is known as a highway; and although

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