Principles of Highway Engineering and Traffic Analysis

Principles of Highway Engineering and Traffic Analysis Book By Fred L. Mannering, Scott S. Washburn

Highways have played a key role in the development and sustainability of human

civilization from ancient times to the present. Today, in the U.S. and throughout the

world, highways continue to dominate the transportation system — providing critical

access for the acquisition of natural resources, industrial production, retail marketing

and population mobility. The influence of highway transportation on the economic,

social and political fabric of nations is far-reaching and, as a consequence, highways

have been studied for decades as a cultural, political, and economic phenomenon.

While industrial needs and economic forces have clearly played an important part in

shaping highway networks, societies’ fundamental desire for access to activities and

affordable land has generated significant highway demand, which has helped define

and shape highway networks.