USE OF COMPUTERS IN HIGHWAY STUDIES

THE USE OF COMPUTERS AND CURVE TRACING MACHINES GIVES OPTIMUM CONDITIONS FOR SOLVING THE REPETITIVE CALCULATION AND DRAWING PROBLEMS ARISING DURING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HIGHWAY AND MOTORWAY PROJECTS. DETAILS ARE GIVEN OF A SYSTEM, ALREADY IN USE FOR SEVERAL YEARS, WHICH IS PARTICULARLY ADAPTED TO THE AUTOMATIC DRAWING OF THE ALIGNMENT. THE VARIOUS STAGES OF THE WORK CARRIED OUT BY THE PROJECT DESIGNER ARE STUDIED, AND RESULTS ARE GIVEN FOR EACH STAGE AS OBTAINED FROM THE COMPUTER (CALCULATIONS OR GRAPHIC OUT-PUTS). THE MAIN ADVANTAGES OF THE SYSTEM ARE DISCUSSED.