Ghat road alignment in Palamalai Hills, Tamil Nadu, India using Ghat Tracer, GPS and GIS

Abstract

Present study was conducted while fixing alignment in the study area Palamalai hills from Mulakkadai village in the plains to Kemmampatti village on the top of the hill. In this work survey to form road from Mulakkadai to Kemmampatti was conducted using Ghat Tracer, Total Station and GPS. The elevation of the starting point of the road is 320 m and the hill top is 742 m above mean sea level (MSL). Road alignment in the hilly terrain was fixed using Ghat Tracer with a gradient of 6%. Length of the alignment in the ghat section is 6.30 km with eight hairpin bends. Total station and GPS surveys were conducted along the alignment to get the coordinates. Using the data alignment plans and longitudinal sections were prepared for the proposed road. A digital map was prepared for the study area by digitizing contours, drains, roads, forest boundaries and villages. From the elevation data a digital elevation model (DEM) was prepared using GIS software. GIS was further used for creating alignment plans with 6.00 m buffer to represent the road width. The implications of using these modern technologies in time and cost aspects were discussed in this work.