GIS Method for Haul Road Layout Planning in Large Earthmoving Projects: Framework and Analysis

This study presents a geographic information system (GIS)-based method for determining the optimal layout of a haul route for large earthmoving projects. The methodology focuses on the use of cost distance measurements to implement a least-cost path analysis to calculate the route with the shortest weighted distance between cut and fill areas. Various factors such as truck speed, construction costs, and land use that affect haul road layout are investigated. Linear interpolations based on linguistic evaluations of experienced field experts are utilized to quantify the factors. An earthmoving project from a large-scale dam construction was used as a case study to verify the applicability of the proposed method, and the route produced with the new method was compared to real road design data. The results showed the potential of the method as a practical approach to determining the optimal haul route for earthmoving. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000561. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.