GAI

MHM

Eastern Region Branch

Saudi Electricity Company

ORGINATED
By: FSP
DATE: 10/08/28

T/L DESIGN STDS

SZA
REVISED AND REFORMATTED
2002-09-25

SEC-ERB ENGINEERING STANDARDS

FSP

ORIGD CERT. APPD

DESCRIPTION

REVISED STANDARD REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCESS ROADS

DATE

15-02-19

NO.

REVISIONS

CERTIFIED

SES-P-122.11

ACCESS ROADS
AND STRUCTURE PADS

Approved by the Engineering Standards Committee (ESC) on

18 Rajab 1423 ( September 25, 2002)

By: RRB
DATE: 10/08/28

APPROVED
By: ASA/KK
DATE: 10/08/29

SEC-ERB 16344-1 ( 11/07 )

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SEC-ERB ENGINEERING STANDARD

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0

SCOPE

2.0

GENERAL
2.1
2.2
2.3

3.0

TRANSMISSION LINE ACCESS ROADS

3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5

4.0

Design Criteria
Finger Roads and Pads

SLOPE PROTECTION AND SAND CONTROL

5.1
5.2

6.0

Geometric Design Criteria

Access Road - Earthwork Requirements
Road Intersections
Routes
Pipeline Crossings

STRUCTURE PADS
4.1
4.2

5.0

Requirements
Geotechnical Information
Plan and Profile Drawings

Oil or Emulsified Asphalt

Rip-rap or Concrete Barrier

BIBLIOGRAPHY

FIGURE 1: ACCESS ROAD AND PAD FOR STEEL TOWER (TT, SA,LA TYPE)
FIGURE 2: ACCESS ROAD AND PAD FOR STEEL TOWER (MA, HA, AS TYPE)
FIGURE 3: ACCESS ROAD AND PAD FOR H-FRAME STRUCTURES
FIGURE 4: ACCESS ROAD AND PAD FOR MONOPOLE STRUCTURES
FIGURE 5: ACCESS ROAD AND PAD FOR GUYED H-FRAME STRUCTURES
FIGURE 6: ACCESS ROAD AND PAD FOR GUYED MONOPOLE STRUCTURES
FIGURE 7: TYPICAL INTERSECTION
FIGURE 8: UNPAVED CROSSING FOR ABOVE GRADE PIPELINES
FIGURE 9: FINGER ROAD AND PAD
FIGURE 10: FINGER ROAD ALONG MAIN ROAD / HIGHWAY

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SEC-ERB ENGINEERING STANDARD

1.0

SES-P-122.11

SCOPE
This Standard establishes the specific parameters and procedures for the design of
unpaved access roads, structure pads, and slope protection from erosion/ encroachment
of transmission line right-of-ways.

2.0

GENERAL
2.1

Requirements
Access to the transmission line right-of-way and along the transmission line
requires various operations including construction of road approaches, filling of
ditches, dozing trails, and other works depending on the type of terrain. Suitable
road approaches are required for safe access of equipment and vehicles. Proper
surface drainage shall be provided. For easier accessibility during construction
and later for inspection, operation and maintenance of the transmission lines,
unpaved access road shall be located as near as possible to transmission lines.
All access roads, finger roads and structure pads shall be permanent for Company
maintenance and operation purposes.

2.2

Geotechnical Information
Detailed soil investigation conducted along the centerline of the proposed
transmission line shall serve as reference in the design of access road. The soil
report, based on the investigation shall include the following:
2.2.1 Soil boring logs, sampling and testing
2.2.2 Ground surface and Ground Water observations
2.2.3 Moisture-Density relationship (Compaction details)
2.2.4 CBR Test plots including CBR vs Dry Density
2.2.5 Recommendations

2.3

Plan and Profile Drawings

The design of unpaved access roads and structure pads shall make use of the
transmission line plan and profile drawings which show the left or right profile at
15-20 meters away from the transmission line centerline.

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3.0

SES-P-122.11

TRANSMISSION LINE ACCESS ROADS

The unpaved transmission line access roads shall be designed for adequate traffic
volumes to assure the safe movement of construction and maintenance equipment along
the right-of-way. Design of access roads shall take into account the grade and
topographical conditions of the terrain to be traversed and shall be in accordance with the
following requirements:
3.1

Geometric Design Criteria

3.1.1 Design Speed
The geometric design features shall be consistent with a design speed of
48 km/h for the Transmission line access road for all types of terrain
conditions.
3.1.2 Sight Distance
The minimum stopping sight distance shall be 61 meters based on the
design speed. Coefficient (K) values of 28 for crest vertical curve and 35
for sag vertical curve shall be used in determining the length of vertical
curves.
K value is a coefficient by which the algebraic difference in grade shall be
multiplied to determine the length of the vertical curve which will provide
smooth transition between tangent grade changes.
3.1.3

Maximum Grades
The maximum grades for different types of terrain based on the specified
design speed shall be the following:
Type of Terrain
a. Flat
b. Rolling
c. Mountainous

3.1.4

Maximum Grade
10.5%
13.5%
15.0%

Roadway Width
The minimum width of the unpaved access road shall be 5.00 meters.

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3.1.5 Side Slopes

The maximum side slope shall be 4 horizontal to 1 vertical. The
intersection of fill slope and cut slope planes shall be well rounded. The
cut slope shall be designed with adequate and well rounded ditches.
3.1.6 Minimum Clearances
a. The minimum horizontal distance from the centerline of transmission
line to the nearest edge of the access road shall be 15 meters as
indicated in Figure 1.
b. The minimum vertical clearance between the highest point on the road
surface and the lowest conductor of the overhead transmission lines
shall conform to SES-P-122.09.
3.1.7 Path Required by Company Vehicle (10-meter long truck for line wash)
a. Turning radius
b. Max. angle of approach and departure
c. Max. ramp breakover angle
3.2

14.0 m
30 degrees
10 degrees

Access Road - Earthwork Requirements

The typical cross-section of access road shall consist of subgrade, subbase, and
surface (base) courses. The requirements are given below:
3.2.1 Subgrade
a. Clearing site and rough grading shall be per SCS-Q-002. An average
of about 200 mm top soil shall be removed from the subgrade, and
transported to and disposed off from the site at SEC-ERB designated
dumping grounds.
b. Any depressions below subgrade level due to removal of un-suitable
material shall be filled with general fill per SCS-Q-002.
c. The original ground (subgrade) shall be scarified and compacted to
200 mm depth. Compaction shall be per SCS-Q-002 as specified for
Light Traffic roads.

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The compacted California Bearing Ratio (CBR) at laboratory for

subgrade material after four days of soaking as determined by ASTM
D1883 shall not be less than 15.
d. The subgrade shall be finished to conform to the required alignment,
grade and cross-section of the access road.
e. In areas where the existing subgrade material has a CBR value of less
than 15, subgrade modification shall be done to improve the CBR to a
minimum of 15 after 4-days soaking.
3.2.2 Subbase
a. Subbase material shall be Class C per SCS-Q-002. It shall be clean,
free of organic and other deleterious substances. The CBR value of the
material shall not be less than 50.
b. Compaction shall be per SCS-Q-002 as specified for Light Traffic
roads. Thickness of each layer shall not exceed 150 mm after
compaction.
c. The thickness of the subbase material shall be a minimum of 1.5 m in
Sabkha area to protect the wearing surface from detrimental effects of
capillary movement of the ground water. The thickness of the subbase
material in areas other than Sabkha shall vary depending on the type
of terrain to avoid abrupt changes in the finished grade and to provide
smooth riding surface.
3.2.3 Surface (Base) Course
a. Material
Surface course material shall be Class C per SCS-Q-002. It shall be
free of organic matter, rubbles, cobbles, boulders and other deleterious
substances. CBR value for surface course (base course) material shall
not be less than 50.
b. Placement and Compaction
Surface course shall be minimum 300 mm thick and the material shall
be placed in layers of uniform thickness with approved spreaders.
Layer thickness generally shall not exceed 150 mm after compaction.
Compaction shall be per SCS-Q-002 as specified for Heavy Traffic
roads. The water content of the material shall be maintained during
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placement at the optimum percentage ( 1%) as determined by

ASTM D 1557. Vibratory compactor or other approved types of
special compacting equipment may be used.
c. Finish
The surface of the compacted material shall be finished by blading or
with automated equipment specially designed for this purpose and
rolled with a steel-wheeled roller. Thin layers of fine materials shall
never be added to the top layer of the surface course in order to meet
the grade.
d. Tolerances
The top of the completed Surface course shall not show any deviation
in excess of 20 mm when tested with a 3-meter straightedge. The
completed thickness of the surface course shall be with in 20 mm of
the design thickness of 300 mm.
3.2.4 Fill materials, including water used during compaction, shall have
chloride and sulfate contents equal to or less than the existing soil. Sea
water shall not be used for compaction.
3.3

Road Intersections
Road intersections or access road crossings are locations where roads cross each
other at a common elevation. The typical plan layout of intersection shall be as
shown on Figure. 7. Adequate advanced warning of the intersection and traffic
directional arrows and signs shall be provided as below:
3.3.1 Warning Signs
The STOP or YIELD sign shall be installed to control traffic. These shall
be per Ministry of Communications signs and shall be placed on the
access road at least 100 meters before the intersection.
3.3.2 Caution Signs
The caution signs "WARNING ROAD CROSSING AHEAD, SLOW
DOWN", shall be provided at least 100 meters before the intersection and
"SEC-ERB RIGHT-OF WAY; DO NOT ENTER" shall be provided at the
barriers. The Sign boards shall be of 2.0 m x 1.0 m X 3 mm thick
anodized aluminum plate, supported suitably by two 50 mm galvanized
schedule 40 pipes. The top level of the sign boards shall be 2.0 m from the

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SES-P-122.11

ground level. The lettering shall be in English and Arabic languages of 50

mm height in reflective Aluminum color in blue background.
3.3.3 Chain and Barrier Post (with locking arrangement)
Chains and barrier posts shall be located as shown in Figure 7. Chains and
barrier posts shall be painted with Zinc Yellow (RAL 1018) and Traffic
Black (RAL 9017) stripes of reflective paint, to be visible at night, to
prevent any untoward incident. Barrier post shall be steel pipe filled with
concrete of minimum 400 mm diameter and 2.5 meters length. This shall
be embedded one (l.0) meter in depth. Chain shall be of 6 mm size and
grade 43 Steel. The chain shall be fixed at one end of the barrier. A closed
hook to be provided at the other end of the barrier post for locking
purposes.
3.3.4

Crash barriers
Crash barriers shall be provided to protect any fence, boundary wall,
culvert, or any other utilities which are close to the transmission line
structures. Crash barriers shall be per SES-P-119.19.

3.4

Routes
Access roads shall be routed within the right-of-way of the proposed transmission
lines.
3.4.1 If an access road already exists within 30 meters from the proposed
transmission line, only finger roads need to be constructed to get access to
the new transmission line tower.
3.4.2 The existing access road shall be upgraded per requirements of this
standard. Precautionary measures to be taken to avoid any damage to the
existing access road. Any damage during construction shall be repaired/
rectified without any cost to SEC-ERB.
3.4.3 Existing MOC and Municipality roads shall not be used as transmission
line access roads.

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3.5

SES-P-122.11

Pipeline Crossings
Pipeline crossings shall be designed to provide safe passage of vehicular traffic.
The design of the crossing shall meet the following requirements unless otherwise
specified by the owner of the pipeline to be traversed.
3.5.1 The minimum basic wheel load for the pipeline crossings shall be seven
(7) metric tons.
3.5.2

The crossing shall be made perpendicular to the pipeline as much as

possible. However, if such perpendicularity could not be met as dictated
by the site condition, the crossing angle shall not be less than 45 degrees.

3.5.3 The pipeline shall be protected against damage from vehicle collision by
means of at least 1 m high stabilized earth berm over the pipe and
extending 30 meters beyond both edges of the road (measured
perpendicular to the road).
3.5.4

Backfill material shall be the same material as that of access road (as
specified in section 3.2) and shall be free of material that may damage
coatings of steel pipe. Backfill shall be placed in layers of 300 mm or less
and the degree of compaction shall be same as for the access road.

3.5.5 Unless otherwise specified, the minimum cover over steel pipes shall be
1500 mm for unpaved road crossing.
3.5.6 The minimum width of the crossing shall be 5.00 meters, excluding the
side slopes. The typical pipeline crossing details are shown on Figure 8.

4.0

STRUCTURE PADS
4.1

Design Criteria
The standard earthwork requirements of the subgrade, subbase and surface (base)
course for the design of transmission line structure pads shall be same as for
access roads, (as stated in section 3.2 of this Standard) along with the following
requirements:
4.1.1 The edge of the pad shall have a minimum distance of fifteen (15) meters
from any point of the structure foundations and / or guy anchors.

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4.1.2 The maximum side slope shall be 4 horizontal to 1 vertical. Side slopes
shall be as flat as possible, to increase safety by providing additional
maneuver area in emergencies and maintenance work.
4.1.3

Structure pads shall be graded to drain water away from structure

foundations with slope of 1.5 to 2 percent.

4.1.4 For concrete foundation, top elevation of concrete footings shall be 450
mm above finished grade of the structure pads.
4.1.5 Wherever the transmission line is passing through Sabkha, water logged,
flooded or swamp areas; the filling shall be done to get structure pad at
minimum elevation of 1.5 meters above the surrounding area.
4.1.6 The typical design drawings of structure pad for different transmission
line towers shall be as shown in Figure 1 to 6.
4.2

Finger Roads and Pads

The typical details of finger road and structure pad are as shown in Figure 9.
Finger roads shall not be taken from existing MOC and Municipality roads. In
cases where it is unavoidable, finger roads shall be developed as shown in
Figure10.

5.0

SLOPE PROTECTION AND SAND CONTROL

Protection of slopes adjacent to structure pads to be done where such slopes are liable to
be washed away or eroded by wind. Erosion control is required when slope or excavation
is steeper than 1 horizontal to 1 vertical. Slopes shall have contour trenches for each
2.0 meters change in elevation. These shall be 0.4 meters deep and of rough construction.
The following are the recommended methods of slope protection and sand control.
5.1

Oil or Emulsified Asphalt

Sand encroachment/ erosion on the structure pads and access roads shall be
prevented by spraying the specified areas along the right-of-ways with crude oil
or other approved compound such as slow setting asphalt emulsion meeting the
requirements of ASTM D 2397 for CSS-IH, to stabilize the surface.
The crude oil shall penetrate a minimum of 12 mm which requires approximately
8.0 liters/sq. m, of surface. Emulsified asphalt shall be applied per manufacturer's
recommendations.

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5.2

SES-P-122.11

Rip-rap or Concrete Barriers

In Wadi areas where ground water level is high, or in areas submerged with
water, rip-rap or concrete barrier/lining shall be constructed within right of way
to protect access roads and structure pads from erosion.
5.2.1 Rip-rap shall be placed on the slopes of structure pads and in places along
the slopes of access roads where erosion control is required, and shall be
of durable stones or hard rocks. Rip-rap shall be uniformly distributed to
produce a compact rip-rap with a minimum thickness of 300 mm. The
minimum specific gravity of stone shall be 2.5 and the maximum
absorption shall be six (6) percent. The loss by abrasion shall not be
greater than 45% when subjected to 500 revolutions in a Los Angeles
Abrasion Machine in accordance with ASTM C131.
5.2.2 Concrete barriers shall be designed to protect the slopes of structure pads
from erosion.
5.2.3

6.0

For small stretches of access roads which are lower than the normal level,
and where there is difference of levels on two sides of access road, box or
pipe culverts with wing walls shall be used. The concrete shall be severe
exposure type per 71-SMSS-5. The design to be done based on site
conditions and shall be approved by SEC-ERB.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
6.1

Highway Engineering Standard Handbook for Civil Engineers by Frederick S.

Merritt

6.2

Geometrical Design Guide American Association of State Highway and

Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

6.3

ASTM D 1241

6.4

ASTM D 2397

6.5

SAES-L-046

SAUDI ARAMCO Engineering Standards for Pipeline

Crossings under roads and rail roads.

6.6

SCS-P-122

SEC-ERB Transmission Line Construction Standards

6.7

SES-H-001.01

Paint Color Codes and Standards

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Specification for Materials for Soil aggregate Sub-base,

Base and Surface Courses
Specification for Asphalt Emulsion

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6.8

SES-P-122

SEC-ERB Transmission Line Design Standards

6.9

SCS-Q-001

SEC-ERB Standard for Paving Asphalt Concrete

6.10

SCS-Q-002

SEC-ERB Standard for Earthwork

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