Road engineering is an engineering discipline derived from civil engineering that involves the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of roads, bridges and tunnels to ensure the safe and effective transportation of people and goods. Road engineering became prominent towards the second half of the 20th century after World War II. Road engineering standards are continuously improving. Road engineers should consider future traffic flows, road intersection / interchange design, alignment and geometric design, highway pavement design and materials, structural design of pavement thickness and pavement maintenance.
The beginning of the construction of roads could be dated to the time of the Romans. With the advancement of the technology of cars pulled by two horses to vehicles with energy equivalent to 100 horses, the development of the road had to follow the game. The construction of modern roads did not begin until the end of the 19th century until the beginning of the 20th century. The first research dedicated to road engineering began in the UK with the introduction of the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) in 1930. In the US, road engineering became a major discipline with Approval of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1944, which aimed to connect 90% of cities with a population of 50,000 or more. With the constant stress of vehicles that grew as time passed, improvements in pavements were needed. With outdated technology, in 1958 the construction of the first motorway in Britain (the Preston Bypass) played an important role in the development of new pavement technology.
Design standards used in the United States are usually based on publications of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officers, as well as research promulgated by the Transportation Research Board, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the Federal Highway Administration And the Department of Transportation.