No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or any means, electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, or otherwise without the prior permission of the author.

GATE SOLVED PAPER

Civil Engineering
Highway Engineering and Surveying

Copyright By NODIA & COMPANY

Information contained in this book has been obtained by authors, from sources believes to be reliable. However,
neither Nodia nor its authors guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information herein, and Nodia nor its
authors shall be responsible for any error, omissions, or damages arising out of use of this information. This book
is published with the understanding that Nodia and its authors are supplying information but are not attempting
to render engineering or other professional services.

NODIA AND COMPANY

B-8, Dhanshree Tower Ist, Central Spine, Vidyadhar Nagar, Jaipur 302039
Ph : +91 - 141 - 2101150
www.nodia.co.in
email : enquiry@nodia.co.in
 GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE
HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

YEAR 2013 ONE MARK

Q. 1 For two major-roads with divided carriage way crossing at right angle, a full clover
leaf interchange with four indirect ramps is provided. Following statements are
made on turning movement of vehicles to all direction from both road, identity
the correct statement.
(A) Merging from left is not possible, but diverging to left not possible
(B) Merging from left and diverging to left is possible

. i n
(C) Merging from left is possible but diverging is not possible

c o
(D) Neither merging from left nor diverging to left is possible

Q. 2

a .
It was observed that 150 vehicle crossed a particular location of highway in 30

i
minutes. Assume that vehicle arrival follow a negative exponential distribution.

d
The number of time headways greater than 5 sec. in above observation is

o
Select the strength parameter of concrete used in design of plain jointed cement

.n
Q. 3
pavement from the following choices:

w
(A) Tensile strength (B) Compressive strength
(C) Flexural strength (D) Shear strength

w
YEAR 2013
w TWO MARKS

Common Data For Questions. 4 and 5 :
For a portion of highway descending gradient 1 in 25 meets an ascending gradient 1 in
20. A valley curve needs to be design at a velocity of 90 kmph based on
(i) Head light sight distance equal to stopping sight distance of a level terrain.
Consider length of curve >SSD.
(ii) Comfort condition if rate of change of acceleration is 0.5 m/s3 .
Reaction time = 2.5 sec , coefficient of longitudinal friction m = 0.35 . Height of head
light = 0.75 m , and beam angle = 1c.
Q. 4 What is the length of valley curve as per headlight sight distance?
Q. 5 What is the length of valley curve (in meter) based on comfort condition?

YEAR 2012 ONE MARK

Q. 6 Two major roads with two lanes each are crossing in an urban areas to form an
uncontrolled intersection. The number of conflict points when both roads are one
way is X and when both roads are two way is Y . The ratio of X to Y is
(A) 0.25 (B) 0.33
(C) 0.50 (D) 0.75
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

Q. 7 Two bitumen samples X and Y have softening points 45cC and 60cC ,
respectively. Consider the following statement :
I. Viscosity of X will be higher than that of Y at the same temperature.
II. Penetration value of X will be lesser than that of Y under standard
conditions.
The CORRECT option evaluating the above statements is
(A) Both I and II are TRUE
(B) I is FALSE and II is TRUE
(C) Both I and II are FALSE
(D) I is TRUE and II is FALSE

in
Q. 8 Road roughness is measured using
(A) Benkelman beam
.
co
(B) Bump integrator
(C) Dynamic cone penetrometer

a .
i
(D) Falling weight deflectormeter

Q. 9
differential leveling ?
o d
Which of the following errors can be eliminated by reciprocal measurements in

. n
I. Error due to earths curvature

w
II. Error due to atmospheric refraction
(A) Both I and II (B) I only
(C) II only
w (D) Neither I nor II

w

YEAR 2012 TWO MARKS

Q. 10 A pavement designer has arrived at a design traffic of 100 million standard

axles for a newly developing national highway as per IRC : 37 guidelines using
the following data : life = 15 years, commercial vehicle count before pavement
construction = 4500 vehicles/day, annual traffic growth rate = 8% . The vehicle
damage factor used in the calculation was
(A) 1.53 (B) 2.24
(C) 3.66 (D) 4.14

Q. 11 The following data are related to a horizontal curved portion of a two lane highway
: length of curve = 200 m, radius of curve = 300 m and width of pavement
= 7.5 m . In order to provide a stopping sight distance (SSD) of 80 m, the set back
distance (in m) required from the centre line of the inner lane of the pavement is
(A) 2.54 (B) 4.55
(C) 7.10 (D) 7.96

Q. 12 A two-lane urban road with one-way traffic has a maximum capacity of 1800
vehicles/hour. Under the jam condition, the average length occupied by the
vehicles is 5.0 m. The speed versus density relationship is linear. For a traffic
volume of 1000 vehicles/hour, the density (in vehicles/km) is
(A) 52 (B) 58
(C) 67 (D) 75
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

Q. 13 The horizontal distance between two stations P and Q is 100 m. The vertical
angles from P and Q to the top of a vertical tower at T and 3c and 5c above
horizontal, respectively. The vertical angles fromP and Q to the base of the tower
are 0.1c and 0.5c below horizontal, respectively. Stations P , Q and the tower are
in the same vertical plane with P and Q being on the same side of T . Neglecting
earths curvature and atomspheric refraction, the height (in m) of the tower is
(A) 6.972 (B) 12.387
(C) 12.540 (D) 128.745

YEAR 2011 ONE MARK

Q. 14 The probability that k number of vehicles arrive (i.e. cross a predefined line) in
time t is given as ^lt hk e- lt /k!, where l is the average vehicle arrival rate. What is

n
the probability that the time headway is greater than or equal to time t1 ?
(A) lelt (B) le-t
. i
1 1

o
(C) elt1
(D) e- lt
1

Q. 15

. c
A vehicle negotiates a transition curve with uniform speed v . If the radius of the

i a
horizontal curve and the allowable jerk are R and J , respectively, the minimum

d
length of the transition curve is
(A) R3 / ^vJ h (B) J 3 / ^Rv h

o (D) v3 / ^RJ h

.n
(C) v2 R/J

In Marshall testing of bituminous mixes, as the bitumen content increases the

w
Q. 16

flow value

w
(A) remains constant (B) decreases first and then increases

w
(C) increases monotonically (D) increases first and then decreases

Q. 17 Curvature correction to a staff reading in a differential leveling survey is
(A) always subtractive (B) always zero
(C) always additive (D) dependent on latitude

YEAR 2011 TWO MARKS

Q. 18 If the jam density is given as k j and the free flow speed is given as u f , the
maximum flow for a linear traffic speed density model is given by which of the
following options ?
(A) 1 k j # u f (B) 1 k j # u f
4 3
(C) 3 k j # u f (D) 2 k j # u f
5 3
Q. 19 If v is the initial speed of a vehicle, g is the gravitational acceleration, G is the
upward longitudinal slope of the road and fr is the coefficient of rolling friction
during braking, the braking distance (measured horizontally) for the vehicle to
stop is
(A) v2 (B) v2
g ^G + fr h 2g ^G + fr h
vg vfr
(C) (D)
^G + fr h ^G + g h
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

Q. 20 The cumulative arrival and departure curve of one cycle of an approach lane of
a signalized intersection is shown in the adjoining figure. The cycle time is 50 s
and the effective red time is 30 s and the effective green time is 20 s. What is the
average delay ?

. in
. co
(A) 15 s
i a
(B) 25 s

d
(C) 35 s (D) 45 s

Q. 21

n o
The observations from a closed loop traverse around an obstacle are
Segment Observation from
. Length (m) Azimuth (clockwise

w
station from magnetic

w
north)
PQ P Missing 33.7500c
QR
wQ 300.00 86.3847c

RS R 354.524 169.3819c
ST S 450.000 243.9003c
TP T 268.000 317.5000c
What is the value of the missing measurement (rounded off to the nearest 10
mm) ?
(A) 396.86 m (B) 396.79 m
(C) 396.05 m (D) 396.94 m

YEAR 2010 ONE MARK

Q. 22 Aggregate impact value indicates which one of the following property of aggregates
?
(A) Durability (B) Toughness
(C) Hardness (D) Strength

Q. 23 As per IRC : 67-2001, a traffic sign indicating the Speed Limit on a road should
be of
(A) circular shape with white background and red border
(B) triangular shape with white background and red border
(C) triangular shape with red background and white border.
(D) circular shape with red background and white border
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

Q. 24 The local mean time at a place located in Longitude 90c 40lE when the standard
time is 6 hours and 30 minutes and the standard meridian is 82c30lE is
(A) 5 hours, 2 minutes and 40 seconds (B) 5 hours, 47 minutes and 20 seconds
(C) 6 hours and 30 minutes (D) 7 hours, 02 minutes and 40 seconds

YEAR 2010 TWO MARKS

Q. 25 Consider the following statements in the context of geometric design of roads :

1. A simple parabolic curve is an acceptable shape for summit curves.
2. Comfort to passengers is an important consideration in the design of
summit curves.
The correct option evaluating the above statements and their relationship is
(A) 1 is true, 2 is false

i
(B) 1 is true, 2 is true and 2 is the correct reason for 1

. n
o
(C) 1 is true, 2 is true and 2 is NOT the correct reason for 1

c
(D) 1 is false and 2 is true

Q. 26

a .
The design speed for a two lane road is 80 kmph. When a design vehicle with a

d i
wheelbase of 6.6 m is negotiating a horizontal curve on that road, the off-tracking
is measured as 0.096 m. The required widening of carriageway of the two-lane
road on the curve is approximately.
o
.n
(A) 0.55 m (B) 0.65 m

w
(C) 0.75 m (D) 0.85 m

w
Q. 27 Consider the following statements in the context of cement concrete pavements :
1. Warping stresses in cement concrete pavements are caused by the seasonal

w
variation in temperature.

2. Tie bars are generally provided across transverse joints of cement concrete
pavements.
The correct option evaluating the above statement is
(A) 1 true and 2 false (B) 1 false and 2 true
(C) 1 true and 2 true (D) 1 false and 2 false

Q. 28 A bench mark has been established at the soffit of an ornamental arch at the
known elevation of 100.0 m above mean sea level. The back sight used to establish
height of instrument is an inverted staff reading of 2.105 m. A forward sight
reading with normally held staff of 1.105 m is taken on a recently constructed
plinth. The elevation of the plinth is
(A) 103.210 m (B) 101.000 m
(C) 99.000 m (D) 96.790 m

YEAR 2009 ONE MARK

Q. 29 The value of lateral friction or side friction used in the design of horizontal curve
as per Indian Roads Congress guidelines is
(A) 0.40 (B) 0.35
(C) 0.24 (D) 0.15
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

Q. 30 During a CBR test, the load sustained by a remolded soil specimen at 5.00
penetration is 50 kg. The CBR value of the soil will be
(A) 10.0% (B) 5.0%
(C) 3.6% (D) 2.4%

Q. 31 In quadrantal bearing system, bearing of a line varies from

(A) 0c to 360c
(B) 0c to 180c
(C) 0c to 90c
(D) 0cN to 90c S

YEAR 2009

. in TWO MARKS

co
Q. 32 Which of the flowing stress combinations are appropriate in identifying the critical

.
condition for the design of concrete pavements ?

a
Location

i
Type of stress
1. Corner

d
a. Load
2. Edge

o
b. Temperature
3. Interior

. n
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :

w
(A) a-2, b-3
(B) a-1, b-3
(C) a-3, b-1
w
(D) a-2, b-2
w

Q. 33 A crest vertical curve joins two gradients of +3% and - 2% for a design speed of
80 km/h and the corresponding stopping sight distance of 120 m. The height of
drivers eye and the object above the road surface are 1.20 m 0.15 m respectively.
The curve length (which is less than stopping sight distance) to be provided is
(A) 120 m
(B) 152 m
(C) 163 m
(D) 240 m

Q. 34 On a specific highway, the speed-density relationship follows the Greenbegs

model [V = v f loge (k j k)], where v f and k j are the free flew speed and jam density
respectively. When the highway is operating at capacity, the density obtained as
per this model is
(A) ek j (B) k j
kj kj
(C) (D)
2 e

Q. 35 A three-phase traffic signal at an intersection is designed for flows shown in the

figure below. There are six groups of flows identified by the numbers 1 through 6.
Among these 1, 3, 4 and 6 are through flows and 2 and 5 are right turning. Which
phasing scheme is not feasible ?
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

Combination choice Phase I Phase III Phase III

n
P 1, 4 2, 5 3, 6
Q 1, 2 4, 5
. i
3, 6

o
R 2, 5 1, 3 4, 6
S 1, 4 2, 6
. c 3, 5

a
(A) P (B) Q
(C) R

d i (D) S

o
Q. 36 The magnetic bearing of a line AB was N 59c30' W in the year 1967, when the

.n
declination was 4c10' E . If the present declination is 3c W , the whole circle
bearing of the line is

w
(A) 299c20' (B) 307c40'

w
(C) 293c20' (D) 301c40'

w
Q. 37 Consider the following statements :
Assertion (A) :Curvature correction must be applied when the sights are long.

line.
Reason (R) : Line of collimation is not a level line but is tangential to the level

Of these statements
(A) both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(B) both A and R are true but R is not a correct explanation of A
(C) A is true but R is false.
(D) A is false but R is true.

YEAR 2008 ONE MARK

Q. 38 The specific gravity of paving bitumen as per IS:73-1992 lies between

(A) 1.10 and 1.06 (B) 1.06 and 1.02
(C) 1.02 and 0.97 (D) 0.97 and 0.92

Q. 39 A combined value of flakiness and elongation index is to be determined for a

sample of aggregates. The sequence in which the two tests are conducted is
(A) elongation index test followed by flakiness index test on the whole sample
(B) flakiness index test followed by elongation index test on the whole sample
(C) flakiness index test followed by elongation index test on the non-flaky
aggregates
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

(D) elongation index test followed by flakiness index test on non-elongated

aggregates

Q. 40 The capacities of One-way 1.5 m wide sidewalk (persons per hour) and
One-way 2 lane urban road (PCU per hour, with no frontage access, no standing
vehicles and very little cross traffic) are respectively
(A) 1200 and 2400 (B) 1800 and 2000
(C) 1200 and 1500 (D) 2000 and 1200

Q. 41 The shape of the STOP sign according to IRC:67-2001 is

(A) circular (B) triangular

in
(C) octagonal (D) rectangular

.
Q. 42 The type of surveying in which the curvature of the earth is taken into account

co
is called

.
(A) Geodetic surveying (B) Plane surveying

a
(C) Preliminary surveying (D) Topographical surveying

d i
o
YEAR 2008 TWO MARKS

. n
Q. 43 A roundabout is provided with an average entry with of 8.4 m, width of weaving
section as 14 m, and length of the weaving section between channelizing islands

w
as 35 m. The crossing traffic and total on the weaving section are 1000 and 2000

w
PCU per hour respectively. The nearest rounded capacity of the roundabout ( in
PCU per hour) is
(A) 3300
w (B) 3700

(C) 4500 (D) 5200

Q. 44 Design parameters for a signalized intersection are shown in the figure below. The
green time calculated for major and minor roads are 34 and 18 s, respectively.

The critical lane volume on the major road changes to 440 vehicles per hour per
lane and the critical lane volume on the minor road remains unchanged. The
green time will
(A) increase for the major road and remain same for the minor road.
(B) increase for the major road and decrease for the minor road.
(C) decrease for both the roads.
(D) remain unchanged for both the roads.
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

Q. 45 It is proposed to widen and strength and existing 2-lane NH section as a divided

highway. The existing traffic in one direction is 2500 commercial vehicles (CV)
per day. The construction will take 1 year. The design CBR of soil subgrade is
found to be 5 per cent. Given : traffic growth rate for CV = 8 per cent, vehicle
damage factor = 3.5 (standard axles per CV), design life = 10 years and traffic
distribution factor =0.75. The cumulative standard axles (msa) computed are
(A) 35 (B) 37
(C) 65 (D) 70

Q. 46 A linear relationship is observed between speed and density on a certain section

of a highway. The free flow is speed is observed to be 80 km per hour and the
jam density is estimated as 100 vehicles per km length. Based on the above
relationship, the maximum flow expected on this section and the speed at the

n
maximum flow will respected be

i
(A) 8000 vehicles per hour and 80 km per hour
(B) 8000 vehicles per hour and 25 km per hour

o.
c
(C) 2000 vehicles per hour and 80 km per hour
(D) 2000 vehicles per hour and 40 km per hour

a .
Q. 47

d i
The plan of a survey plotted to a scale of 10 m to 1 cm ie reduced in such a way
that a line originally 10 cm long now measures 9 cm. The area os the reduced plan

o
is measured as 81 cm2 . The actual area (m2) of the survey is

.n
(A) 10000 (B) 6561

w
(C) 1000 (D) 656

w
Q. 48 The lengths and bearing of a closed traverse PQRSP are given below.

w
Line Length (m) Bearing (WCB)
PQ 200 0c

QR 1000 45c
RS 907 180c
SP ? ?
The missing length and bearing, respectively of the line SP are
(A) 207 m and 270
(B) 707 m and 270
(C) 707 m and 180
(D) 907 m and 270

Q. 49 The focal length of the object glass of a tacheometer is 200 mm, the distance
between the vertical axis of the tacheometer and the optical centre of the object
glass is 100 mm and the spacing between the upper and lower line of the diagram
axis is 4 mm. With the line of collimation perfectly horizontal, the staff intercepts
are 1 m (top), 2m (middle), and 3 m (bottom). The horizontal distance (m)
between the staff and the instrument station is
(A) 100.3
(B) 103.0
(C) 150.0
(D) 153.0
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

Q. 50 A road is provided with a horizontal circular curve having deflection angle of 55c
and centre line radius of 250 m. A transition curve is to be provided at each end
of the circular curve of such a length that the rate of gain of radial acceleration
is 0.3 m/s3 at a speed of 50 km per hour. Length of the transition curve required
at each of the ends is
(A) 2.57 m (B) 33.33 m
(C) 35.73 m (D) 1666.67 m

Q. 51 A light house of 120 m height is just visible above the horizon from a ship. The
correct distance (m) between the ship and the light house considering combined
correction for curvature and refraction, is

in
(A) 39.098 (B) 42.226

.
(C) 39098 (D) 42226

Statement for Linked Q. 52 and 53 :

. co
i a
A horizontal curvature curve with a centre line radius of 200 m is provided on

d
a 2-lane, 2-way SH section. The width of the 2-lane road is 7.0 m. Design speed

o
for this section is 80 km per hour. The brake reaction time is 2.4 s, and the

n
coefficients of friction in longitudinal and lateral directions are 0.355 and 0.15,

.
respectively.

w
The safe stopping sight distance on the section is
Q. 52

w
(A) 221 m (B) 195 m
(C) 125 m (D) 65 m

Q. 53
w
The set-back distance from the centre line of the inner lane is
(A) 7.93 m
(C) 9.60 m (B) 8.10 m
(D) 9.77 m

YEAR 2007 ONE MARK

Q. 54 The consistency and flow resistance of bitumen can be determined from which of
the following ?
(A) Ductility test (B) Penetration test
(C) Softening point test (D) Viscosity test

Q. 55 If a two-lane National Highway and a two-lane State Highway intersect at right

angles, the number of potential conflict point at the intersection, assuming that
both the roads are two-way is
(A) 11 (B) 17
(C) 24 (D) 32

Q. 56 In signal design as per Indian Roads Congress specifications, if the sum of the
ratios of normal flows to saturation flow of two directional traffic is 0.50 and the
total lost time per cycle is 10 seconds, the optimum cycle length in seconds is
(A) 100 (B) 80
(C) 60 (D) 40
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

YEAR 2007 TWO MARKS

Q. 57 The extra widening required for a two-lane National Highway at a horizontal

curve of 300 m radius, considering a wheel base of 8 m and a design speed of 100
kmph is
(A) 0.42 m (B) 0.62 m
(C) 0.82 m (D) 0.92 m

Q. 58 While designing a hill road with a ruling gradient of 6%, if a sharp horizontal
curve of 50 m radius is encountered, the compensated gradient at the curve as per
the Indian Roads Congress specifications should be
(A) 4.4% (B) 4.75%
(C) 5.0% (D) 5.25%

n
Q. 59 The design speed on a road is 60 kmph. Assuming the driver reaction time of

. i
2.5 seconds and coefficient of friction of pavement surface as 0.35, the required

o
stopping distance for two-way traffic on a single lane road is

c
(A) 82.1 m (B) 102.4 m

.
(C) 164.2 m (D) 186.4 m

Q. 60

i a
The width of the expansion join is 20 mm in a cement concrete pavement. The

o d
paying temperature is 20cC and the maximum slab temperature is summer is 60cC
. The coefficient of the thermal expansion of concrete is 10 # 10- 6 mm/mm/cC

.n
and the joint filler compresses up to 50% of the thickness. The spacing between
expansion joints should be
(A) 20 m
w (B) 25 m

w
(C) 30 m (D) 40 m

w
Q. 61 The following data pertains of the number of commercial vehicles per day for the
design of a flexible pavement for a national highway as per IRC : 37-1984 :

Type of commercial
vehicle
Number of vehicle
per day considering
Vehicle
Damage
the number of lanes Factor
Two axle trucks 2000 5
Tandem axle trucks 200 6
Assuming a traffic growth factor of 7.5% per annum for both the types of vehicles,
the cumulative number of standard axle load repetitions (in million) for a design
life of ten years is
(A) 44.6 (B) 57.8
(C) 62.4 (D) 78.7

Q. 62 Match List-I (Test) with the List-II (Property) and select the correct answers
using the codes given below the lists :
List-I List-II
a. Crushing test 1. Hardness
b. Los Angles abrasion test 2. Weathering
c. Soundness test 3. Shape
d. Angularity test 4. Strength
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

Codes :
a b c d
(A) 2 1 4 3
(B) 4 2 3 1
(C) 3 2 1 4
(D) 4 1 2 3

Q. 63 The plan of a map was photo copied to a reduced size such that a line originally
100 mm, measures 90 mm. The original scale of the plan was 1 : 1000. The revised
scale is
(A) 1 : 900 (B) 1 : 1111

in
(C) 1 : 1121 (D) 1 : 1221

.
co
Q. 64 The following tables gives data of consecutive coordinates in respect of a closed

.
theodolite traverse PQRSP.

a
Station Northing, m Southing, m Easting, m Westing, m
P 400.75

d i 300.5

no
Q 100.25 199.25
R 199.0 399.75
S
.
300.0 200.5

w
The magnitude and direction of error of closure in whole circle bearing are.

w
(A) 2.0 m and 45c (B) 2.0 m and 315c
(C) 2.82 m and 315c (D) 3.42 m and 45c

Q. 65
w
The following measurements were made during testing a levelling instrument.

Instrument at
P1
Staff reading at
Q1
P 2.800 m 1.700 m
Q 2.700 m 1.800 m
P1 is close to P and Q1 is close to Q . If the reduced level of station P is 100.000
m, the reduced level of station Q is
(A) 99.000 m
(B) 100.000 m
(C) 101.000 m
(D) 102.000 m

Q. 66 Two straight lines intersect at an angle of 60c. The radius of a curve joining the
two straight lines is 600 m. The length of long chord and mid-ordinate in metres
of the curve are
(A) 80.4, 600.0 (B) 600.0, 80.4
(C) 600.0, 39.89 (D) 49.89, 300.0

Q. 67 The magnetic bearing of a line AB is S 45c E and the declination is 5c west. The
true bearing of the line AB is
(A) S 45c E (B) S 40c E
(C) S 50c E (D) S 50c W
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

YEAR 2006 ONE MARK

Q. 68 In case of governing equation for calculating wheel load stresses using Westergaards
approach, the following statements are made :
1. Load stresses are inversely proportional to wheel load.
2. Modulus of subgrade reaction is useful for load stress calculation.
(A) Both statements are TRUE (B) 1 is TRUE and 2 is FALSE
(C) Both statements are FALSE (D) 1 is FALSE and 2 is TRUE

Q. 69 Name the traffic survey data which is plotted by means of Desire lines.
(A) Accident
(B) Classified volume
(C) Origin and Destination

n
(D) Speed and Delay

Q. 70

. i
If aggregate size of 50-40 is to be tested for finding out the portion of elongated

o
aggregates using length gauge, the slot length of the gauge should be

c
.
(A) 81 mm (B) 45 mm

a
(C) 53 mm (D) 90 mm

d i
o
YEAR 2006 TWO MARKS

.n
Q. 71 Using IRC : 37-1984 Guidelines for the Design of Flexible Pavements and the
following data, choose the total thickness of the pavement.

w
Number of commercial vehicles 2723 Veh/day

w
when construction is completed

w
Annual growth rate of the traffic 5.0%

Design life of the pavement 10 years
Vehicle damage factor 2.4
CBR value of the subgrade soil 5%
Data for 5% CBR value
Number of Standard Axles, msa Total Thickness, mm
20 620
25 640
30 670
40 700
(A) 620 mm (B) 640 mm
(C) 670 mm (D) 700 mm

Q. 72 A vehicle moving at 60 kmph on an ascending gradient of a highway has to come

to stop position to avoid collision with a stationary object. The ratio of lag to
brake distance is 6.5. Considering total reaction time of the driver as 2.5 seconds
and the coefficient of longitudinal friction as 0.36, the value of ascending gradient
(%) is
(A) 3.3 (B) 4.8
(C) 5.3 (D) 6.8
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

Q. 73 At an horizontal curve portion of a 4 lane undivided carriageway, a transition

curve is to be introduced to attain required superelevation. The design speed is 60
kmph and radius of the curve is 245 m. Assume length of wheel base of a longest
vehicle as 6 m, superelevation as 1 in 150. The length of the transition curve (m)
required, if the pavement is rotated about inner edge is
(A) 81.4 (B) 85.0
(C) 91.5 (D) 110.2

Q. 74 For designing a 2-phase fixed type signal at an intersection having North-South

and East-West road where only straight ahead traffic is permitted, the following
data is available.

in
Parameter North South East West

.
Design Hour Flow (PCU/hr) 1000 700 900 550

co
Saturation Flow (PCU/hr) 2500 2500 3000 3000

.
Total time lost per cycle is 12 seconds. The cycle length (seconds) as per Websters

a
approach is
(A) 67
(C) 87
d i
(B) 77
(D) 91

n o
On an urban road, the free mean speed was measured as 70 kmph and the average

.
Q. 75
spacing between the vehicles under jam condition as 7.0 m. The speed-flow-

w
density equation is given by :

w
U = Usf ;1 - k E and q = Uk
kj

w
Where,
U = space-mean speed (kmph); Usf = free mean speed (kmph);

k = jam density (veh/km);
q = flow (veh/hr).
The maximum flow (veh/hr) per lane for this condition is equal to
(A) 2000 (B) 2500
(C) 3000 (D) None of the above

Q. 76 A subgrade soil sample was tested using standard CBR apparatus and the
observations are given below.
Load, kg Penetration, mm
60.5 25
80.5 5.0
Assuming that the load-penetration curve is convex throughout, the CBR value
(%) of the sample is
(A) 6.5 (B) 5.5
(C) 4.4 (D) 3.9

Q. 77 The observed magnetic bearing of a line OE was found to be 185c. It was later
discovered that station O had a local attraction of + 1.5c.
The true bearing of the line OE, considering a magnetic declination of 3.5cE shall
be
(A) 180c (B) 187c
(C) 190c (D) 193c
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

Q. 78 A Bench Marck (BM) with Reduced Level (RL) = 155.305 m has been established
at the floor of a room. It is required to find out the RL of the underside of root
(R) of the room using Spirit Levelling. The Back Sight (BS) to the BM has been
observed as 1.500 m whereas the Fore Sight (FS) to R has been observed as 0.575
m (Shaff held inverted). The RL(m) of R will be
(A) 155.880 (B) 156.230
(C) 157.380 (D) 157.860

Q. 79 Consider the following figure, which is an extract from a contour map (scale
=1:20,000) of an area. An alignment of a road at a ruling gradient of 4% is to be
fixed from the point O and beyond. What should be the radius of the arc with
O as the center to get the point of alignment of the next contour on the map ?

. i n
c o
a .
d i
o
(A) 0.025 cm
.n (B) 0.25 cm
(C) 2.5 cm
w (D) 5.0 cm

Q. 80
w
In the figure given below, the length PQ (WCB : 30c) and QR (WCB : 45c)

w
respectively up to three places of decimal are

(A) 273.205,938.186 (B) 273.205,551.815

(C) 551.815,551.815 (D) 551.815,938.186

Q. 81 During a levelling work along a falling gradient using a Dumpy level and a Staff
of 3 m length, following successive readings were taken :
1.785, 2.935, 0.360, 1.320. What will be the correct order of booking these four
readings in a level book ? (BS : Back Sight, IS : Intermediate Sight, FS : Fore
Sight)
(A) BS, FS, BS, FS (B) BS, IS, FS, FS
(C) BS, IS, IS, FS (D) BS, IS, BS, FS
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

YEAR 2005 ONE MARK

Q. 82 The length of summit curve on a two lane two way highway depends upon
(A) allowable rate of change of centrifugal acceleration
(B) coefficient of lateral friction
(C) required stopping sight distance
(D) required overtaking sight distance

Q. 83 Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY), launched in the year 2000, aims
to provide rural connectivity with all-weather roads. It is proposed to connect the
habitation in plan areas of population more than 500 persons by the year
(A) 2005 (B) 2007

in
(C) 2010 (D) 2012

.
co
Q. 84 List-I contains some properties of bitumen. List-II gives a list of Laboratory

.
Tests conducted on bitumen to determine the properties. Match the property the
corresponding test and select the correct answer using the codes given below the
lists :
i a
d
List-I List-II

o
a. Resistance to flow 1. Ductility test

n
b. Ability to deform under load 2. Penetration test

.
c. Safety 3. Flash and fire point test

w
w
Codes :

w
a b c
(A) 2 1 3

(B) 2 3 1
(C) 1 2 3
(D) 3 1 2
Q. 85 Bituminous concrete is a mix comprising of
(A) fine aggregate, filler and bitumen
(B) fine aggregate and bitumen
(C) coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, filler and bitumen
(D) coarse aggregate, filler and bitumen

YEAR 2005 TWO MARKS

Q. 86 For a 25 cm thick cement concrete pavement, analysis of stresses gives the

following values :
Wheel load stress due to corner loading .....................30 kg/cm2
Wheel load stress due to edge loading ........................32 kg/cm2
Warping stress at corner region during summer............9 kg/cm2
Warping stress at corner region during winter .............7 kg/cm2
Warping stress at edge region during summer...............8 kg/cm2
Warping stress at edge region during summer...............6 kg/cm2
Frictional stress during summer ....................................5 kg/cm2
Frictional stress during winter ......................................4 kg/cm2
The most critical value for this pavement is
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

(A) 40 kg/cm2 (B) 42 kg/cm2

(C) 44 kg/cm2 (D) 45 kg/cm2

Q. 87 The following observations were made of an axle-load survey on a road.

Axle load (kN) Repetitions per day
35-45 800
75-85 400
The standard axle-load is 80 kN. Equivalent daily number of repetitions for the
standard axle-load are
(A) 450 (B) 480
(C) 800 (D) 1200

Q. 88 A standard company operates a scheduled daily truck service between city P and

n
city Q. One way journey time between these tow cities is 85 hours. A minimum

. i
layover time of 5 hours is to be provided at each city. How many trucks are

o
required to provide this service ?

c
(A) 4 (B) 6
(C) 7
.
(D) 8

a
Q. 89

d i
A single lane unidirectional highway has a design speed of 65 kmph. The
perception-brake-reaction time of drivers is 2.5 seconds and the average length of

o
vehicles is 5 m. The coefficient of longitudinal friction of the pavement is 0.4. The

.n
capacity of this road in term of vehicles per hour per lane is
(A) 1440 (B) 750
(C) 710
w (D) 680

Q. 90
w
A road is having a horizontal curve of 400 m radius on which a super-elevation

w
of 0.07 is provided. The coefficient of lateral friction mobilized on the when a

vehicle is travelling at 100 kmph is
(A) 0.07 (B) 0.13
(C) 0.15 (D) 0.4

YEAR 2004 ONE MARK

Q. 91 In the context of flexible pavement design, the ratio of contact pressure tyre
pressure is called the Rigidity Factor. This factor is less than unity when the tyre
pressure is
(A) less than 0.56 N/mm2 (B) equal to 0.56 N/mm2
(C) equal to 0.7 N/mm2 (D) more than 0.7 N/mm2

Q. 92 The star and Grid pattern of road network was adopted in

(A) Nagpur Road Plan (B) Lucknow Road Plan
(C) Bombay Road Plan (D) Delhi Road Plan

Q. 93 The road geometrics in India are designed for the

(A) 98th highest hourly traffic volume
(B) 85th highest hourly traffic volume
(C) 50th highest hourly traffic volume
(D) 30th highest hourly traffic volume
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

YEAR 2004 TWO MARKS

Q. 94 The data given below pertain to the design of a flexible pavement :

Initial traffic = 1213 cvpd
Traffic growth rate = 8% per annum
Design life = 12 years
Vehicle damage factor = 2.5
Distribution factor = 1.0
The design traffic in terms of million standard axles (msa) to be catered would be
(A) 0.06 msa (B) 8.40 msa
(C) 21.00 msa (D) 32.26 msa

Q. 95

. in
For a road with camber of 3% and the design speed of 80 km/hr, the minimum

co
radius of the curve beyond which NO superelevation is needed is
(A) 1680 m (B) 948 m
(C) 406 m (D) 280 m

a .
Q. 96

d i
The co-efficient of friction in the longitudinal direction of a highway is estimated
as 0.396. The braking distance for a car moving at a speed of 65 km/hr is
(A) 87 m

n o (B) 45 m

.
(C) 42 m (D) 40 m

Q. 97

w
Three new roads P, Q and R are planned in a district. The data for these roads

w
are given in the table below.

w
Road Length (km) Number of villages with population
less than 2000 2000-5000 more than 5000

Q
P
20
28
8
19
6
8
1
4
R 12 7 5 2
Based on the principle of maximum utility, the order of priority for these three
roads should be
(A) P, Q, R
(B) Q, R, P
(C) R, P,Q
(D) R, Q, P

Q. 98 A Marshall specimen is prepared for bituminous concrete with a bitumen content

of 5 per cent by weight of total mix. The theoretical and the measured unity
weights of the mix are 2.442 g/cm3 and 2.345 g/cm3 , respectively. The bitumen
has a specific gravity of 1.02. The per cent voids in mineral aggregate filled with
bitumen (VFB) are
(A) 34.55
(B) 35.9
(C) 73.55
(D) 74.3
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

YEAR 2003 ONE MARK

Q. 99 Temperature stresses in concrete pavements may cause the slab to crack. If a slab
cools uniformly then the crack will develop at the which of the following locations
of the slab ?
(A) At centre (B) Near edges
(C) At corners (D) Near edges and at corners

Q. 100 The speed and delay studies on a defined section of highway are conducted by
(A) radar gun (B) traffic counters
(C) moving car method (D) enoscope

YEAR 2003 TWO MARKS

i n
Q. 101 The design sped for a National Highway is 100 kmph. If the maximum permissible

.
superelevation is 0.10 and the coefficient of lateral friction is 0.15, the ruling

o
minimum radius of horizontal curve on the highway should be

c
(A) 260 m (B) 315 m
(C) 380 m

a .
(D) 410 m

Q. 102

d i
A traffic in a particular direction of a two lane roads is moving with a constant

o
speed of 50 kmph, with an average headway of 2.52 seconds . The longitudinal

.n
distance between the two consecutive vehicles is
(A) 30 m (B) 35 m

w
(C) 38 m (D) 42 m

w
Q. 103 In the Marshall method of mix design, the coarse aggregates, fine aggregates, filler

w
and bitumen, having respective specific gravities of 2.62, 2.72, 2.70 and 1.02 are
mixed in the ratio of 55, 34.6, 4.8 and 5.6 per cent, respectively. The theoretical

specific gravity of the mix would be
(A) 2.36 (B) 2.40
(C) 2.44 (D) 2.50

Q. 104 The plate load test conducted with a 75 cm diameter plat on soil subgrade yielded
a deflection of 2.5 mm under a stress of 800 N/cm2 . The modulus of elasticity of
the subgrade soil, in kN/cm2 is
(A) 141.6 (B) 154.6
(C) 160.0 (D) 185.4

Q. 105 List-I below gives a list of physical properties of aggregates which should be
determined to judge their suitability in road construction. List-II gives a list of
laboratory tests which are conducted to determine these properties. Match List-I
with List-II and select the correct answer from the codes given below the lists :
List-I List-II
a. Hardness 1. Water adsorption
b. Porosity 2. Impact test
c. Toughness 3. Soundness test
d. Durability 4. Abrasion test
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

Codes :
a b c d
(A) 1 2 3 4
(B) 4 1 2 3
(C) 3 4 1 2
(D) 2 3 4 1

YEAR 2002 ONE MARK

Q. 106 Stopping sight distance and frictional coefficients are

(A) directly proportional to each other

in
(B) inversely proportional to each other

.
(C) unrelated

co
(D) either directly or inversely proportional to each other depending on the

.
nature of pavement

Bitumen is derived from

i a
Q. 107

d
(A) destructive distillation of coal tar

o
(B) destructive distillation of petroleum

n
(C) fractional distillation of petroleum
(D) naturally occurring ores
.
w
Q. 108
w
Dowel bars in concrete pavement are placed

w
(A) along the direction of traffic
(B) Perpendicular to the direction of traffic

(C) along 45 to the direction of traffic
(D) can be placed along any direction

YEAR 2002 TWO MARKS

Q. 109 A car is moving at a speed of 72 km/hr on a road having 2% upward gradient.

The driver applies brakes when he sees an obstruction. If his reaction time is 1.5
seconds, assuming that the coefficient of friction between the pavement and tyre
as 0.15, calculate the distance traversed before the car finally stops
(A) 24 m
(B) 150 m
(C) 1050 m
(D) 324 m

Q. 110 The average daily traffic on a stretch of road is 300 commercial vehicles per lane
per day. Design traffic repetition for 10 years when vehicle damage factor is 2.5
and traffic growth rate is 7%, is
(A) 3.8 msa
(B) 23.5 msa
(C) 45.4 msa
(D) 16 msa
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

Q. 111 In a concrete pavement

I. temperature stress is tensile at bottom during day time
II. Load stress is compressive at bottom
(A) Both the statement I and II are correct
(B) Statement I is correct and II is wrong
(C) Statement II is wrong and I is correct
(D) Both statement I and II are incorrect

YEAR 2001 ONE MARK

Q. 112 The design value of lateral friction coefficient of highway is

(A) 1.5 (B) 0.50

n
(C) 0.35 (D) 0.15

. i
o
Q. 113 Camber on highway pavement is provided to take care of

c
(A) Centrifugal force (B) Drainage

.
(C) Sight Distance (D) Off-tracking

Q. 114

i a
The minimum value of CBR (%) required for granular subbase as per Ministry of

(A) 5
o d
Surface Transport (MOST) specification is
(B) 10

.n
(C) 15 (D) 20

w
w
YEAR 2001 TWO MARKS

w
Q. 115 A valley curve has a descending gradient of 1 in 40 followed by a ascending
gradient of 1 in 50. The length of the valley curve required for a design speed of

80 km/hour for comfort condition is
(A) 199 m (B) 116 m
(C) 58 m (D) 37 m

Q. 116 The radius of relative stiffness for a 20 cm thick slab with E = 3 # 105 kg/cm2
and Poissons ratio = 0.15, resting on a subgrade having modulus of 5 kg/cm3 is
(A) 10 cm (B) 80 cm
(C) 120 cm (D) 320 cm

**********
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING

ANSWER KEY
HIGHWAY ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
(B) (*) (C) 308.9641 m 106.066 m (A) (D) (B) (A) (B)
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
(B) (C) (B) (D) (D) (C) (A) (A) (B) (A)
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
(B) (B) (A) (D) (A) (C) (D) (D) (D) (D)
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

in
(C) (A) (B) (D) (C) (B) (A) (C) (B) (A)
41 42 43 44 45 46 47
.
48 49 50

co
(C) (A) (B) (A) (A) (D) (A) (B) (A) (C)

.
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
(D) (C) (C) (D) (C) (D)
ia (C) (A) (C) (B)

d
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
(B) (D) (B) (C) (C)

n o (B) (B) (D) (C) (A)

.
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

w
(C) (B) (D) (B) (B) (C) (B) (C) (C) (A)

w
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90
(A) (D) (B) (A) (C) (B) (A) (D) (C) (B)
91 92 93 94
w 95 96 97 98 99 100

(D) (A) (D) (C) (D) (C) (D) (C) (A) (C)
101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110
(B) (B) (C) (A) (B) (B) (B) (A) (B) (A)
111 112 113 114 115 116
(B) (D) (B) (D) (C) (B)