Right of way (ROW) of Road

Land width is the width of land acquired for the road, along its alignment. It should be adequate to accommodate all the cross-sectional elements of the highway and may reasonably provide for future development. To prevent ribbon development along highways, control lines and building lines may be provided. A Control line is a line that represents the nearest limits of future uncontrolled building activity about a road. A building line represents a line on either side of the road; between which and the road, no building activity is permitted at all. The right of way width is governed by:

1) Width of formation: It depends on the category of highway and width of roadway and road margins.

2) Height of embankment or depth of cutting: It is governed by the topography and the vertical alignment.

3) Side slops of embankment or cutting: It depends on the height of the slope, soil type, etc.

4) Drainage system and their size which depends on rainfall, topography, etc.

5) sight distance considerations: On curves etc., there is a restriction to the visibility on the inner side of the curve due to the presence of some obstructions like building structures etc.

6) Reserve land for future widening: Some land to be acquired in advance anticipating future developments like the widening of the road.