Road Cost Estimate — Single & Dual Carriageway
Set the cross-section widths, pavement layer thicknesses, fill height and slope — the sketch above the inputs redraws live — then price pavement, earthwork, guardrail, marking, signage, drainage and ancillary items against your own unit rates.
About this road cost estimator
This tool builds a construction cost estimate for a single or dual carriageway road from its cross-section. It is aimed at highway engineers, quantity surveyors, estimators and planners preparing feasibility budgets, tender estimates or option comparisons. You describe the road once — widths, pavement layers, fill height and side slope — and the tool derives the pavement, subgrade and earthwork quantities from that geometry, then prices them alongside the drainage, signage and ancillary items you expect on the same scheme.
Two models
The Single Carriageway and Dual Carriageway tabs are independent, each with its own geometry, cost table and totals. The dual model adds a median and its earthwork and carries two sets of carriageway and shoulder widths, so its formation width and pavement quantities are larger for the same running length.
What it prices
- Pavement courses — bitumen wearing and base, aggregate base and sub-base
- Subgrade preparation and embankment fill, including verge and side slopes
- Guardrail and terminals, concrete barriers and impact attenuators
- Pavement marking, reflective and LED road studs
- Road signs, rectangular highway signs and overhead gantry signs
- Storm water pipes, pipe culverts, kerb inlets and gratings
- Street lighting, kerbs, pavers, riprap, MSE walls, bollards and ROW markers
How the total is built
Each item quantity is multiplied by its unit rate to give an item cost. Those are summed into a subtotal, and a preliminaries percentage is applied on top to give the grand total. Set the running length to one kilometre if you want to read the figure as a cost per kilometre. Rates, currency and the preliminaries percentage are all editable, and quantities that the geometry does not drive can be typed over directly, so you can add or strip scope to match your project.
Reading the drawings
The cross-section sketch redraws as you edit, with widths dimensioned along the top and pavement, subgrade and embankment depths on the left. The pavement structure diagram below it shows each course to scale. Both diagrams are included when you print the estimate.
Scope and limitations
This is a preliminary estimating aid, not a substitute for a measured bill of quantities. Structures such as bridges, interchanges and large culverts are not modelled from geometry — add them as lump sum or manually quantified items. Always check the output against your governing specification and current schedule of rates before relying on it.
Frequently asked questions
What does the road cost estimator do?
It estimates the construction cost of a single or dual carriageway road. You set the cross-section widths, pavement layer thicknesses, fill height and side slope, and the tool works out pavement and earthwork quantities from that geometry, then prices them along with drainage, signage, marking and other ancillary items against your own unit rates.
How is road construction cost per kilometre calculated?
Pavement and earthwork quantities are derived from the cross-section geometry multiplied by the running length you enter. Each quantity is priced at its unit rate, the item costs are summed into a subtotal, and a preliminaries percentage is added to give the grand total. Set the length to one kilometre to read the cost per kilometre directly.
What is the difference between the single and dual carriageway models?
They are separate tabs with their own geometry inputs and their own cost tables. The dual carriageway model adds a median and its associated earthwork, and carries two sets of carriageway and shoulder widths, so the formation width and pavement quantities are larger for the same running length.
Which cost items are included in the estimate?
Bitumen wearing and base courses, aggregate base, sub-base, subgrade preparation, embankment fill and median earthwork, guardrail and terminals, pavement marking and road studs, road and gantry signage, street lighting, storm water pipes and pipe culverts, inlets and gratings, kerbs, concrete barriers, MSE walls, pavers, riprap, impact attenuators, bollards and right-of-way markers.
Can I change the unit rates and currency?
Yes. Every rate in the cost table is an editable field and the currency label defaults to OMR but accepts any code you type. Quantities for items the geometry does not drive can also be overwritten, so you can add or remove scope. Reset to defaults restores the original values.
Can I export the road cost estimate?
Yes. You can copy the full estimate as CSV for Excel, or use the print button to produce a printable sheet, including the cross-section and pavement structure diagrams, that can be saved as a PDF.
Related engineering design tools
Designing and costing the rest of the same road scheme: