Autoways Highway System

Map of the Autoways Highway System in Gabrielland

The Savan Tarun Confederate System of Nationally-Funded High Speed Thoroughfares, more commonly known as thhe Autoways Highway System or simply just Autoways, is a national network of controlled-access highways which forms the national road framework of Gabrielland. Within the national road framework of Gabrielland, most autoways are labelled as A. The autoways network extends to every Gabrielt region except for the Aztami region.

Gabrielland did not have a system of codified highways and national roads before 1970. The first iteration of the national highway system was codified in 1971 with the passage of the National Roads and Highways Bill of 1971. The bill established a national route-numbering system on already existing routes, as well as plans to upgrade existing roads into proper highways. The project was postponed momentarily in 1974 due to a series of economic shocks and downturns, and was completely scrapped on the onset of the Gabrielt civil war in 1976. The civil war would end in 1980 with most of the existing road network severly damaged or in disrepair. PM Savan Tarun proposed a unified highway system for the entire nation in order to improve connectivity and to prevent another civil war from happening. Unlike the National Roads and Highways Bill of 1971, PM Savan Tarun proposed the construction of all brand-new highways, and not just mere upgrades from existing roads to conform to national and international standards. A system of national highways was presentd to parliament in 1986, and was approved in 1987. The original 1987 plan included 14,500 km of highways. Construction of the original 1987 plan took place until 2014, eventually costing around 200 billion ACU over the span of nearly 30 years. New autoway routes not part of the original 1987 document are still in various stages of implementation, with some currently in construction.

Autoways are nationally funded, though maintenance and operations fall under the region's responsibilities. All autoways need to conform to specific national standards, such as a minimum of two lanes in each direction, minimum lane and shoulder widths, ashpalt quality, as well as perimeter security. As part of the standard, all autoways are assigned a 1 or 2 digit number. The 1 digit autoways are known as the "main routes", and the 2 digit autoways are known as the "accompanying routes". 3 digit autoways which are more minor and serve a more localized purpose have been approved and are in various stages of construction. The number of a route dictates where the location of that route in the national system. As part of an effort to boost economic activity and connectivity between the Gabrielt regions, toll fees are not collected in most autoway routes. Some sections of the autoway system now collect toll fees for a variety of reasons, including to support maintenance operations or to lessen the volume of vehicles entering.

The economic impact of the autoway has been observed in some regions, especilaly in western and central Gabrielland. The agriculutral communities of central Gabrielland could purchase supporting goods at a much cheaper rate while at the same time selling those goods to much farther markets and consumers. Real GDP per capita had doubled between the completion of the first autoway in central Gabrielland in 1995 and 2015. Culturally, the autoway has become the epitome of the "Gabrielt renaissance", transforming itself from a war-torn state as late as the 1980s to a world-class economy in the span of less than 40 years. Some provinces and cities now associate themselves with the autoway number which pass through their communities. For example, the city of Harotom has associated itself with the number 65 as autoway 65 passes through Harotom. Some route numbers have also gained some sentiments for a multitude of reasons. A-5 which runs from Vailhims to North Arsya passes through the Grafenland region, and is known by many to be "the road to heaven" for its beautiful sceneries along the way.

As of 2020, there were 20,590 km of autoways present in Gabrielland.

Standards

All autoways in Gabrielland adhere to the 2008 manual for autoway standardadization and safety, which in turn is compatible with international road safety standards and regulations. The manual allows for both concrete and asphalt surfaces, though most of the autoways in Gabrielland have concrete surfaces due to their durability and relatively cheaper maintenance costs. Curbs aren't used in either side of the highway.

Autoways have controlled entry and exits via interchanges and grade separation. The need for traffic lights is rendered obsolete as no two paths will cross at any time. However, some autoways in urban settings have controlled-entry traffic lights which ease traffic. Interchanges which provide entry and exit for vehicles must not be within 4 km of each other in rural areas and 2 km in urban areas, including the interchanges necessary when two autoways meet. If an autoway is tolled, the toll booth must be present when entering the tolled section, thus making all tolled autoways single-priced regardless of desired travel distance.

All autoways have a minimum of two lanes going in each direction, which doesn't include the shoulders. Some more heavily traveled autoways have up to five lanes going in each direction. Lanes need to be a minimum of 3.5 m in width outside of the lane separator markings. A white dashed line is used to separate lanes of traffic, while a white continuous line is used to mark the beginning of the right and left shoulders. The left shoulder needs to be a minimum of 3 m, while the right shoulder 2 m. In rural areas, the median could either be vegetation or the original surface with a width of 5 m, concrete lane separators, or steel railings, while in urban areas, the vegetative median is not used due to a lack of space. Due to the wide lane minimums, autoways are designed to facilitate minimum speeds of 100 km/h.

Speed limits

The speed limit in autoways fall under the jurisdiction of provincial and regional governments. Some regions (groups of provinces) have agreed on a set highest posted speed limit on their autoways, while other regions let individual provinces determine speed limits. Although so, autoways are required to accomodate speeds of up to 100 km/h (62 mph), and hence that speed serves as the lowest highest-posted speed limit found in the country. For example, in the West Gabrielland region, all provinces set their highest-posted speed limits on autoways to 110 km/h (68 mph), while the Grafenland region sets it to 100 km/h due to the extremely mountainous and winding nature of the highways there. Some provinces and regions, especially in the New Frontier, do not have speed limits. Some enforce a "prudent and reasonable" speed limit, which many argue means the absence of a speed limit.

Some stretches of highways may have lower speed limits due to natural or technical factors, such as descent, slope, or bends. In cities and urban areas, the maximum speed limit is a uniform 80 km/h (50 mph). In some very hazardous and accident-prone areas, the speed limit may be as low as normal stretches of roads. For example, in the Javanak interchange in Vailhims, the speed limit is 45 km/h as vehicles entering would be in the blindspot to vehicles already in the autoway. In the Ärenham section of the A-5 in Grafenland, the speed limit is 55 km/h. The extremely winding and steep ascent or descent of the highway has resulted in numerous fatal accidents. A notable section of the Vailhims ring road was obstructed due to local resistance. Its speed limit had to be lowered to 50 km/h in order to appease the local community.

A number of provinces employ some form of a minimum speed limit. In provinces which employ such practices, vehicles found under the minimum speed limit would be fined for causing a delay in traffic. Provinces with heavy traffic usually enforce such rules, such as the Sangur Province, the Tenjri Province, and the Marggi Province. The minimum speed limit varies by province, and even by section of the same highway. In a section of the A-26 autoway outside of sangur, a minimum of 70 km/h is enforced, while in many other areas, a minimum of 60 km/h is employed. Less dense regions and provinces rarely employ a minimum speed limit.

Trucks and other goods-carrying vehicles are sometimes subject to a different set of speed limits. Most provinces which employ different speed limits for such vehicles usually see high numbers of truck-related accidents, and have decided to lower the speed limit for such vehicles uniformly. Known as the "heavy vehicle speed limit" in Gabrielland, the number is usually set at 20 km/h or 30 km/h below the normal speed limit. For instance, in the Aldzinia province, the heavy vehicle speed limit is set at 80 km/h, while having a "prudent yet reasonable" speed limit for smaller vehicles. In a section of the A-64 highway in Central Gabrielland favorited by trucks, the speed limit is 75 km/h. Other areas might not impose a minimum speed limit for heavy vehicles, but restrict the times in which they can operate. In the Vailhims ringroad and the Sangur bypass, trucks are banned from traversing the said highways between 06.00 - 22.00. Heavy vehicles would render the dense day traffic much worse if permitted to operate simultaneously.