Highway engineering (also known as highway engineering and street engineering) is a professional engineering discipline that branches from the civil engineering subdiscipline of transportation engineering, which involves the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of roads, highways, streets, bridges, and tunnels. To ensure the safe and effective transportation of people and goods.[1][2][3] Highway engineering came to prominence towards the second half of the 20th century, after World War II. The standards of highway engineering are constantly being improved. Highway engineers must consider future traffic flows, design of highway interchange(s), geometric alignment and design, highway pavement materials and design, structural design of pavement thickness, and pavement maintenance.

Before a drop of concrete is poured, you need to build a foundation. Without it, the road will lack durability, especially as the surface material begins to show signs of wear. Excavating and grading involve preparing the land by moving soil to flatten, build up and slope the road location.

Excavating is important for removing large materials and obstacles from the site like boulders, trees, stumps and other types of debris. Excavators are also used to dig holes, pile dirt around the site and slope the land to meet the needs of the road. Last but not least, excavators dig trenches for irrigation, creating a pathway to direct water away from the road surface.