Which description best defines a route survey in land surveying?

• A. Reconnaissance, preliminary survey and location survey for an alignment or linear feature such as a road, railroad, canal, pipeline or utility line
• B. Boundary determination and land ownership mapping
• C. Aerial photography interpretation and mapping
• D. Construction staking along a designed alignment

Answer: (B)

A route survey focuses on establishing the path of a proposed linear project by carrying out three stages: reconnaissance to explore the area and identify constraints, a preliminary survey to develop and compare potential alignments, and a location survey to lay out the chosen alignment on the ground with control points and tie-ins to existing features. This process is used to determine the best route for features like roads, railways, canals, pipelines, or utility lines before detailed design begins. The other descriptions describe different surveying activities: boundary determination deals with property lines and ownership, aerial photography interpretation involves mapping from images, and construction staking places the final alignment on the ground for construction after the route has been designed.