At grade
‘Grade’ is a term used to describe the level of the earth at a specific location or at ground level. In construction, the terms ‘above grade’ and ‘below grade’ can be used respectively to describe the portion of a building that is above or below the ground. In tunnelling, the invert of a tunnel may be described as being 25m below grade or ground level.
High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Environmental Statement, Glossary, abbreviations and references, published by the Department for Transport in 2022, defines at grade as: ‘At the same height (e.g., when a railway line is at the same height as the existing ground level).’
In the US, an ‘at grade’ intersection will have roads or rail tracks – or a combination of both –arranged on the same level. Where a road and rail track intersect at grade, a level crossing will normally be in place. A river may also be said to be at grade (or level) with the land (as opposed to being in a deep valley).
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