SINCE 1828
roadbed
noun
road·bed
| \ ˈrōd-ˌbed
\
\
Definition of roadbed
1a
: the bed on which the ties, rails, and ballast of a railroad rest
b
: the ballast or the upper surface of the ballast on which the ties rest
2a
: the earth foundation of a road prepared for surfacing
b
: the part of the surface of a road traveled by vehicles
Examples of roadbed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One sprayed a sticky black goo on the naked roadbed. — John Kelly, Washington Post, "From potholes to perfect pavement: My neighborhood has lovely new streets," 24 June 2018 Nowhere have the challenges been steeper than Big Thompson Canyon, where floodwaters scoured away not only pavements and guardrails but roadbeds and subsurface geology, effectively leaving sections of highway unsound and unsafe. — Daniel Cusick, Scientific American, "Colorado Charts a New Path Away from Floodwaters," 25 May 2018 Among the upgrades, the state added board insulation for more than 50 miles beneath the roadbed, similar to the solid panels used to insulate houses, said Michael Lund, construction manager for the Dalton work. — Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, "Pricey projects loom for Alaska as erosion threatens runways, roads and more," 9 Mar. 2018 The state beefed up construction plans already underway so the highway could survive future flooding and to fight the thawing of permafrost beneath the roadbed. — Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, "Pricey projects loom for Alaska as erosion threatens runways, roads and more," 9 Mar. 2018 Officials fear the ill-famed nutria — which resembles a large rat but prefers wetter, rural environments — could bring havoc to farmland, canals, roadbeds and natural wetlands. — Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, "Nutria crackdown: California looks to eradicate ruinous rodent before it tears up state," 9 Feb. 2018 This could result in the juveniles being too tired to think up mischief roadbed for road construction and the desire to never get stuck in juvenile court again. — Linda Gandee/special To Cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Westlake teachers and Board of Education come to agreement on new contract," 5 Feb. 2018 The truck crashed at mile marker 12 shortly around 3:45 a.m., leaving about a quarter of a mile of guard railing is missing and debris on the roadbed. — Kim Chatelain, NOLA.com, "Causeway reopened in both directions," 24 Jan. 2018 The roadbed beneath much of the track needs to be chipped out and replaced with fresh concrete and new drains. — Jonathan Mahler, New York Times, "The Case for the Subway," 3 Jan. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'roadbed.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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