Detailed 2D design plan of a highway overpass and intersection created in OpenRoads Designer

OpenRoads Designer

Starting at

$7,226.00 USD

Road design software  

Purchase OpenRoads Designer Free trial

BENEFITS

3D Road Design and Modeling

OpenRoads Designer helps teams design, model, and document road projects with 3D workflows and BIM deliverables.
3D model of a highway overpass and intersection, visualizing the road design from OpenRoads Designer

  • Advanced road design and modeling

    Model everything from pavement to terrain with advanced, template-based tools. Full BIM and point cloud integration ensures total design accuracy.

  • Integration of 2D and 3D workflows

    Build one intelligent model with synced 2D sheets and 3D geometry. OpenRoads automatically generates and updates plans, profiles, and cross-sections from your design model. 

  • Scalable data federation

    OpenRoads handles large geospatial datasets, point clouds, and terrain models that crash less advanced CAD software.

PRICING OPTIONS

Exclusive pricing options

OpenRoads Designer

A comprehensive application for detailed design of road networks, including survey and drainage.

Starting at

$7,226.00 USD

12-month Virtuoso subscription

Includes 1 license and 2 Keys for training or services

  • Model-based design tools deliver accurate road and highway designs that reflect real-world conditions.
  • Built-in drainage, geotechnical, and utility tools support full BIM workflows in a single environment.
  • AI-powered label organization keeps construction plans clear, reducing errors and costly rework.
  • Direct integration with the iTwin Platform publishes designs as data-rich iModels for collaborative review.
  • ProjectWise connectivity enables secure file sharing and version control across project teams.

More details

Platform  

  • All MicroStation® functionality   
  • Production drafting   
  • Create parametric solids, surfaces, meshes, and feature models  
  • Item types for custom attribution 
  • Reporting and tables   
  • Easily integrate hundreds of geographic coordinate systems
  • Printing and plotting
  • Integrate CAD data in many formats: DGN, DWG, DXF, PDF/U3D, IFC, Rhino 3DM, STL, VRML World, and SketchUp SKP  
  • Integrated Bentley LumenRT visualization capabilities
  • ProjectWise® integration 

Terrain modeling 

  • Import from 20+ common formats (graphics, point clouds, ascii, InRoads®, GEOPAK, MX, LiDAR, DEM, and LandXML)  
  • Import from Esri, USGS, and SRTM services
  • Create complex and delta terrain models 
  • Edit terrain models   
  • Transform terrain models  
  • Label contours and spot points 
  • Display contours, triangles, spots, and flow arrows 

Geotechnical  

  • Integrate OpenGround®   
  • Query gINT® project files   
  • Display borehole locations, profiles, and cross sections  
  • Annotate boreholes 

Geometry 

  • Horizontal geometry (arc or chord) 
  • Horizontal geometry spirals: Clothoid, Bi-quadratic Parabola, Bloss, Sinusoid, Cosine, various Cubic Parabola, and more
  • Vertical geometry (parabolic or circular)
  • Horizontal and vertical best fit and regression  
  • Customizable geometry reports 

Survey  

  • Read/write standard raw survey formats  
  • Reduce survey data  
  • Feature coding for custom survey
  • Feature connectivity, display, and annotation 
  • Adjustments: least squares, compass, Crandall, and transit  
  • Produce dynamic graphical and tabular editing of survey field book data 
  • Conduct terrain modeling  
  • Export common data formats 

Reality modeling  

  • Use raster images   
  • Attach point clouds  
  • Attach reality meshes  
  • Classify point cloud classification  
  • Use reality mesh edit, drape, and extract tools 
  • Develop scalable terrain models 

Drainage and utilities  

  • 3D modelling of utilities, storm, and sanitary drainage steady-state (e.g. rational method) hydraulic design and analysis   
  • Culvert design and hydraulic analysis   
  • Unsteady-state hydraulic analysis   
  • Pond design and analysis  
  • Hydraulic analysis of low-impact developments 

Modeling 

  • Corridor modeling  
  • Superelevation/Cant  
  • Sweep envelope
  • Site grading optimization  
  • Dynamic cross sections   
  • Earthworks – triangulated and end area volumes.
  • Customizable earthwork reports 

Deliverables  

  • Plan and profile sheet generation  
  • Cross section sheet generation  
  • Sheet and object annotation   
  • Reporting   
  • Synchronization with Bentley Infrastructure Cloud™  
  • Export to common formats: DWG, DXF, LandXML, and IFC 

Processor:  

  • Intel® or AMD® processor 2.5 GHz or greater 

Operating System:

  • Windows 11 (64-bit)/ Windows 11 (21H2) - Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education
  • Windows 10 (64-bit)/ Windows 10 (21H2) - Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education
  • Windows Server 2019
  • Windows Server 2022*
  • Bentley does not support its software running on Microsoft operating systems versions that Microsoft has "retired". For more information see Microsoft's application retirement policy and the Bentley Application Support Lifecycle, click here.

*LumenRT is not certified on Windows Server 2022. 

Memory:  

Minimum 25 GB free disk space (Minimum 42 GB disk space if additional companion applications/products included) 

Video: 

See the graphics card manufacturer for latest information on DirectX drivers. 1024 MB of video RAM or higher is recommended. If insufficient video RAM or no graphics card supported by DirectX can be found, OpenRoads Designer attempts to use software emulation. For optimal performance, graphics display color depth should be set to 24-bit or higher. When using a color depth setting of 16-bit, some inconsistencies will be noted. 

Screen Resolution:  

1920 x 1080 or higher 

MSAccess 64-bit engine:  

To connect to an Access database, you must download and install the Microsoft Access Database Engine 2016 Redistributable. Use the following link to download and install the MS Access Database Engine 2016 Redistributable. This is required for access to gINT projects and for the ability to import InRoads drainage files. 

 

Explore your subscription options and understand how access works before, during, and after purchase.

Learn more »

USER STORIES

Real stories. Real results.

CDOT alleviates severe bottlenecks along interstate

Using OpenRoads Designer, CDOT saved over $7M and 50,000 work hours on the I-70 Floyd Hill project through project digitalization.

An aerial rendering of the Floyd Hill highway interchange, showing its complex network of roads and bridges winding through a green, mountainous region.

Bridge survey program saves Kentucky USD 300 million

Qk4 used Bentley's OpenRoads Designer Survey to create intelligent 3D models, combining traditional survey data with drone imagery and 3D laser scanning.

A 3D design model of a bridge and railway tracks overlaid on a point cloud survey of the surrounding natural environment, shown within OpenRoads Designer.

Larsen & Toubro helps develop Dholera as India’s first smart greenfield city

Larsen & Toubro improved productivity by 25%, using OpenRoads' subsurface utility design analysis workflow. Automating previous manual modeling processes, they reduced work hours from 4,000 to 3,000.

A detailed 3D model of a complex road intersection, highlighting its structural and engineering components from an overhead perspective.

Beca uses 3D design and a collaborative environment on Takitimu North Link south of Auckland, N.Z.

Streamlined digital workflows allowed teams to consider more options, which reduced tender costs and improved design efficiencies by 20%.

A 3D design visualization showing multiple parallel highway bridges crossing over a valley.

FAQS

Find answers

OpenRoads Designer is the complete, all-in-one software that equips engineers and designers in DOTs and engineering firms to deliver accurate, model-based road and highway designs. The software streamlines project workflows by simplifying updates from field survey data and enhancing collaboration with stakeholders. Its new AI-powered label organization helps eliminate errors and costly rework by ensuring clear, uncluttered plans from the start.

With tools for parametric modeling, drainage, geotechnical analysis, and utility relocation, OpenRoads Designer fully supports BIM workflows and prepares designs for the digital twin lifecycle. It integrates directly with the iTwin Platform, letting you publish designs as data-rich iModels and visualize them in iTwin Experience for collaborative review. The result is smart, connected designs that serve as the foundation for a project's entire lifecycle of operation and maintenance. Its open ecosystem also supports interoperability across CAD and GIS platforms, boosting efficiency from start to finish. 

OpenRoads Designer is built to handle the large, complex datasets common in road and highway projects. It uses a managed workspace structure that organizes project data efficiently, keeping file sizes manageable without sacrificing detail. Reference attachments allow teams to work with large survey, terrain, and design files without loading everything into a single file, reducing lag and improving performance. Cloud-connected workflows through ProjectWise further support large file management by enabling teams to access, share, and sync project data securely from a central location.

OpenRoads Designer is purpose-built for the demands of DOT and municipal road projects. It supports agency-specific standards and workflows out of the box, making it easier for teams to meet local and federal compliance requirements without extensive customization. From rural highway expansions to urban intersection redesigns, the software scales to projects of any size and complexity. Built-in tools for corridor modeling, drainage design, and plan production help DOTs and municipalities move from preliminary engineering to final deliverables efficiently and accurately.

OpenRoads Designer integrates seamlessly across the Bentley product ecosystem, creating a connected workflow from design through construction and operations. It works directly with OpenBridge Modeler for bridge design, OpenUtilities for utility coordination, and SYNCHRO for construction scheduling. Project data can be published to the iTwin Platform as data-rich iModels, enabling collaborative review in iTwin Experience. Integration with ProjectWise ensures teams can manage, share, and version-control project files securely throughout the project lifecycle, reducing data silos and keeping all disciplines aligned.

RESOURCES

Your hub for all things OpenRoads