Proper design of the roadway prism can significantly reduce the amount of sediment and debris that enters adjacent streams. Often the basic cause of a particular mass failure can be traced to overroading or overdesign. Overroading or misplacement of roads results from a poor land management or transportation plan; overdesign results from rigidly following design criteria with respect to curvature, width, gradient, and oversteepened cuts and fills or from designing roads to higher standards than are required for their intended use. As stated previously, allowing terrain characteristics to govern road design permits more flexibility and will be especially beneficial, both environmentally and economically, where it is possible to reduce cut and fill slope heights, slope angles, and roadway widths.