With the foundation of Kharkiv Automobile and Highway Institute in 1930 the Faculty of Road Construction was represented by the Department of Automobile Roads, which dealt with design, construction and maintenance of highways, as well as technologies of road building materials. In 1936 the Department of Automobile Road Research and Design was established. In 2017, the Department was renamed into the Department of Road Design, Geodesy and Land-utilization.

Over the period of the Department existence the following basic directions of its research work have been formed: design and calculation of road pavement; non-destructive diagnostics of automobile roads; methods of automated design of roads and transport structures; modern methods of geodesic measurements.

Along with the teaching staff, postgraduates and students are also involved in the research work. Students trained at the department have regularly become winners of international scientific Olympiads, conferences and competitions. The Department maintains close scientific relations with the leading educational institutions of Ukraine and foreign countries, and cooperates fruitfully with the leading scientific institutions of the NAS of Ukraine.