Safety Inspection and Management Tools for Low-Volume Road Network

2015 ◽  
Vol 2472 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Cafiso ◽  
Alessandro Di Graziano ◽  
Giuseppina Pappalardo
Author(s):  
Kathryn A. Zimmerman ◽  
David G. Peshkin

As the challenges associated with managing a low-volume road network increase, agencies have realized the benefits associated with the use of pavement management tools for the road network. One of the benefits of the use of these tools is the ability to illustrate quickly and effectively the impacts of various pavement preservation strategies (such as worst-first repair) on overall network conditions. As a result, agencies are in a better position to communicate the needs of the road network to individuals responsible for the allocation of funds. In some cases, agencies have successfully lobbied for additional funds to support their road management efforts. The benefit of pavement management tools in supporting the preservation of the low-volume road network is illustrated by their use in evaluating the long-term impact of various funding strategies, the cost-effectiveness of pavement preventive maintenance programs, and various cost analyses that can be used to enhance road system management. Information from a variety of transportation agencies is used for this illustration. For instance, a summary is presented of the use of pavement management information to compare a worst-first repair strategy with a strategy that includes pavement preservation techniques. Examples are provided of the types of presentations that can be given to top management to illustrate these effects. In addition, the cost-effectiveness of pavement preservation programs is illustrated by showing the reduction in life-cycle costs and the overall benefits provided to the agency through the implementation of preventive maintenance programs.


2003 ◽  
Vol 1819 (1) ◽  
pp. 314-322
Author(s):  
Bruce S. Morton ◽  
Alex T. Visser ◽  
Emile Horak

Low-volume and unpaved roads constitute the majority of the road network throughout the developing and developed world. Upgrading these unpaved roads to conform to standards of low-volume flexible asphalt pavements is a costly exercise. In most instances, this involves constructing an entirely new pavement base. Recent technological advances in the field of deep in situ recycling have provided pavement engineers with an alternative to standard rehabilitation and reconstruction methods of flexible pavements. One such technique of stabilization is foamed tar treatment of inferior natural pavement materials through the application of deep in situ recycling to produce a stabilized base for lowvolume flexible pavements. Foamed tar technology and the concept of deep in situ recycling, and its advantages over current reconstruction methods, were reviewed. Health aspects relating to implementation of the stabilization process were addressed with respect to the use of gasifier tar in a controlled recycling environment. The engineering properties of foamed tar mixes were compared with existing stabilization techniques. A test section was constructed with particular attention to the flexibility of foamed tar for placement time, workability, and durability to environmental conditions. Performance testing results were analyzed. In conclusion, the benefits of foamed tar stabilization for developing an improved road network in a cost-effective manner were evaluated.


2003 ◽  
Vol 1819 (1) ◽  
pp. 299-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. D. Van Zyl ◽  
M. G. Henderson ◽  
H. G. Fourie

The Provincial Administration of the Western Cape in South Africa is responsible for 18,900 km of proclaimed roads, of which 10,500 km are unsurfaced. A formal gravel road management system has been in operation since 1989 that assists in prioritizing projects for regraveling and upgrading gravel roads to surfaced standards. Because of fund limitations for upgrading gravel roads to surfaced roads, there is a need to optimize performance of the gravel road network and maximize use of knowledge and latest research results for southern Africa. Staff shortages and loss of in-house expertise made external assistance necessary to improve service to road users. Processes formalized, implemented, and planned for this purpose included ( a) upgrading the gravel road management system to quantify benefits, prioritize activities, and select maintenance and improvement measures; ( b) appointing consulting engineers in each district to help manage borrow pits, materials design, training, construction supervision and quality control, maintenance planning and control, and performance monitoring; ( c) communication about project priorities, construction programs, work methods, construction team performance, and activity costs; and ( d) development of an operational web-enabled system to manage all activities related to unsurfaced roads. Within 1 year, a remarkable difference in gravel road performance was observed without a significant reduction in productivity. Total transportation costs were lowered with only a marginal increase in agency costs. Continuous communication among system operators, design engineers, project managers, and construction teams is considered one of the most important aspects in optimizing performance of the Western Cape low-volume road network. This study highlights the most important changes in management, systems, design, and construction and the practical innovations responsible for the successes achieved as a potentially valuable aid to those involved with providing and maintaining low-volume roads.


Author(s):  
Bizzar B. Madzikigwa

The road sector in Botswana continues to develop its road network throughout the country at a tremendous rate. When Botswana gained independence in 1966, it had only 10 km (16 mi) of bitumen road. By 1992 the total length of bituminous surfaced road reached 3500 km (2,175 mi) out of a total road network of 18 000 km (11,285 mi). These statistics clearly show that the majority of roads are not yet surfaced; these are low-volume roads that provide access to the rural areas where most of the country’s population is found, though in low density. In spite of the rapid improvement in the quality of the national road network in recent years, much remains to be done. In the early 1970s and early 1980s the rural roads unit was introduced in the Ministry of Works Transport and Communications, which was charged with the responsibility of design and construction of low-volume roads around the country in a bid to integrate the country’s road network. This unit was later disbanded in the 1990s, and all roads are improved through the conventional procurement system using private contractors. For these roads the justification of a surfacing project based on conventional economic return methods does not apply, and worse still, the road improvements have to compete with other amenities for the same limited resources. Three ministries in Botswana are responsible for roads: Ministry of Works Transport and Communications, Ministry of Local Government, and Ministry of Trade, Industry, Wildlife and Tourism. These ministries have different responsibilities for different roads within the country, and earth, sand, and gravel roads are found under the jurisdiction of each of the ministries. The major drawbacks concerning low-volume roads in Botswana are inadequate maintenance, poor road construction materials, and the environmental impacts of the roads. Since the budget and resources are inadequate to keep these roads in good condition, it would be prudent to find technological means that would improve the locally available road construction materials so as to minimize their effects on the environment and vehicle operating costs.


Author(s):  
P. K. Agarwal ◽  
S. Choudhary ◽  
A. B. Khan
Keyword(s):  

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 1200-1209
Author(s):  
Angel Ibeas ◽  
Hernan Gonzalo_Orden ◽  
Luigi Dell’Olio ◽  
Jose Luis Moura

The management of any road network can be improved by gathering information about the different road segments that form it. Geographic information systems (GISs) can be used to map and manipulate the large amount of information collected. This helps managers in their analysis of the network and in the decision-making processes. This article explains the development and practical use of the latest mapping carried out on the local roads in the region of Cantabria in northern Spain. The aim of the current study was to perform a thorough analysis of the characteristics of each segment of the road network to update and restructure the existing mapping. A geographic information system (GIS) was used for consulting and analyzing the data obtained now and over previous years. Moreover, the ways this information could be used in the decision-making process were improved for a regional road network which has, in general, a low volume of traffic.


Author(s):  
Antti P. Meriläinen

Two models are introduced: a village vitality model for assessing the impacts of individual road improvements on the vitality of rural communities in Finland and a market potential model for assessing the impact of road improvements on retail sales in villages. Interviews and questionnaire surveys were conducted with the representatives and residents of six villages of different types in southern Finland to examine the existing problems and evaluate the impacts of improving the access roads to villages. The impacts of alternative road improvement measures, or their combinations, are assessed on the speed and travel time on the access road to villages. This has a direct impact on the accessibility of villages and thus reflects the change in village vitality induced by the alternative road improvement measures. According to the village vitality model, major improvements to the low-volume road network have no significant measurable impacts on rural community development. Furthermore, according to the village interviews and surveys, road condition and travel time on the access roads to villages are not the most important factors affecting village development, even though they will support it. Consequently, the overall accessibility of villages is significant, but it is not the major variable in explaining village vitality and rural community development. Low-volume road network improvements will indirectly promote rural community development, and improved accessibility will advance the development of some essential sectors of rural economy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 118
Author(s):  
Eutiquio Gallego ◽  
Manuel Moya ◽  
Esperanza Ayuga-Téllez ◽  
Ana I. García ◽  
Francisco Ayuga

This paper describes the entire process of the implementation of the Spanish low volume road network, including the design criteria, the construction techniques and the management policies during all the periods. The current situation of low volume roads in Spain was analyzed with respect to the legal framework and their actual condition. In addition, the budget required for the repair of 41 low volume roads throughout Spain was calculated in order to statistically analyze the influence of the pavement materials and the period of construction. The main conclusions were that low volume roads constructed during the 1970´s are currently those in the best state of repair and those requiring the lower repair costs, even lower than those constructed after 1980´s. In addition, low volume roads constructed with higher quality materials and using standardized techniques required five times lower repair costs than those made of lower quality materials.


Author(s):  
Jelena Ćirilović Stanković ◽  
Goran Mladenović ◽  
Cesar Queiroz

About 20% of the Serbian national road network has sections with low volume traffic. These sections are maintained in relatively poor condition since the maintenance budget is typically allocated to the road sections with most traffic. This paper aims to define the appropriate maintenance policy for keeping these sections in “optimal” condition. The traditional approach has been to consider as optimal the condition leading to the minimum sum of road agency costs and road user costs. However, currently there is an emphasis on including environmental cost (greenhouse gas emissions, in particular) into pavement management systems. This extends the concept of optimum by defining it as the maintenance policy leading to the minimum sum of (a) road agency costs, (b) road user costs, and (c) the cost to society of CO2 emissions. Three potential influencing factors are further analyzed: traffic loading, pavement structural number, and the initial condition of the road section. The World Bank’s Road Network Evaluation Tools (RONET) model was used to analyze the Serbian low volume road network and develop the optimal maintenance policy. The results show that the cost of CO2 emissions plays an important role in calculating the optimal policy, but unlike the high volume parts of the road network, in the case of low volume roads, a substantial part of total emissions is related to the production and placement of new pavement layers, rather than from vehicle emissions.


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