Meeting Challenges of Rural Road Management Caused by Decreasing Population and Changes in Industrial Structure

2003 ◽  
Vol 1819 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juha Parantainen ◽  
Antti Meriläinen
Keyword(s):  
Road Network ◽  
Industrial Structure ◽  
Production Structure ◽  
Road Management ◽  
Low Volume Roads ◽  
Traffic Volumes ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Permanent Residents ◽  
Basic Level ◽  
Adequate Condition

The most pronounced characteristics of rural development in Finland in the 1990s include the concentration of population in cities as well as changes in the industrial and production structure. Outlying areas of eastern, northern, and central Finland have experienced the most significant absolute and relative decreases in population in recent years. A 73% share of state-owned public roads and private roads (the lowvolume road network) is located in the areas of decreasing population. Traffic volumes will decline on low-volume roads as rural population decreases and will significantly affect the economy of low-volume road management in the future. In the areas of decreasing population, the greatest problem is to maintain the low-volume road network in adequate condition with reasonable costs to serve permanent residents and the transport needs of agriculture and forestry. The most important measures for meeting the challenges of decreasing population include the allocation of sufficient funding for the management of low-volume roads, which will provide for the basic level of service to meet the necessary needs of citizens and enterprises. Furthermore, a system of “just-for-need road management” should be adopted more widely in the management of low-volume roads. Through this system, the scarce financial resources of public low-volume road management would be allocated as efficiently as possible to meet demand by time and location. It should be noted, however, that savings through just-for-need road management are not necessarily significant, and in some cases costs may even increase. For this reason, each low-volume road segment should be examined separately.

Otta Seals and Gravseals as Low-Cost Surfacing Alternatives for Low-Volume Roads: Experiences in South Africa

2003 ◽  
Vol 1819 (1) ◽  
pp. 338-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Oloo ◽  
Rob Lindsay ◽  
Sam Mothilal
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Low Volume Roads ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Traffic Volumes ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
To Come

The geology of the northeastern part of the province of KwaZulu–Natal, South Africa, is predominantly alluvial with vast deposits of sands. Suitable gravel sources are hard to come by, which results in high graveling and regraveling costs brought about by long haul distances and accelerated gravel loss. Most gravel roads carry fewer than 500 vehicles per day of which less than 10% are heavy vehicles. The high cost of regraveling has led to consideration of upgrading such roads to surfaced standard, even though traffic volumes do not justify upgrading. Traditional chip seals are expensive and cannot be economically justified on roads that carry fewer than 500 vehicles per day. The KwaZulu–Natal Department of Transport is actively involved in efforts to identify cost-effective alternative surfacing products for low-volume roads. Field trials were conducted with Otta seals and Gravseals, which have been used successfully in other countries, as low-cost surfacing products for low-volume roads. The Otta seal is formed by placing graded aggregates on a relatively thick film of soft binder that, because of traffic and rolling, works its way through the aggregates. Gravseal consists of a special semipriming rubberized binder that is covered by a graded aggregate. Both Otta seals and Gravseals provide relatively flexible bituminous surfaces suitable for low-volume roads. Cost savings are derived mainly from the broad aggregate specifications, which allow for the use of marginal materials.

Optimizing Low-Volume Road Network Performance Through Improved Management, Design, and Construction

2003 ◽  
Vol 1819 (1) ◽  
pp. 299-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. D. Van Zyl ◽  
M. G. Henderson ◽  
H. G. Fourie
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Systems Design ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Road Management ◽  
Gravel Roads ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Gravel Road ◽  
Design And Construction

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.

Nature and Effects of Low-Volume Roads in Botswana

2003 ◽  
Vol 1819 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bizzar B. Madzikigwa
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Good Condition ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Rapid Improvement ◽  
The Road ◽  
Low Volume Roads ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Sand And Gravel

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.

Techniques for Extending the Life of Low-Volume Roads in Seasonal Frost Areas

2003 ◽  
Vol 1819 (1) ◽  
pp. 275-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen A. Kestler
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Heavy Vehicles ◽  
Alternative Design ◽  
Low Volume Roads ◽  
Traffic Volumes ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Tools And Techniques ◽  
Design Techniques

Major highways are designed to withstand heavy vehicles and high traffic volumes year round. However, low-volume roads (LVRs) in seasonal frost areas are extremely susceptible to damage from trafficking by heavy vehicles during spring thaw. As a result, the maintenance-free life of an LVR in a seasonal frost area averages less than half that of a similar road in a nonfrost area. This study serves as a practical primer on addressing thaw weakening of LVRs: it offers guidance for identifying frost-susceptible soils, summarizes methods used and currently undergoing research to determine when conditions are critical, and provides several solutions for avoiding the costly impact of spring thaw on LVRs. Diagnostic tools and recommended road-usage techniques are provided for existing roads; alternative design techniques are presented for new and reconstructed roads. Tools and techniques are applicable across much of Europe, North America, and Asia; some also apply to wet areas outside seasonal frost areas.

scholarly journals The influence of management and construction methods in the repair costs of Spain’s low-volume road network

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 118
Author(s):  
Eutiquio Gallego ◽  
Manuel Moya ◽  
Esperanza Ayuga-Téllez ◽  
Ana I. García ◽  
Francisco Ayuga
Keyword(s):  
Road Network ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Actual Condition ◽  
Pavement Materials ◽  
Construction Methods ◽  
Repair Costs ◽  
Low Volume Roads ◽  
Construction Techniques ◽  
Management Policies ◽  
Low Volume

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.

Rural Track Paths on Low-Volume Roads in Austria

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (12) ◽  
pp. 863-873
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Haslehner
Keyword(s):  
Road Network ◽  
Concrete Surface ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Design Guideline ◽  
Rural Road ◽  
Low Volume Roads ◽  
Load Carrying ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Special Circumstances ◽  
The Impact

The rural road network in Austria consists of all roads that are neither federal nor provincial roads and serve the purpose of enabling access to the rural area. This low-volume road network includes all municipal roads, farm roads, and forest roads. The total length of these roads amounts to approximately 160,000 km or 80% of the total Austrian road network. The responsibility for construction and maintenance of this rural road network in Austria is split between private persons and public authorities. Within these special circumstances a new technical design guideline for rural track paths has been elaborated in Austria. During this elaboration the experiences and know-how from Germany and Switzerland have been analyzed and taken into consideration. The main part of the paper deals with this new design guideline and shows an innovative way to handle activities in construction and maintenance of low-volume roads realized as single-lane rural track paths. These track paths consist of two load-carrying tracks constructed of asphalt, concrete, surface treatment, or block pavers. The obvious advantages of this tracked paving approach are to reduce the impact of impervious surface types and the impact on the environment. What makes this guideline unique is the fact that it is the first of its kind in Austria to encompass all aspects of planning, design, practical construction, and implementation of rural track paths on low-volume roads.

Accuracy Assessment of Satellite-Based Freeze-Thaw Retrievals on Low-Volume Roads in the United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (12) ◽  
pp. 756-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Kraatz ◽  
Heather J. Miller ◽  
Jennifer M. Jacobs ◽  
Eshan V. Dave ◽  
Jo Sias
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Accuracy Assessment ◽  
High Volume ◽  
The United States ◽  
Accurate Identification ◽  
Road Management ◽  
Low Volume Roads ◽  
Hourly Data ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Better Than

Accurate identification of soil freeze or thaw (FT) is important for road management, because it greatly affects a road’s load bearing capacity. Despite low-volume roads (LVR) being more susceptible to damage because of FT transitions compared with high-volume roadways, relatively few LVRs are monitored via temperature data probes (TDP). Frequent and global spaceborne retrievals of soil FT states may be valuable to fill this observational gap. NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) instrument provides FT retrievals up to twice a day, approximately corresponding to the top 0–10 cm of soils. This study compares SMAP FT data to TDP data at LVRs located in the contiguous United States (CONUS) and Alaska using hourly data obtained from the Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System for the 2016, 2017, and 2018 winters. Overall, SMAP FT retrievals show promise in distinguishing between cold and warm roads. For all cases, the median road temperatures corresponding to SMAP frozen and thawed retrievals were clearly below or above 0°C, respectively. SMAP 6:00 p.m. observations perform better than the 6:00 a.m. observations with overall accuracies of 76% in CONUS and 81% Alaska. However, SMAP’s accuracy for frozen conditions is below 50% in CONUS indicating that SMAP has a warm bias compared with the TDP sites. These preliminary results suggest that the SMAP FT states have potential value for road management.

Study & Experimental Analysis of Pervious Concrete In Low Volume Roads

2018 ◽  
pp. 172-176
Author(s):  
Suraj Pinate ◽  
Hitesh Sonawane ◽  
Jayesh Barhate ◽  
Mayur Chaudhari ◽  
Utkarsha Dhok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Analysis ◽  
Pervious Concrete ◽  
Low Volume Roads ◽  
Low Volume
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document