Road Maintenance Strategyin India
byRahul Gupta
Superintending Engineer (Expressway Coordination)

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Government of India[4th September 2013]
MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

India’s Road Network(km)National Highways

Expressways
State Highways

82,803200
156,181

Other Roads (MDR,ODR &VR)

4,455,510

Total

4,694,694

 Second largest road network in World, density 0.66 km per sq km ofland; National Highways constitute only 1.7% of length, but carry 40% of
the traffic on Indian Roads.
MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

Present Status of Roads
Status of National HighwaysFour ormorelanes
20%

Singlelane
30%

Modal shift
Composition of road traffic is currently 65% of
total freight & 90% of total passenger traffic (asagainst 12% of total freight & 31.6% of total
passenger traffic in the 1950s);
The Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
of traffic on the roads during last two decades isat the rate of 9% per annum.

Doublelane
50%

Status of State Highways
Two ormorelanes
25%

IssuesRoad maintenance throughout the network islow, leading to poor quality of roads;
Singlelane
75%

MoRTH, India

About 35% of the villages are not connected byall-weather roads.

Rahul Gupta

Institutional Framework• Indian Constitution assigns responsibility for the National
Highway network to the Central Government, while State
Governments are responsible for developing andmaintaining State Highways, Major Districts Roads, OtherDistricts Roads and Village Roads;• At the central level, responsibility for the National Highway
system is of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways;• At the State level, highways are developed and maintainedby State Public Works Departments (PWDs), while ruralroads are taken care of either by PWDs or by Local
Government engineering departments.
MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

Ministry of Road Transport& Highways• Responsible for Planning, Development andMaintenance of National Highways in the Country;• Extends Technical and Financial support to State
Governments for the development of State Roads
and the roads of inter-state connectivity andeconomic importance;• Evolves standards & specifications for roads andbridges in the country;• Serves as a repository of technical knowledge onroads and bridges.
MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

National Highways
Development Program•••••

National Highways Development Program (NHDP) is world’s
largest road development program;Comprises of seven phases for development of more than 55,000
km of NHs;

Under NHDP,
 Completed Length:21,042 km
 Presently Under Implementation :19,365 km
 Balance for award:15,956 km
Other than NHDP, Government is also implementing major roaddevelopment programs in North East (SARDP-NE) for 6418 km
and in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas for 5477 km;
National Highways are also being developed with loan assistanceof JICA (220 km) and World Bank (1125 km).

MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

A NATIONAL HIGHWAY
DEVELOPED UNDER NHDPMoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

Rural Roads Development Programme-Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)• Fully funded by Central Government, supplementing efforts of State
Government in construction and maintenance rural road network;• Primary objective to provide connectivity to all the eligible
unconnected habitations of more than 500 persons in the ruralareas (250 persons in the hilly and desert areas) by good quality allweather roads;• Action Plan for construction of 350,000 km of roads;• Focuses on qualitative construction through a three tier process Technical assessment by local Divisional Engineers; Quality approval by State and National Quality control wings;
 5 years maintenance of completed roads mandatory under thework agreement.

MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

Maintenance Objectives• The basic objective of maintenance strategy is tomaintain and operate the road system in such amanner that: Comfort, convenience and safety is assured; The investment in roads, bridges and appurtenances
is preserved;
 The aesthetics and compatibility of the highway
system with the environment is achieved; and The necessary expenditure of resources isaccomplished with continuing emphasis on economic
development.
MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

Maintenance Operationsand Activities• Road maintenance operations are classified as under: Ordinary Repairs (Routine Maintenance ); Periodical Renewals (Periodic Maintenance); Flood damage repairs / Special repairs ;• These categories are compatible with conventional
international

practiceofdividing

maintenance

operations into Routine, Periodic and Emergency

activities.
MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

1. Ordinary Repairs• For preserving roads as assets and to reduce the incidence ofemergencies requiring special repairs.
• It includes pothole & patch repairs, crack sealing, roadsidedrainage, repairing of shoulders, clearing and repairing of culvert
drainage structures, replacement of damaged retro-reflective signs,
removal of litter, debris & dead animals, and erosion control;• In Urban areas additional attendance needed for medians, footpath,street lights, fly-overs & subways, railings & removal ofencroachment etc;

• In Hill Areas it also include maintenance of breast / retaining walls,
removal of slips & snow clearances;• Bridges require attendance to bearings, joints, wearing coat,railings, minor repairs to sub-structure & super-structure andclearance of weed in river channel.
MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

2. Periodic Renewal• It significantly extends service life by correcting
functional deficiencies and improve riding quality;• Resealing / Thin Overlays at a predeterminedfrequency are generally undertaken to safeguard crustin response to measured deterioration in roadconditions;• These operations tend to be large scale, requiring
specialized equipment and skilled personnel. These
activities are costly and planned well in advance.

MoRTH, IndiaRahul Gupta

3. Flood Damage Repairs &Special Repairs• Activities to mitigate sudden and unforeseen damage
requiring immediate attention, such as flood damage, major
landslides or /and damage to structures.
• Cannot be estimated based on the annual maintenance needs
and no advanced planning for specific cases can be made.
However, it is necessary to reserve a certain proportion of theoverall maintenance funds for emergency cases;• Activities include :Repair and rehabilitation of failed drainage structures;Repair and restoration after landslides and slips;
Repair and restoration after washouts.

MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

Strategy for Road Maintenance• Balancing of routine maintenance activities along with aregular program of periodic maintenance and prompt
response to emergencies makes an effective
maintenance program;• The norms of maintenance of roads along with GIS(Geographical Information System) for collecting andcollatingroad
inventory
datathroughGPS(Geographical Positioning System) integrated with nondestructive technology based instruments are being
evolved for timely intervention of maintenance activities;

MoRTH, IndiaRahul Gupta

Strategy for Road Maintenance(contd…)• At each level the same agency is responsible fordevelopment as well as maintenances of its “own”
network;• Traditionally Maintenance work executed by Road
Agencies (Labour Intensive Operations);• To improve efficiency, several Road Administrations
have started to contract out more and more of road
Maintenance Activities to Private Sector;

MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

Road Deterioration CurveManaging Life Cycle

MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

Maintenance Levels:
Serviceability Indicators
S. No.

Serviceability Indicator

Level 1(Good)

Level 2(Average)1.

Roughness by bump integrator(Max. Permissible)

2000 mm/km

3000 mm/km

4000 mm/km2.

Potholes/km (Max. Numbers)

Nil

2-3

4-8

3.

Cracking and patch repairs(Max. Permissible)

5 per cent

10 per cent10-15 per cent4.

Rutting (20mm) (Max.
Permissible)

1.0 per cent

1.5 per cent

2.5 per cent5.

Skid resistance (Skid number byASTM-274) Minimum Desirable

50 SN

40 SN

35 SN

6.

Defective bridge deck are andbump at approach (Max.
Permissible)

Nil

10 per cent

10 per cent

7.

User Information

All road signs,
km stones androad marking ingood condition

Only major roadsigns, km stones,
some roadmarkings in goodcondition

Signs only for
major destinations
and km stones infair condition

MoRTH, India

Level 3(Acceptable)

Rahul Gupta

Historically failing location with drainage
problem in rolling terrain
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Improved under Maintenance Works
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Roughness Values were in the range of1930 to 6570
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Roughness Values brought down to 1340 to3960 range after 1st year of Renewal
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Blind Curve in the rolling terrain causing
accidents
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Night photograph showing the signage‘sLane Markings & Raised Pavement Markers

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Impact of Poor Maintenance•Road User Cost Study (RUCS) in India has brought out some eyeopening conclusions about the economic losses on account of thepoor maintenance of roads - the fuel consumption for a truck increases by 26 percent whenroughness of the road surface increase from 3000 (asphalted surface)to 15000 (gravel surface) mm per km;
 The fuel consumption can increase as high as 56 percent, if speed of atruck fall from about 45 kmph to 20 kmph;
 Improvement in Riding Quality will save 1/5th of fuel bill of the country,
apart from substantial saving of accidents etc;
 Total economic return on cost of road improvement would be as highas 50 - 60 percent in one year alone;
MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

Impact of Poor Maintenance(contd…)• The annual total VOC is estimated to be around US$ 20 billion;• The World Bank studies have confirmed that the economicallossesduetoinadequate

capacity,

insufficient

pavement

thickness and poor riding quality is estimated to be of the order ofUS$ 6 billion per annum. These losses are interim of fuelconsumption and vehicle maintenance (US$ 4 billion per annum);• Adverse effect on user's health due to poor roads is beyond
imagination and estimation;• Such losses are adversely affecting the Nation’s economy andhuman life, this need to be reduced.

MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

Policy Initiatives•

Public Private Partnership projects – in built
mechanism for Operation & Maintenance up to 30years;•Central Government
maintenance;•Finance Commission stressing on MaintenanceManagement System;•As regards Rural Roads, five year maintenanceresponsibility of same contractor who builds theroad.

MoRTH, IndiagrantforStateRoadRahul Gupta

OMT - New Policy Initiative(Operate Maintain & Transfer)•

Presently, maintenance of public funded roads is throughAnnual Operation & Maintenance contracts and user fee

collected through different agencies;•As maintenance is critical for the service life of roadinfrastructure, a need was felt to tap private sector
efficiencies in operation, fee-collection and maintenanceof public funded roads;•In OMT contracts, the concessionaire is given contract for
5 to 9 years with responsibilities for maintenance andtolling together.

MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

Reforms Needed in Maintenance ofRoad Assets• Equal priority to Asset Preservation and Managementvis-à-vis Asset Creation;• Maintaining and periodically updating the database on
inventory of roads, bridges and other structures
including their condition as decision support system forprioritizing maintenance interventions, i.e. need forappropriate Maintenance Management System (MMS);• Reorganize maintenance operations by replacing themanual activities with mechanized mobile units toimprove the productivity of the existing labour force;
MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

Strengthening OperationalCapacity•Standardize Maintenance Contracts based on performancefor ensuring safe and competitive delivery;•Develop Cadre of O&M Contractors (This will benefit PPP
Entrepreneurs also);•Enhancing Accountability of Maintenance Providers (RoadAgencies and PPP Concessionaires / Contractors);•

Technical expertise to evaluate the effectiveness ofcurrent standards and practices;•Auditing: Technical and Financial;•Skill Development: Regular basis.

MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

Promotion of Non-conventional
Road Construction Materials• Conservation of natural resources: materials viz. fly ash, iron andsteel slag, marble dust from quarry, processed municipal wastes,
plastic wastes, jute and geo-textiles used as replacement for theconventional materials wherever they are economical;• In hilly regions and desert inter-locking pavement blocks helpful;• Use of high quality materials for Maintenance, suitable to various
environment and geo-climatic conditions to sustain the traffic
demand;• Advanced pavement materials viz. geo-synthetics, polymer
modified bitumen, rubberized mastic asphalt, etc. useful for
extending life of pavements;• Introducing nano-technology materials can improve fluidity,
strength and durability of the roads.
MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

The Road Ahead•

Introduction Intelligent Transport System (ITS) for improved
riding experience, road safety and transport management.

•Adopting global best practices, India aiming for a roadmaintenance strategy that minimizes investment, maximizes
cost efficiency, reduces losses for users and is energy
efficient;•Immense opportunities available for introducing the best
and the cost effective techniques / technology.

MoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

We maintain our health
Let us maintain health of our roads also,to serve ourpeople and the economy.
Let us not lose what we haveorwhat we are creating.

Thank YouMoRTH, India

Rahul Gupta

Current Scenario•

Funds Availability : 40-50 percent of requirements;•Financial requirements: Not more than 30 percent ofwhat we are losing;•Routine Maintenance: Lacking;•Periodic Maintenance: Attention varies from State to State;
Satisfaction Level around 50%.

•Weak Planning, Scheduling and Monitoring of MaintenanceOperations;•

Poor Enforcement of Axle Load Limits;•Lack of Properof Maintenance.

MoRTH, India

Governance

Environment

in Delivery

Rahul Gupta