GUWAHATI, March 17 - The Public Works Department (PWD) has developed a modern road asset management system (RAMS), which is based on analysis of the road and traffic data collected using automated survey equipment for better management of the State highways and major district roads.
The road network in Assam has grown significantly over the years. Now it is a massive network of 55,784 km. The State road network, managed by the PWD (Roads), is 44,862 km long. It includes state highways (SH), major district roads (MDR) and rural roads network of about 7,000 km.
�Development and maintenance of the road network has always been a daunting task. Lack of focus and inadequate investment have rendered most State highways and major district roads in less than acceptable condition. Most of the roads have weak and aged pavements with improper riding quality. Maintaining these roads with bituminous surfacing alone will not suffice. Only about four per cent of the secondary roads are double-lane and some stretches are unpaved,� a PWD official told The Assam Tribune.
The World Bank-funded RAMS provides quality information on the road network and is expected to be of enormous help to the State in road infrastructure development planning and informed decision making, particularly investment decisions.
A comprehensive database on roads, bridges and traffic has been developed. The system provides tools in the form of a GIS-based software/application with layers of engineering and economic criteria. It stores and helps in analysing road network inventory, condition and traffic data. It also provides vital information on deficiencies in the road network.
�The system will help in rationalising and programming road maintenance and improvement works optimally. It is being used for long-term and holistic planning of the State roads, adopting modern engineering methods intended at achieving the Assam Vision 2030, as also to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDG),� the official said.
The future treatment and costs involved are proposed by simulating the current and anticipated condition of pavement and traffic up to 2032. Various models, theories, maintenance standards are in-built in the system, which is executed through processes and IT tools to derive most suitable maintenance plan for a budget, considering the entire life cycle of the assets.
The State has been implementing a few projects for improving and maintaining the State highways and major district roads, but most of the time they have been taken up in isolation and addressed only in small patches of the network. Long term plan for an integrated effort to improve infrastructure for economic growth of the State has hardly ever been made. Consequently, investments have not been able to bring about a visible impact on the overall infrastructure, consistent over a period of time.
�The existing road network will keep losing its asset value with time, if it is not properly maintained and improved to tackle the distresses and traffic demand. To maintain the roads at the desired level of service, adequate budget and timely execution of works are crucial. It has to be planned and estimated in advance. Budgets have to be need-based, rather than norm-based. A longer time horizon should be considered to estimate costs and implement treatments. Maintenance and improvement requirements for the future are also required to be predicted, based on a prediction model that considers pavement characteristics and anticipated traffic demand,� the official explained.