HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT

GUIDANCE NOTES

ROAD INSPECTION MANUAL

(RIM)

Research & Development Division

RD/GN/016C
May 2016
Contents
FORWARD

Part I – Road Inspection Manual

1. Introduction

2. Road Network Hierarchy

2.1 General
2.2 Carriageway Hierarchy
2.3 Footway Hierarchy

3. Categories of Road Defects

3.1 General
3.2 Category (i) Defects Remedy
3.3 Category (ii) Defects Remedy

4. Inspection Equipment and Forms

5. Inspections for Routine Maintenance

5.1 General
5.2 Inspection Personnel

6. Routine Inspection (RI)

6.1 General
6.2 Methods for Conducting RI
6.3 Frequency of RI
6.4 Defects to be Recorded
6.5 Responses for Hazardous Defects
6.6 Retention of RI Reports

7. Detailed Inspections (DI)

7.1 General
7.2 Carriageways
7.3 Footways and Cycle Tracks
7.4 Covers, Gratings, Frames and Boxes
7.5 Highway Drainage
7.6 Fences and Barriers
7.7 Grassed Areas
7.8 Road Studs
7.9 Road Markings
7.10 Road Traffic Signs

Part I - i
Part II – Quick Reference Guide

1. Introduction

2. Road Network Hierarchy

2.1 Carriageway Hierarchy
2.2 Footway Hierarchy

3. Categories of Road Defects

4. Types of Road Inspections

5. Frequencies of Inspections
5.1 Routine Inspections
5.2 Detailed Inspections

Part III – Supplementary Notes

1. Introduction

2. Road Network Hierarchy

3. Inspections for Routine Maintenance

4. Road Inventory

5. Carriageway and Footway

Appendices

Appendix A – Routine Road Inspection Report

Appendix B – Example of Routine Inspection Report
Appendix C – List of Defect Codes
Appendix D – Detailed Road Inspection Report
Appendix E – Example of Detailed Inspection Report

Part I - ii
FOREWORD

1. The Road Inspection Manual (RIM) was first issued in 1993, which aimed to narrow
the wide disparity of routine inspection methods and practice in the then three
Regional Offices of the Highways Department (HyD). The objectives of the 1st
version of RIM were:

 To define a road hierarchy for inspections based on that used in MARCH system;

 To set out the procedures for and frequencies of inspections used to determine
routine maintenance tasks;

 To reduce inconsistency in the standards for inspections adopted by the Regional

Offices; and

 To attempt extracting data from inspection for use by the MARCH system.

2. The above RIM attempting to integrate the MARCH and Detailed Inspections (DI)
was to no avail because it was not practical in the workflow for converting the data in
the regular DI collected by the Regional Offices to that for MARCH system for further
analysis. In this connection, the Regional Offices continued to conduct the DI in
which data would assist them in determining the maintenance strategy on a project
level, while the MARCH inspections were conducted by the R&D Division for
producing useful data to the Regional Offices for decision with regard to the network
level. This arrangement is in line with the overseas two-tier practice of the network
and project level inspections for the highway maintenance.

3. Since then, more maintenance offices emerged, including those for the Tsing Ma and
Tsing Sha Control Areas and the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) projects, though the
latter areas are currently maintained by others. In addition, the need of establishing a
rational routing network for road inspection and the need of adopting an efficient and
consistent approach in the collection, processing and recording of highway conditions
warrant a review on the previous RIM.

4. The objectives of the 2nd RIM, published in 2004, were

 To define hierarchies of carriageways, footways and cycle tracks for inspections

 To recommend the procedures for and minimum frequencies of inspections used

to determine routine maintenance tasks

 To encourage consistency in the standards for inspections adopted by the

maintenance offices in the HyD, whilst allowing flexibility for modifying the
standards to cope with local variations

5. To include missing longitudinal joint filler and opened longitudinal joints in the list of
defects with immediate or imminent hazard for particular attention during the then
safety inspections, the 3rd version of the RIM was promulgated in 2014.

Part I - iii
6. For this RIM, which supersedes the 3rd version, revisions are made regarding the term
“safety inspection” to tally with similar inspections for other HyD assets.

7. The maintenance offices of HyD including the two Regional Offices and the Bridges
& Structures Division are suggested to follow the recommendations of this RIM in
preparing their road inspection regime and programmes. Operators of the BOT
projects are also recommended to refer to this RIM in preparing their road inspection
programmes. The maintenance offices should be open to allow local diversity where
appropriate, but this will require careful management. The extent of variations should
be identified and recorded together with the reasons for their adoption.

8. This RIM should be read in conjunction with the Guidance Notes on Catalogue of
Road Defects (CORD) issued by the HyD. Descriptions and characteristion of road
defects are not repeated here.

9. A Quick Reference Guide, covering the minimum requirements for road inspections in
tabulated forms, is included in the Part II of this manual. Supplementary notes of the
RIM for better understanding on the background knowledge of the road inspection
requirements are included in the Part III of this manual.

10. Reference is made to the “Well-maintained Highways – Code of Practice for Highway
Maintenance Management” commissioned by the UK Roads Liaison Group in July
2005 and its previous editions in preparing the framework and context of this manual
with modifications to suit the prevailing local conditions.

Part I - iv
 Part I

Road Inspection Manual

 ROAD INSPECTION MANUAL

1. Introduction

1.1 This manual recommends the procedures for and frequencies of inspections used to
determine routine maintenance tasks. These maintenance tasks should include the
maintenance operations or works necessary for maintaining and restoring the road
network to serviceable and safe conditions.

1.2 The manual intends to cover all public roads including carriageways, footways and
cycle tracks within the territory.

1.3 The manual provides guidance on the procedures for inspections on the following
items:
(i) carriageways, footways and cycle tracks;
(ii) covers, gratings, frames and boxes;
(iii) kerbs, edging and preformed channels;
(iv) highway drainage;
(v) fences and barriers;
(vi) verges and grass areas;
(vii) road marking;
(viii) road studs; and
(ix) road traffic signs.

1.4 The manual does not include the following items:

(i) highway structures;
(ii) roadside slopes and retaining walls;
(iii) road lighting; and
(iv) road tunnels.
The procedures for and frequencies of inspections for the first 3 items are covered in
the relevant Operation Procedures included in the Quality Manual (ISO 9001) of the
HyD, while those for the last item are covered in Guidelines on Inspection of Road
Tunnels (HQ/GN/04). Notwithstanding the above, if any defects that may cause
immediate hazard to the public come to the inspection personnel’s attention when he
passes by the locations covered by items (i) to (iv) or other locations not maintained by
HyD, the inspection personnel should notify the responsible maintenance authorities as
soon as possible for remedial action.

1.5 The manual covers areas of activity in which works are primarily undertaken in the
short term and are consistent with keeping the road in good working order. It does not
deal with the replacement or renewal of those parts of the road which, in the long term,
becomes unserviceable because of general deterioration. This will be dealt with
properly within planned maintenance or rehabilitation programmes. The inspection
procedures suggested in this manual will, however, assist the maintenance offices in
identifying the need for major treatments. On the other hand, major incidents should
require immediate and special attention, e.g. damages arising from traffic accidents,
spillage of oil or bulky obstructions, damages caused by typhoon or heavy rainfall, and
collapses of pavement or structures, etc. These emergencies are sometimes
unpredictable and should be dealt with as soon as possible.

Part I - 1
1.6 The recommendations of the manual may not be appropriate to all circumstances and
modifications are expected to suit local conditions. Internal instructions or guidelines
of the maintenance offices should be prepared and issued, if necessary, to identify
these modifications, together with the reasoning for such variations.

2. Road Network Hierarchy

2.1 General
The aim of defining the road network hierarchy is to develop a pattern of routes, having
regard to the traffic volume and type of traffic, for providing basis for resource allocation
required in the inspections and the subsequent maintenance works. A good hierarchy
should become the foundation of a coherent, consistent and auditable maintenance
strategy. The road network in the territory for the purpose of this Manual is divided into
two hierarchies, namely, carriageways and footways.

2.2 Carriageway Hierarchy

For adopting a coherent network classification, the carriageway classification follows the
road types specified in the Transport Planning and Design Manual (TPDM), Volume 2,
Chapter 3. For defining the carriageway types, maintenance offices are recommended to
refer to the Annual Traffic Census published annually by the Transport Department (TD)
or other relevant documents.

2.3 Footway Hierarchy

Footway inspections and maintenance should be dealt with according to the pedestrian
usage under available resources and may not necessarily relate to the importance and
classification of the adjoining carriageway. Two categories for footways as shown in
Table 1 are recommended.

Part I - 2
 Table 1 : Footway Hierarchy

Category No. Category Name Brief Description

1 Footway within Footways within the pedestrianisation
Pedestrianisation schemes initiated by TD
Schemes

2 Footway outside Other footways not classified under

Pedestrianisation Category 1
Schemes

Notes:
(1) A footway may consist of more than one footway section and each footway
section should be assigned an appropriate footway category.
(2) For the purpose of easy naming and location referencing, the start/end of those
footway sections should take into account the start/end of the associated
carriageway if any so that any naming or location referencing to the footway
section could be made with reference to just one associated carriageway.
(3) In order to minimise the potential data maintenance effort of the footway
sections, the recommended minimum length of a footway section should be the
lesser of 100m or the entire length of the footway between the consecutive road
junctions.
(4) The footways within TD’s pedestrianisation schemes can be found on TD’s
website.

Part I - 3
3. Categories of Road Defects

3.1 General
Road defects should be classified into two categories, namely:
Category (i) - those which require prompt attention because they represent an immediate
or imminent hazard or because there is a risk of short term structural
deterioration; and
Category (ii) - all other defects.

3.2 Category (i) Defects Remedy

Category (i) defects should be corrected or made safe as soon as reasonably practicable.
In the interim, the aim should be to provide protection by displaying notices warning of
the hazardous conditions according to the Code of Practice for Lighting, Signing and
Guarding of Road Works. In this context, coning off or fencing off can constitute a
warning notice to the public. If it is not possible to correct or make safe the defect at the
time of inspection, which will generally be the case, repairs of a permanent or temporary
nature should be carried out as soon as possible and in any case within a period of 48
hours except that carcass and dumping on expressways should be cleared within 24
hours. Temporary repairs should be inspected regularly as part of a Routine Inspection
and permanent repairs should be completed within 28 days where practicable.

3.3 Category (ii) Defects Remedy

Category (ii) defects should be repaired within planned programmes of works, with
priority depending on the degree of deficiency, traffic and site characteristics. These
priorities should be considered, together with traffic level, the need to minimise traffic
arrangement, other current and planned works on the related road network, and the
access requirements, in compiling the programmes of works.

4. Inspection Equipment and Forms

Inspection personnel should be provided with report forms and checklists on setting out
the various defects to be noted. Report forms should be completed as far as possible at
the time of the inspection following which they should be deposited properly. For
improving the efficiency of collecting and delivering data, and reducing hard copies of
reports, portable data collection device may be used at the discretion of the maintenance
offices. The inspection equipment should be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s
recommendations.

5. Inspection for Routine Maintenance

5.1 General
The road network should be inspected to identify the need for routine maintenance tasks.
The inspections should be classified into two types, namely the Routine Inspections and
Detailed Inspections, which are described in detail in the following paragraphs.

Part I - 4
5.2 Inspection Personnel
All inspection personnel should be sufficiently responsible and competent for the tasks.
They should receive adequate training and should be fully conversant with the inspection
procedures and safety requirements of this manual. The maintenance offices may
consider outsourcing the inspections as necessary.

6. Routine Inspections (RI)

6.1 General
RI, formerly known as Safety Inspections, are designed to identify all defects likely to
create danger or serious inconvenience to users of the network. Such defects should
require urgent attention and be made safe or repaired within 48 hours except that carcass
and dumping on expressways should be cleared within 24 hours.

6.2 Methods for Conducting RI

RI should normally be undertaken by slow moving vehicle. Where it is impractical to
properly conduct the inspection on a vehicle, e.g., when the line of sight is blocked by
parked vehicles or heavy pedestrian traffic, the RI should be supplemented by an
inspection on foot along the footway. However, to ensure the safety of the inspection
staff, roadside gully gratings physically separated from the footways by planters should
not be inspected on foot along the carriageway. RI on cycle tracks may be conducted on
a slow moving bicycle.

6.3 Frequency of RI

6.3.1 The recommended minimum frequencies based on network categories are

provided in the Table 2. The maintenance offices should ensure that they have sufficient
resources to conduct the inspections according to the recommended minimum
frequencies. In defining a RI regime, maintenance offices should also take into account
other relevant factors including but not limited to:
 Traffic use, characteristics and trends
 Incident and inspection history
 Characteristics of adjoining network elements

6.3.2 Additional RI may be required in response to reports or complaints from the

police, other authorities and the public as a result of major incidents, typhoon or flooding
damages. A proportion of the RI should be carried out either during or immediately
following a period of wet weather.

Part I - 5
 Table 2 : Recommended Minimum Frequency for RI

Feature Category Recommended

Minimum Frequency*
Carriageways Expressway 1-2 days
Trunk Road (Urban) 7 days
Trunk Road (Rural) 7 days
Primary Distributor 1 month
District Distributor 1 month
Local Distributor 3 months
Rural Road 3 months
Feeder Road 6 months
Footways Footway within 1 month
Pedestrianisation
Schemes

Footway outside 3 months

Pedestrianisation
Schemes
Cycle Tracks - 6 months

* As Detailed Inspection (DI) also covers RI items, a DI is also counted as an RI as far

as the inspection frequency is concerned.

6.4 Defects to be Recorded

Inspection personnel should be provided with portable data collection devices or report
forms (a pro forma attached in Appendix A and an example in Appendix B) on which the
normal defects found during the RI are listed. The items in the forms can be added and
the format can be altered, having regard to the local circumstances and should be
completed as far as possible at the time of inspections. The following defects should
normally be identified and reported as they constitute an immediate or imminent hazard:
(i) potholes and other local defects, including missing longitudinal joint filler and/or
opened longitudinal joints on concrete carriageways, missing paving blocks,
missing/broken ironware, gully grating and cover;
(ii) excessive standing water and water discharging onto or from within, and/or
flowing across the roads;
(iii) missing safety fences;
(iv) unguarded road openings;
(v) damaged street furniture protruding into carriageway or footway/cycle track; and
(vi) fallen boulders, landslip debris or any other hazardous obstructions on
carriageways, footways or cycle tracks, particularly on Expressways and high
speed roads.

Part I - 6
6.5 Response for Hazardous Defects
Where defects encountered constitute an imminent or immediate hazard to the public,
they should be classified as Category (i) defects and, if reasonably practicable, be
corrected, made safe or otherwise protected as soon as possible according to the
recommendation and procedure in paragraph 3.2 to this manual. Assistance from other
parties such as the Traffic Police for traffic arrangement and the Food, Environment and
Hygiene Department for clearance of rubbish may be sought if necessary.

6.6 Retention of RI Reports

For record and auditing purposes, electronic data or reports forms, including the nil
returns, should be retained for a minimum period of 6 years. Reports and complaints
received from other sources should be similarly recorded and retained together with
details of follow-up inspections and action taken.

7. Detailed Inspections (DI)

7.1 General
(i) DI are designed to record only those types of defects likely to require routine
maintenance. Nevertheless, any imminent or immediate hazards identified
during a DI should also be noted.
(ii) Recommended defects to be identified and recorded and the respective codes for
various items including carriageways, footways, cycle tracks, road drains, traffic
signs, street furniture, kerbs, verges and other miscellaneous items are listed in
Appendix C. The road defects have been produced based on the classification of
defects in the Guidance Notes No. RD/GN/015 on Catalogue of Road Defects
(CORD). The defects are suitably coded to allow for computer-based processing
of the road defects.
(iii) The pro forma for DI is attached in Appendix D with an example in Appendix E.
Items and defects not listed in the standard lists shown in the pro forma can be
added and the format of the form can also be altered to suit local circumstances.
Before undertaking the DI, the maintenance personnel should append a plan
showing the roads to be inspected under the tables of road defects. The locations
of the road defects together with the associated defect code should be marked on
the sketch at the time of road inspection as far as practicable.
(iv) Where defects encountered are not covered in the inspection forms, the
inspection personnel should enter the minimum wording to describe the defects
on site.
(v) The RI can be conducted concurrently during the DI on the same feature. In this
case there is no need for separate RI records because the DI records can also be
used to serve as the SI records to be retained according to the procedures in para.
6.6.
(vi) The maintenance offices can make use of the departmental Intranet Mapping
System to download the location plans of roads for inspection and reporting
purposes.

7.2 Carriageways
(i) Carriageways in rural and urban roads should be covered in the DI.
(ii) DI for carriageways should desirably be carried out in intervals not exceeding 6
months. Exact timing may be determined locally to suit established procedures.

Part I - 7
 These inspections should be coordinated as fully as possible with the DI of other
items in the roads as a whole.
(iii) Defects should be recorded using the defect codes under Section R for rigid
carriageway, Column F for flexible carriageway or Column K for block paved
carriageway as shown in Appendix D. Classification and details of carriageways
defects should refer to the Guidance Notes No. RD/GN/015 on Catalogue of
Road Defects (CORD).

7.3 Footways and Cycle Tracks

(i) Footways of all categories and cycle tracks should receive DI at intervals of 6
months. Exact timing may be determined by the maintenance offices to suit
established procedures or prevailing site conditions.
(ii) Defects should be recorded using the defect codes under Section K of the
inspection forms. Defects requiring remedies include:
(a) defective surface, including cracks, wide cracks larger than 2 mm, worn
surface, and depression larger than 20 mm which pose a safety hazard to
pedestrians;
(b) missing or loose blocks;
(c) defective kerbs;
(d) ravelling; and
(e) uneven surfacing.

7.4 Covers, Gratings, Frames and Boxes

(i) Inspections for covers, gratings, frames and box-outs should be carried out in
conjunction with the carriageway, footway and cycle track inspections.
(ii) Defects should be recorded using the defect codes under Section D of the
inspection forms. Defects requiring remedies include:
(a) gully and other gratings in carriageways and cycle tracks which have gaps
more than 20 mm wide parallel to the normal line of movement of pedal and
motor cycles;
(b) worn covers which constitute a skidding hazard to pedal and motor cycle
users in wet conditions;
(c) cracked or broken items in danger of collapse;
(d) differential levels between items and the abutting carriageway, footway or
cycle track surface exceeding 20 mm;
(e) differential levels between different components exceeding 20 mm;
(f) rocking gratings or covers with a relative movement under load exceeding
10 mm; and
(g) missing grating or covers.
(iii) During inspection of the grating of gullies and other similar surface water
catchment items, an opportunity should be given to check, as far as possible, that
the item is operating satisfactorily and is not, for example, partially or wholly
blocked.
(iv) Gully and other gratings with defects (a) and (g) as described at item (ii) above
should be modified and replaced.
(v) Those defects described in (b), (c), (f) and (g) at item (ii) above should be
classified as Category (i) defects.

Part I - 8
7.5 Exclusive Road Drains
(i) During inspections, efforts should be made to identify whether exclusive road
drains including gullies, channels and underground drains are blocked. The
maintenance offices should notify relevant authorities for the clearance of the
blocked gullies or drains if necessary.
(ii) Remedial work should be instituted as soon as possible to repair damaged gullies.
(iii) Priority should be given to the clearance of blocked gullies/drains and repair of
damaged gullies/drains located above downhill slopes, particularly during the wet
season.

7.6 Fences and Barriers

(i) All types of boundary fences and walls, roadside noise barriers, pedestrian guard
rails and fences, and vehicle safety fences, barriers and crash cushions should be
included in the road inspections. However, parapets and guard rails on bridges
and other structures including the structural elements of noise barriers are outside
the purview of this manual.
(ii) The following defects, identified during inspections, should be suitably recorded
by the defect codes under Section T of the inspection forms:
(a) damaged or missing barriers or fences;
(b) defects in coating and corrosion protection system; and
(c) misplaced or loose barriers or fences.
(iii) The defects described in (ii) (a) above should be classified as Category (i)
defects.
(iv) Inspection of fences and barriers should be programmed together with the DI for
carriageways, except for those located in footways and cycle tracks remote from
carriageways.

7.7 Grassed Areas

(i) The maintenance of grassed verges, central reservations, cutting and embankment
slopes, roundabout, islands and other similar areas within the highway should be
covered in the DI.
(ii) Cutting or clearance of grass and vegetation to safeguard visibility at junctions,
roundabouts and bends is normally the responsibility of Leisure and Cultural
Services Department, except in the Expressways the maintenance of which is
undertaken by HyD maintenance offices.

7.8 Road Studs

(i) The reflective and non-reflective road studs for all types and colours should be
covered in the DI.
(ii) Inspections for defective or missing road studs should be carried out once per
year in conjunction with the inspection of other carriageway items. On heavily
trafficked roads inspections should, wherever possible, be carried out when
appropriate lane closures are in operation for other maintenance works. RI from
a slow moving vehicle manned by a driver and an observer will be the most
appropriate procedure for assessing the general condition of road studs.
(iii) Displaced road studs lying on the carriageway, hard shoulders or lay-bys
encountered should, if judged to be a hazard, be classified as Category (i) defects
and be removed immediately, if reasonably practicable, otherwise road users
should be protected, as far as possible. As a normal minimum, the aim should be

Part I - 9
 to display notices warning of the hazardous conditions before reporting to the
office at the earliest opportunity with a request for immediate action. Such action
should be completed within the shortest possible time, but in any case within a
period of 48 hours.

7.9 Road Markings

(i) All road markings should be inspected at a minimum interval of one year in
conjunction of the planned carriageway and cycle track inspections.
(ii) Inspections should check the serviceability of the road markings, in terms of
wear, spread, colour and skid resistance.

7.10 Road Traffic Signs

(i) All road traffic sign faces, including concrete and steel bollards, should be
inspected 5 years after installation and thereafter at intervals of 2 years in respect
of colour and general conditions. Replacement of traffic signs should be effected
when the traffic signs reach the end of the recommended replacement cycle, i.e. 7
years and 10 years after installation for Class II and Class I sheetings
respectively.
(ii) Sign faces should normally be cleaned on a need basis and, when need is
established, at a frequency normally once every year. Details of cleaning
frequencies should be recorded on the schedule of signs.
(iii) All road traffic sign supports, brackets, bolts and fittings, etc. should be inspected
5 years after installation and thereafter at intervals of 2 years in respect of surface
protective treatment and structural condition.

Part I - 10
 Part II

Quick Reference Guide

 QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

1. Introduction
This Quick Reference Guide intends to give users a cursory guide of the RIM. Further
reference should be made to the Part I of the RIM for more details.

2. Road Network Hierarchy

2.1 Carriageway Hierarchy

The carriageway classification follows the road types specified in the Transport Planning
and Design Manual (TPDM), Volume 2, Chapter 3.

2.2 Footway Hierarchy

Category No. Category Name Brief Description

1 Footway within Footways within the pedestrianisation
Pedestrianisation schemes initiated by TD
Schemes

2 Footway outside Other footways not classified under

Pedestrianisation Category 1
Schemes

Notes:
(1) A footway may consist of more than one footway section and each footway
section should be assigned an appropriate footway category.
(2) For the purpose of easy naming and location referencing, the start/end of those
footway sections should take into account the start/end of the associated
carriageway if any so that any naming or location referencing to the footway
section could be made with reference to just one associated carriageway.
(3) In order to minimise the potential data maintenance effort of the footway
sections, the recommended minimum length of a footway section should be the
lesser of 100m or the entire length of the footway between the consecutive road
junctions.
(4) The footways within TD’s pedestrianisation schemes can be found on TD’s
website.

3. Categories of Road Defects

Category Brief Description

(i) Hazardous defects requiring urgent attention
(ii) Defects not requiring urgent attention

Part II - 1
4. Types of Road Inspections

Inspections Objectives
Routine To identify defects likely to create a danger or serious
inconvenience to the public
Detailed To establish programmes of routine maintenance tasks, in
project level perspective, not requiring urgent execution

5. Frequencies of Inspections

5.1 Routine Inspections

Feature Category Recommended

Minimum Frequency*
Carriageways Expressway 1-2 days
Trunk Road (Urban) 7 days
Trunk Road (Rural) 7 days
Primary Distributor 1 month
District Distributor 1 month
Local Distributor 3 months
Rural Road 3 months
Feeder Road 6 months
Footways Footway within 1 month
Pedestrianisation
Schemes

Footway outside 3 months

Pedestrianisation
Schemes
Cycle Tracks - 6 months

* As Detailed Inspection (DI) also covers RI items, a DI is also counted as an RI as far

as the inspection frequency is concerned.

Part II - 2
5.2 Detailed Inspections

Inspection Frequencies Defects to be Identified

Items (Months)
Carriageways 6 Flexible Pavement : - cracking,
corrugation, depression, rutting, shoving,
surface deterioration, ravelling, potholes,
and hazardous obstructions

Rigid Pavements : - cracking, joint

stepping, rocking, loss of sealant, spalling,
surface detects, and hazardous
obstructions.

Footways and 6; in conjunction with Defective surface, missing or loose

Cycle Tracks carriageway blocks, defective kerbs, and hazardous
inspections where obstructions
feasible

Covers, Grating, In conjunction with Damaged, misplaced, loosened, or

Frames and carriageway missing items
Boxes inspections

Fences and In conjunction with Damaged, misplaced, loosened or missing

Barriers carriageway items, and ponding/flooding
inspections

Grassed Areas In conjunction with Check if clearance or visibility at

carriageway junctions, roundabouts, bends will be
inspections affected

Road Studs 12; in conjunction Missing or damaged road studs

with carriageway
inspections

Road Marking 12; in conjunction Faded road marking, colour, surface and
with carriageway darkening
inspections

Traffic Signs 24; first DI to start 5 Check colour, serviceability and general
years after installation conditions

Part II - 3
 Part III

Supplementary Notes
 SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

1. Introduction
This Part covers the supplementary notes for the RIM so that the users can have more
comprehensive background knowledge of the road inspection requirements.

2. Road Network Hierarchy

2.1 Highways are major public assets highly valued by the community and their
maintenance attracts a high level of public interest and concern. The starting point for
the development of any realistic policy for highway maintenance must be an
understanding of the nature and extent of the whole highway system. It is obvious that
the more important roads will justify higher maintenance standards. The importance
of a carriageway, footway or cycle track will in turn depend upon its function and the
type, usage and volume of users using it.

2.2 For adopting a coherent road network classification, the carriageway classification
follows that specified in the Transport Planning and Design Manual, Volume 2, Chapter
3, which is different from the MARCH system specified in the previous RIM. For
defining the carriageway types, maintenance offices are recommended to refer to the
Annual Traffic Census published annually by the Transport Department (TD) or other
relevant documents. In case of doubt, the maintenance offices should consult respective
Regional Offices of the TD.

3. Inspections for Routine Maintenance

3.1 Considerable emphasis is placed on the need for formalized inspection systems,
including the types and frequencies of inspections for different types of roads, and the
use of standard report forms which act as a record of inspection and also as a record of
subsequent decisions and actions. The report forms in the Appendices provide the
maintenance offices with a mainframe for designing their inspections forms to suit
their local circumstances. The report form will be used, so far as Detailed Inspections
are concerned, in conjunction with the checklists setting out the items to be inspected
and the defects to be reported.

3.2 The maintenance offices should adopt reasonably consistent and well-defined
approaches in addressing the safety objective, and this is reflected in this manual.
Whilst flexibility for local diversity in the maintenance offices is allowed, the extent of
variations such as the frequencies of routine inspections, types of defects to be
recorded, etc. should be identified and recorded together with the reasons for their
adoption.

3.3 As well as being in the interests of good management and safety, the inspection system
is necessary in order to deal with claims which may arise as a result of alleged defects
on the highway, sometimes after remedial action has been taken and site evidence of
the defect obliterated. In this context, a nil report is as important as a positive report
since experience has shown that oral statements are of little use on their own.

Part III - 1
4. Road Inventory
The inventory of road features under the custody of the maintenance offices is
essential for:
(i) the rational development of the maintenance budget;
(ii) the pre-planning and control of work;
(iii) the understanding of the changing demand, e.g. inclusion of new roads;
(iv) the development of output measures, e.g. cost per gully cleaned.
The maintenance offices should keep proper road inventory records and update them
regularly.

5. Carriageway and Footway

5.1 The need to differentiate between routine and structural maintenance activities for
work which is similar in nature is self-evident. It is usual, before carrying out
resurfacing, to ensure that the underlying road structure is sound. This often requires
repairs to potholes, rutting, open joints, etc., which would otherwise be carried out as
routine maintenance operations. Similar comments apply to other routine maintenance
activities such as repairs to ironwork and kerbs.

5.2 It may therefore be found that defects reported from inspections can be absorbed into
structural repairs due to be carried out within the relevant timescale specified within
this manual. But such structural work will usually be contained within a long term
programme, determined on the basis of overall priorities and the availability of
structural maintenance funds and other resources. These schemes often have to be
deferred and this may make it necessary to carry out the originally identified routine
maintenance repairs at relatively short notice.

5.3 In considering urgent repairs to non-hazardous defects, a balance has to be struck

between the risk of a minor defect developing into a more major item and the cost of
carrying out one-off repairs. This needs to be determined on the merits of individual
cases but it is important that the two options are considered.

5.4 Damage to footways may be caused by commercial vehicles particularly in urban areas
and at road junctions. In seriously affected areas, consideration should be given to the
provision of standard fencing or, alternatively, consideration should be given to
carrying out an improvement scheme to alleviate the problem.

5.5 Cracked pre-cast concrete footway blocks and slabs should not be replaced as a routine
maintenance operation unless there is a need to reset the slab because of some other
defects.

Part III - 2
Appendices
 Appendix A – Routine Road Inspection Report

Highways Department Inspected By : ___________________ Date :

__________________ Region / Division
Seen By : _______________________ Date :
District :
Road :

Locations Defects
C. Carriageway F. Footway/Cycle Track D. Drainage T. Street Furniture M. Miscellaneous

a. Pot holes a. Pot holes a. Ponding Damaged furniture To be specified by

b. Subsided Trench b. Subsidence /flooding protruding into inspectors
c. Hazardous obstructions c. Hazardous obstructions b. Missing carriageway/footway
ironware/cover /cycle track
c. Broken a. guardrails
ironware/cover b. signs/posts
 Appendix B – Example of Routine Inspection Report

ROUTINE INSPECTION
 Appendix B – Example of Routine Inspection Report(Continued)

Highways Department Inspected By : _______Lam____________ Date : ______10-12-2002________

_____KLN__________ Region / Division
Seen By : __________________________ Date : __________________________
District : ___KC____________________
Road : ____________________________

Locations Defects

C. Carriageway F. Footway/Cycle Track D. Drainage T. Street Furniture M. Miscellaneous

a. Pot holes a. Pot holes a. Ponding Damaged furniture To be specified by

b. Subsided Trench b. Subsidence /flooding protruding into inspectors
c. Hazardous obstructions c. Hazardous obstructions b. Missing carriageway/footway
ironware/cover /cycle track
c. Broken a. guardrails
ironware/cover b. signs/posts

11 b

12 b

13 a,b

14 a

15 Bad temporary
Sign/Guard
16 b

17 b

18 b

19 b
 Appendix C - List of Defect Codes

Defect Codes Defect Description

Flexible Carriageway

F.FC Fine cracking

F.BC Block cracking
F.CC Crocodile cracking
F.DC Diagonal cracking
F.LC Longitudinal cracking
F.SC Slippage cracking
F.TC Transverse cracking
F.CR Corrugation
F.DW Depression w/cracks
F.DP Depression w/o cracks
F.RU Rutting
F.SV Shoving
F.FL Flushing
F.PO Polishing
F.RW Ravelling w/creaks
F.RV Ravelling w/o cracks
F.PH Potholes
F.HO Hazardous obstructions
F.AS Anti-skid surface worn

Rigid Carriageway

R.BC Block cracking

R.NC Corner cracking
R.DC Diagonal cracking
R.KC Shrinkage cracking
R.LC Longitudinal cracking
R.TC Transverse cracking
R.SP Joint stepping
R.RK Rocking
R.JS Joint sealant defect
R.SS Surface spalling
R.BX Box-out
R.RV Ravelling
R.TX Loss of textures
R.HO Hazardous obstructions
R.AS Anti-skid surface worn

Drainage

D.G Gully grating damaged, missing, blocked or sunken

D.C Channel cover damaged, missing, blocked or sunken
 Defect Codes Defect Description

D.M Manhole/chamber cover damaged, missing, blocked or sunken

D.P Ponding or flooding

Traffic Signs/Street Furniture

T.BO Bollards
T.CB Crash barrier
T.CC Crash cushion
T.DS Directional sign
T.NP Street name plate
T.PB Profile barrier
T.PP Park meter post
T.RA Railing
T.RM Road marking
T.RS Road stud
T.TS Traffic sign

Kerbs/Footway/Run-in/Cycle Track/Block Paved Carriageway

K.KB Defective kerb

K.CK Crack
K.DP Depression
K.BD Block work defects
K.RV Ravelling
K.UN Uneven
K.HO Hazardous obstructions
K.AS Anti-skid surface worn

Verge

V.DE Deterioration
V.GL Grass too long

Miscellaneous

M.ID Illegal dump

M.UT Unreinstated trench
 Appendix D – Detailed Road Inspection Report

HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT Street Name District File Ref. :

_________REGION/DIVISION ____________________ Date of Inspection :
ROAD MAINTENANCE Section Street Code Inspected by :
DETAILED INSPECTION ____________________ Section Checked by :
Date of Checking :

R. Rigid F. Flexible 7.ravelling D. Drainage/Utilities V. Verge

1.cracking 1.cracking RW w/cracks 1.G gully grating 1.DE deterioration
BC block FC fine<2mm width RV w/o cracks 2.C channel cover 2.GL grass too long
NC corner BC block 8.PH potholes 3.M manhole/chamber cover
DC diagonal CC crocodile 9.HO hazardous obstructions D damaged M. Miscellaneous
KC shrinkage DC diagonal 10. AS anti-skid surface worn M missing 1.ID illegal dump
LC longitudinal LS longitudinal B blocked 2.UT unreinstated trench
TC transverse SC slippage T. Street Furniture/Traffic Signs S sunken
2.SP joint stepping TC transverse 1.BO bollard 4.P ponding/flooding
3.RK rocking 2.CR corrugation 2.CB crash barrier
4.JS Joint sealant defect 3.depression 3.CC crash cushion K. Kerb/Footway/Run-in/
5.spalling DW w/cracks 4.DS directional sign Cycle Track/Block Paved
SS surface DP w/o cracks 5.NP street name plate Carriageway
BX box-out 4.RU rutting 6.PB profile barrier 1.KB defective kerb
6.surface 5.SV shoving 7.PP park meter post D damaged 2.BD Block work defects
RV ravelling 6.surface 8.RA railing M missing 3.surface
TX loss of textures FL flushing 9.RM road marking B bent CK cracks UN sunken
7.HO hazardous PO polishing 10.RS road stud L loose DP depression RV raveling
obstructions 11.TS traffic sign F fade 4.HO hazardous obstructions
8. AS anti-skid surface 5. AS anti-skid surface worn
worn

(Please append road plan below :)

 Appendix E – Example of Detailed Inspection Report

HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT Street Name_Tung Choi St. District ______MK_______ File Ref. : __U21578______
__KLN_ REGION/DIVISION ________________________ Date of
ROAD MAINTENANCE Section Playing Field Rd__ Street Code ___21578_____ Inspection :____24/2/93___
DETAILED INSPECTION to Boundary St.________ Section _______072_____ Inspected by : ___Lam______
Checked by : _____________
Date of Checking : _________

R. Rigid F. Flexible 7.ravelling D. Drainage/Utilities V. Verge

1.cracking 1.cracking RW w/cracks 1.G gully grating 1.DE deterioration
BC block FC fine<2mm width RV w/o cracks 2.C channel cover 2.GL grass too long
NC corner BC block 8.PH potholes 3.M manhole/chamber cover
DC diagonal CC crocodile 9.HO hazardous obstructions D damaged M. Miscellaneous
KC shrinkage DC diagonal 10. AS anti-skid surface worn M missing 1.ID illegal dump
LC longitudinal LS longitudinal B blocked 2.UT unreinstated trench
TC transverse SC slippage T. Street Furniture/Traffic Signs S sunken
2.SP joint stepping TC transverse 1.BO bollard 4.P ponding/flooding
3.RK rocking 2.CR corrugation 2.CB crash barrier
4.JS Joint sealant defect 3.depression 3.CC crash cushion K. Kerb/Footway/Run-in/
5.spalling DW w/cracks 4.DS directional sign Cycle Track/Block Paved
SS surface DP w/o cracks 5.NP street name plate Carriageway
BX box-out 4.RU rutting 6.PB profile barrier 1.KB defective kerb
6.surface 5.SV shoving 7.PP park meter post D damaged 2.BD Block work defects
RV ravelling 6.surface 8.RA railing M missing 3.surface
TX loss of textures FL flushing 9.RM road marking B bent CK cracks UN sunken
7.HO hazardous PO polishing 10.RS road stud L loose DP depression RV raveling
obstructions 11.TS traffic sign F fade 4.HO hazardous obstructions
8. AS anti-skid surface 5. AS anti-skid surface worn
worn

(Please append road plan below :)