Mulungushi University

Department of Engineering
CIE 462 – Transportation Planning & ENGINEERING
(Pre-requisite – CIE 435 – HIGHWAY ENGINEERING)
FIFTH Year 1st Semester– Civil
Engineering

Lecturer: Frank Mwangilwa

BEng (Civil), MSc Eng. (Struct), MSc. (Arch. & Civ), MEIZ, R.Eng.
 Road authorities have an obligation to plan, design, construct and
maintain the road network, to protect the public investment in the
road infrastructure, to ensure the continued functionality of the
transportation system and to promote the safety of traffic on the
road network. \

 Authorities also have the obligation to provide a reliable, effective,

efficient and integrated transport system that supports the
sustainable economic and social development of the country

 A Road Asset Management System involves an all-encompassing

systems approach to road infrastructure asset management.
“Worst First” Approach

Pavement Management approach

Zambian roads are normally very sensitive to moisture ingress,
preventive maintenance is regarded as being of utmost importance in
order to retard deterioration and preserve asset values. Road users and
other stakeholders are normally unaware of these preventive needs and
related activities and are more concerned with factors that influence
them more directly such as potholes, mobility, access and proper
provision of public transport.

Requirements from Stake Holders include;

Maintaining the condition of road assets to their required level of service;
Providing comfort and convenience to transportation system users;
Minimizing the likelihood of being injured or killed, or experiencing
property damage, when using the road transportation system (safety)
Requirements from Stake Holders include
Maintaining the condition of road assets to their required level of
service;
Providing comfort and convenience to transportation system users;
Minimizing the likelihood of being injured or killed, or experiencing
property damage, when using the road transportation system (safety)
Improving reliability by reducing variation in origin-destination trip
times due to congestion, incidents and road closures;
Enhancing accessibility by improving the ability of landowners to
reach their land, and travellers to reach their destinations, on the
public road network;
Reducing the effect of the transportation system on the environment;
The development and implementation of asset management takes
time. As the systems approach is developed and implemented, its
usefulness and value will increase provided the staff and service
providers that are involved develop their skills in concert with the
various elements contained within the system
The scale of maturity of asset management within any organization
can be grouped in 4 stages
1) Initiative
2) Proficient
3) Advanced
4) Excellence
 The maturity scale and table is a very useful tool for evaluating
the road authority’s current capability in all areas of asset
management and for deciding what to improve next.
Advancement in maturity is typically step-by-step along the scale
 It is very difficult to skip maturity steps. For example, forecasting
capabilities can only be developed if the road authority has
confidence in its data on current condition and performance

 Typically, the time taken to develop high levels of excellence in

asset management can be anywhere between 5 and 10 years
 Asset Management involves a broad range of
principles, concepts and processes that help
to translate organizational objectives into
decisions and actions on assets, to achieve
the objectives.
 A road asset management system takes all of
the requirements for asset management into
account, also the ‘enablers’ (organization,
people and information) and ‘capabilities’ (risk
management, performance evaluation and
improvement).
 All roads and related infrastructure represent fixed assets that
must form part of a fixed asset register.
 All roads and related fixed assets must be properly identified in
accordance with an agreed system that is decided upon within
the context of the available budgetary and human resources.
 In respect of rural roads the asset is identified by its road number
and start and end kilometers while bridge assets are normally
identified by a bridge number.
 In respect of municipal roads and streets, the asset is identified
by a street name and its from and to description that
unambiguously describes the asset. Its length must also be
recorded. Bridges in urban areas are also identified by the bridge
number.
 A road remains in the fixed assets register for as long as its
physical existence can be verified, its ownership is verified
through appropriate proclamations and it is able to provide a
reasonable level of service.
 Infrastructure assets generally have a clear
hierarchical relationship. The purpose of the asset
hierarchy is to provide the road authority with the
framework in which data is collected, information is
reported, and decisions are made.
 Road asset managers need to ensure they understand
the definition of what an asset is and what an
appropriate hierarchy is, before embarking on any
asset register development or enhancement.
 Each Asset type can be allocated various component types. Each
component type is further subdivided by means of Engineering
type and standards that are used to identify the type of material or
equipment used in the component and the type of inspection that
will be carried out as well as its unit cost and expected useful life
 Assets must be valued regularly to determine their
current replacement value and depreciated
replacement value and to use these values in financial
reporting and to assist in determining when assets or
their components should be replaced or rehabilitated.
 In the case of road assets the Current Replacement
Cost (CRC) should provide a fair and reasonable
value of what it would cost to replace the asset based
on recent construction cost of similar assets.
USAGE AND CONDITION DATA
 Functional performance, pavement
deterioration and long-term structural
performance is a function of the road usage
in terms of traffic volume, loading and speed
on each link of the road network.
 The main goal of capturing road usage data
on a road network is to have objective,
comprehensive and up-to-date traffic data
on the entire road network that can be used
for road planning and management; and to
obtain this information in a cost-effective
manner
 Traffic volume: Traffic volume is reported in terms of the Average
Annual Daily Traffic (AADT). The AADT is a processed and
aggregated parameter based on detailed traffic counts assembled
over a longer period. It is a record of the total count in both directions
at one or more points on a link.
 Axle load: Axle load data is collected with appropriate measuring
techniques based on visual observation, a combination of visual
observations and in-motion vehicle weighing, or in-motion vehicle
weighing, as described in TRH 16 and TMH 3.
 The data is processed and aggregated either into the actual number
of vehicle types or into the percentage heavy vehicles counted on the
road, and are often used to estimate the cumulative or annual
number of equivalent standard axle loads (ESALs) carried. This is
also referred to as the equivalent 80 kN axle loads or E80s. ESALs
or E80s are normally reported in one direction but can be reported
separately for each direction of travel.
Traffic growth: Traffic growth is derived from past data and other
economic and demographic forecasts. It is important input data for
estimating the future performance of the facility. Since the derivation of
traffic growth relies on past road usage data, it is important that such
data are available and can be extracted from the road authority’s
Traffic Information System (TIS).

Passenger movements: Passenger movements (total in both

directions) are a useful indicator of public transport. The only reliable
way to measure this objectively would be to stop each bus, taxi and
car on the road link and count the number of passengers. Since this is
not feasible, sampling therefore involves estimating the number of
passengers per bus and taxi and counting the number of buses and
taxis in the traffic stream at each count station.
(i) Understanding overall traffic movements on the entire road network
for management and planning;
(ii) (ii) Understanding of levels of service being provided to road users
and utilisation of the road network;
(iii) (iii) Early identification of roads with volumes approaching capacity
that will require upgrading;
(iv) (iv) Understanding the axle weight movements on the road network in
order to carry out pavement analyses to determine remaining life; (
(v) v) Understanding public transport movements on the road network in
order to provide suitable facilities to support and encourage public
transport;
(vi) (vi) Use of network counts to assist in planning regional and area
road upgrading strategies and how to obtain best value for money in
this process;
(vii) (vii) Understanding of traffic movements on gravel roads where such
movements have a major influence on maintenance and upgrading
strategies;.
(i) The evaluation of the condition of an asset is an evolving science.
The visual rating of the condition of road pavements, for example,
has played a significant role in Pavement Management Systems
and is now playing an equally important role in generalized asset
management.
(ii) All ratings need to be harmonized to be comparable and
compatible with engineering judgement and user perceptions.
Certain ratings consider, for example, only degrees of distress
while others may consider the degree and extent of distress while
yet others may rate the overall condition directly.
(iii) The more complex the asset and its condition rating the more it is
necessary to make use of ratings of individual distress
manifestations or other parameters to ensure more objectivity and
to improve reproducibility and repeatability.
Two Types of Performance Measures

1) Functional Performance Measures

2) Structural Indicators
1) Functional Performance Measures
Functional performance measures such as road
roughness, rutting and cracking are used as
measures, or indicators, of long-term pavement
performance.
Road roughness, as a functional performance
measure, has the distinct advantage of being
objectively measured by a standardized
measuring device, unlike some pavement
performance indices
2) Structural Indicators
Some form of structural performance indicator is
needed to assess this aspect of pavement
performance. While visible surface distress is a
useful indicator of surface functional condition, it
does not give any direct indication of structural
condition. For example, surface cracking is
indistinguishable from full depth structural
cracking and sub-surface cracking is not visible
from the surface
2) Structural Indicators
Structural capacity can be reduced either
gradually or rapidly by the unplanned increased
passage of traffic load (equivalent standard
axles, ESAs) over time, and rapidly by local
shearing failure of the pavement from increased
axle loads.
Road agencies have also increasingly decided
to include the structural condition of pavements
as a performance indicator for reporting asset
condition, and in specific cases for monitoring
contractor managed pavements on behalf of the
road agency.
 Data obtained from mechanical and electronic surveillance
measurements is normally more objective than visual ratings
provided the equipment is properly calibrated, operated and
maintained. Advances in electronic devices, sensors,
computer technology and data storage capability, have made
it relatively easy, fast and economical to collect large
quantities of condition data at network level using automated
devices.
 Condition data is updated or collected at regular intervals.
The frequency of data collection may vary, reflecting the
significance of the asset, its expected life and financial
constraints of the asset owner and managing road authority.
Collection of condition data as a time series is also important
in determining deterioration rates.
 Road Roughness
 Road roughness, or roughness, is the term used to describe the
relative degree of comfort or discomfort experienced by a road
user when using the road (i.e. riding quality).
 Roughness is an important parameter to monitor since it directly
relates to the experience of road users in respect of the pavement
and also reflects pavement condition and road safety. As such,
roughness serves as a collective measure of several aspects of
road condition, including rutting, cracking, potholes, local failures
and undulations
 Road Roughness
 Response Type Measurement is used to directly measure the
response of a measurement vehicle to a travelled section of
road.(TMH 13)
 Road Roughness The details of the IRI calculation are specified
in ASTM E1926-98. This standard provides background to the IRI
calculation and provides computer source code for calculating the
IRI from a measured profile.
 Rutting
 Rutting is the longitudinal permanent deformation that occurs in
the wheel paths of flexible pavements.
 Skid Resistance and Texture
 Skid resistance is a measure of the ability of a road surface to
prevent a vehicle’s tyres from sliding whilst the vehicle performs
typical manoeuvres such as turning or braking. Since skid
resistance plays a role in determining how a vehicle will respond
to sudden braking or turning at speed, it is related to road safety
and accident frequency. As such, it is one of the most important
features to monitor as part of road network surveillance
operations.
 The texture of a road surface significantly influences the friction
(i.e. energy loss) that develops between tyre and road surface
and which can prevent skidding or can rapidly slow down a
vehicle when needed.
Pavement Deflections
Deflection measurements are used to monitor the structural
condition of pavements. It is aimed at assessing the structural
integrity of pavements and their ability to carry traffic loading, given
the environment in which these pavements operate.
The outcomes of these surveys provide information on structural
inadequacies and, together with historical data and performance
modelling techniques, also provide information on the remaining
useful life of the asset