Almost everyone uses or is influenced by roadways. Individual roads improve accessibility to markets and services by facilitating transportation services and lowering travel and trade expenses. Roads are the primary form of transportation for both freight and passengers in the majority of countries. Road networks have grown, and freight and passenger transit will continue to increase with the increase in motorization.
Issues in Road Maintenance work:
- Traffic Interruptions
Only staff and necessary personnel are permitted on typical closed construction sites. Unfortunately, when it comes to road repair, this is not always the case. People may need to drive past the area to go to their destination or home, and if the site is unmanned, you risk someone arriving and harming or ruining the effort you have accomplished (not to mention trying to steal or vandalize property left onsite for the next day).
- Off-Hour work and visibility issues
Road maintenance work is frequently conducted during off-hours. As a result of the reduced visibility, employees are more likely to be involved in an accident or get an injury. This may be addressed by providing more illumination, reflective clothing like vests and caps, and more signage alerting passing motorists to the presence of employees.
Another issue is equipment visibility. Although massive construction equipment, such as a roller or backhoe, may appear difficult to overlook, there is a larger danger that a vehicle may not see them and crash them if they are parked on the side of the road at night during off-hours. These dangers raise major liability concerns.
- Weather Changes
Climate change and extreme weather events pose a serious risk to the safety, dependability, efficacy, and long-term viability of road maintenance activities. Tsunami waves, wildfires, floods, and storms pose a significant risk to passengers, cars, and commodities, as well as the equipment and the labor involved in the road maintenance work. Because dependable road transportation is a critical engine of economic growth and social well-being across the world, national road authorities and highway operators must modify infrastructure to maintain highways in harsh weather conditions.
- Economy and Cost Effectiveness
Road ways are one of the most expensive travel modes to maintain and operate. Road maintenance works require huge capital and a lot of resources in terms of manpower, blockage of traffic and heavy equipment and raw materials.
Road maintenance involves 3 types of maintenance works, Routine maintenance, Periodic and Emergency maintenance. While good quality road materials and road development will ensure lower cost in the upkeep of roadways. However budget allocation and ensuring the road maintenance works continues on a timely basis is one of the biggest hurdles in road maintenance.
Maintaining roads and other infrastructure networks and ensuring that they are long-lasting is a difficult endeavor. There are several elements that can impact the structural integrity of the systems we rely on every day, ranging from higher dynamic loads and harsh weather conditions to ground subsidence and settlement.
However, for the growth and development of the nation, it is important to ensure timely, economical and good quality road maintenance.