An attempt has been made to develop the maintenance management strategy for the highway system. Test sections have been identified in two States. Parameters influencing maintenance management are deflection, rutting, cracking, roughness, potholes and patching. The defects have been identified by visual inspection and measured. Severity level for cracks has been classified as low (crack width <3 mm), moderate (3-6 mm) and high (>6 mm). The other defects have also been assigned to classes. Deflection data has also been collected and used to determine the strengthening requirement on existing roads. A procedure has been developed for correcting/repairing the existing surface. It has been noted that if existing surfaces are corrected at low cost, the strengthening layer will reach the end of its design life without major failure or the need for major investment for further maintenance before the end of the design life of the strengthening layer. It is hoped that the approach discussed in this paper will be useful for better management of highway systems with minimum investment, and will at the same time improve riding quality and the safety of the road structure.
Abstract