In European terms, France's road network is very dense. It consists of 1700 km of state-run motorways and 4500 km of motorways privately run, as well as 28,000 km of Class A roads and 350,000 km of Class B roads. Since 1980 traffic has increased by at least 4 percent per year nationwide, which has led to increased maintenance and improvement needs. During the same period the budget has stagnated and maintenance personnel have been reduced by from 1 to 1.6 percent per year. The administration has therefore had to rethink its maintenance methods in terms of technology, staffing, and organisation. In this paper the present organisation and role of the Public Works Administration are traced, the main evolution of road maintenance in France is outlined, and technical reports of other French experts are summarised.
Abstract