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Road Resilience Chapter 1

Road networks are essential for economic connectivity but face deterioration due to inadequate maintenance strategies. The document outlines three maintenance paradigms: Corrective, Preventive, and Predictive, highlighting the advantages of a data-driven approach for proactive interventions. A shift to predictive maintenance can significantly improve road safety, extend infrastructure life, and reduce costs, necessitating institutional readiness and strategic alignment for successful implementation.

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9 views3 pages

Road Resilience Chapter 1

Road networks are essential for economic connectivity but face deterioration due to inadequate maintenance strategies. The document outlines three maintenance paradigms: Corrective, Preventive, and Predictive, highlighting the advantages of a data-driven approach for proactive interventions. A shift to predictive maintenance can significantly improve road safety, extend infrastructure life, and reduce costs, necessitating institutional readiness and strategic alignment for successful implementation.

Uploaded by

hoangcaoto
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 1 – Understanding Road

Maintenance Paradigms
1.1 Roads as Critical Public Infrastructure
Road networks are the arteries of modern economies. They connect people to jobs,
education, and healthcare; enable the movement of goods; and underpin social cohesion
and national development. Yet in many parts of the world, roads are deteriorating faster
than they are being maintained. This growing crisis is not only technical but also
institutional and financial — and requires a new way of thinking.

In an era of climate volatility, rapid urbanization, and constrained public budgets, how we
maintain our roads is as important as how we build them. Maintenance is no longer a
background task—it is the front line of resilience.

1.2 The Three Paradigms of Maintenance


Public road agencies traditionally follow one of three maintenance strategies: Corrective,
Preventive, and Predictive.

🔧 Corrective Maintenance (Reactive)


Interventions are made after a problem is reported or observed (e.g., a pothole or surface
failure). Typically results in higher costs, user complaints, and reduced safety. Common in
under-resourced municipalities.

Policy Insight: While corrective maintenance is unavoidable in emergencies, relying on it


exclusively signals institutional underperformance and risk misallocation of funds.

Preventive Maintenance (Scheduled)


Interventions are based on expected lifecycles or calendar schedules (e.g., resurfacing every
5 years). Helps reduce long-term costs and service disruptions. Still may over-maintain
good roads and miss unexpected degradation.

Policy Insight: Preventive maintenance is a step forward, but may still rely heavily on
assumptions, not real-world conditions.

🧠 Predictive Maintenance (Data-Driven)


Uses real-time or historical data and algorithms to predict failure before it occurs. Inputs
may include: surface roughness (IRI), cracking data, traffic load, weather patterns, and even
satellite imagery. Enables targeted, timely, and cost-effective interventions.

Policy Insight: Predictive maintenance allows governments to “do more with less.” It
maximizes ROI, improves safety, and aligns with performance-based infrastructure
management.
1.3 Common Pavement Condition Metrics
Understanding what makes a road “fail” is central to any maintenance strategy. Here are the
primary indicators used globally:

- IRI (International Roughness Index): Measures smoothness of the road (higher IRI =
bumpier).
- PCI (Pavement Condition Index): Composite score based on multiple distress types.
- Cracking, Rutting, Potholes: Visual or sensor-based inspections.
- Skid Resistance: Measures tire-road friction.

[Placeholder for illustration: Examples of cracking, rutting, potholes with labels]

1.4 Why This Paradigm Shift Matters


Reactive World vs Predictive World comparison:
- Citizens report problems vs Systems detect them early
- Funding arrives post-failure vs Investment planned proactively
- Data collected occasionally vs Data is continuous and integrated
- Repairs interrupt traffic vs Interventions optimized for timing

A predictive maintenance strategy is not just a technical upgrade—it is a policy


reorientation. It shifts responsibility from firefighting to foresight.

1.5 Road Maintenance in the Global Context


A 2022 World Bank study found that 60% of road infrastructure in low- and middle-income
countries is in “poor or very poor” condition. In developed countries, aging infrastructure
and deferred maintenance create fiscal pressure. Predictive maintenance can:

- Extend road life by 30–40%


- Reduce reactive repair costs by 50%
- Improve safety outcomes

[Placeholder for bar chart: Cost comparison of reactive vs preventive vs predictive


maintenance]

1.6 Institutional Readiness and Strategic Alignment


Predictive maintenance is not plug-and-play. It requires:
- Sensor and data infrastructure
- Analytical capabilities
- Inter-agency coordination
- KPI tracking and outcome-based evaluation

Policy Insight: Institutional readiness is the #1 predictor of predictive maintenance success


—not budget or tech access.
Conclusion
This chapter laid the foundation for understanding how road maintenance strategies differ
— and why predictive approaches are the future of infrastructure management. The next
chapters will explore the technologies, data sources, case studies, and policy frameworks
that can enable resilient, intelligent, and sustainable road systems.

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