International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945

Research Article

SOME STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE

MAINTENANCE OF RURAL ROADS IN INDIA
Agarwal, P. K1* , Singh, A. P. 2

Address for Correspondence

* 1Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of

Technology, Bhopal 462051, India
2
M.Tech (Transportation Engg.), Department of Civil Engineering, Maulana Azad National
Institute of Technology, Bhopal 462051, India
E mail pka9@yahoo.com, ajayps33@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Vast rural road network created recently in India has resulted in increased social and economic benefits all
around. However, these benefits would reduce substantially due to poor maintenance of these created
assets. Thus, in order to reap the benefits of created assets it is essential to maintain the rural road network
in India. Therefore, this study highlights some basic issues for sustainable maintenance of rural roads. This
study also identifies some strategies for rational uses of limited resources available for maintenance,
strategies to provide required level of funding, strategies to strengthen the institutional measures and
strategies for developing data base for sustainable maintenance of rural road network in India. A basic
framework is also presented that can be used for developing a maintenance management system for rural
roads in India. It is expected that the finding of this study will be useful to preserve the benefits of huge
rural road assets created recently in India.
KEY WORDS: Maintenance Strategy, Rural Roads, PMGSY Scheme, Pavement Maintenance.
INTRODUCTION
The rural road network in India is huge and maintenance of these rural roads. Thus, in
with the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak order to reap the benefits of created assets it
Yojna (PMGSY) the road length in rural is essential to maintain this rural road
sector has increased many a fold. Under network. Therefore, this study highlights
PMGSY scheme, over 2.65 million km of some basic issues for sustainable
rural roads have been constructed in India. maintenance of rural roads. This study also
(NHAI, 2010). This huge rural road network identifies some strategies for maintenance of
not only increases the agricultural rural roads in India. It is expected that the
production and the size of markets, but also finding of this study will be useful to
provides better prices for agriculture preserve the benefits of huge rural road
produce, reduction in transport costs and the assets created recently in India.
creation of off-farm employment BASIC ISSUES
opportunities to the rural population in The rural road network in India is operating
India. It also provides access to medical and in vastly different social, economic and
educational facilities in rural areas (Sahoo, climatic environments. Such large network
et.al., 2010). However, these benefits would of rural roads will require even greater
reduce substantially due to poor emphasis on rural road maintenance. The

IJAET/Vol.I/ Issue III/Oct.-Dec.,2010/304-311

 International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945

following points highlight the necessity for
sustainable maintenance of rural roads in
India:
• If timely maintenance is ensured,
the huge investments made in
construction of new roads or up
gradation of roads give the desired
level of service throughout its
design life and beyond. Absence of
timely maintenance results in severe
damages. Restoration works are
very expensive and time consuming.
• Vast rural road network has been
created in India recently under
PMGSY scheme. This has resulted
in increased social and economic
benefits all around. However, these
benefits would reduce substantially
Table 1 Detail of Maintenance Requirements for Rural Roads
due to poor maintenance of these
created assets. Thus, in order to reap
the benefits of created assets it is
essential to maintain this rural road
network in India
• Use of locally available material,
low specifications for their
construction, increasing traffic
loading etc. results in a faster
deterioration of the rural road
network. In turn, this result in
greater demands on maintenance,
viz, more frequent repairs, involving
additional requirement of manpower
and materials, all adding up to
higher resources for maintenance.
The maintenance requirements for
rural roads are given in Table 1.

S. Maintenance Requirements of Maintenance

No. Activity

1. Pavement Provide safe, smooth driving condition, minimize rate of pavement

maintenance deterioration
2. Bridge /Culvert Ensure all bridges and culvert structures are structurally sound, safe
Maintenance smooth driving over deck and expansion joints, maintain structural
integrity.
3. Drainage Provide full capacity of drains at all times to ensure storm water is
maintenance rapidly and efficiently conducted away from road pavement and
structures
4. Traffic signs, Safety of road users, Provide clear information for road users and
Road Marking, are structurally sound provide guidance to drivers and help prevent
Road furniture vehicles running off the road. Provide clear information about
etc. distances and to be structurally sound

5. Vegetation Provide safe driving conditions, maintain visibility, and keep tidy

IJAET/Vol.I/ Issue III/Oct.-Dec.,2010/304-311

 International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology
Deteriorating road conditions, increasing
traffic loading and shrinking resources have
presented a complex challenge to the rural
road agencies for sustainable maintenance of
rural roads (Sood, 1995). The institutional
arrangements required to oversea the
maintenance also requires substantial
improvement. Another challenge can be
attributed to the lack of availability of large
volume of data required for this purpose.
Ven if this data is made available, the
problem is how to manage and access the
data. Therefore, there is a need to identify
strategies to provide required level of
funding, strategies for rational uses of
limited resources available for maintenance,
strategies to strengthen the institutional
measures and strategies for developing data
base for sustainable maintenance of rural
road network in India.
MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES
As highlighted earlier, the main objective of
this study is to identify strategies for
sustainable maintenance of rural roads in
India. The strategies identified during this
study are presented in the following section:
Provide Required Level of Funding
There is a continuous decline in the resource
provisions for maintenance of rural roads in
India. Sufficient funds are not available for
regular maintenance of roads. Hence, timely
maintenance is not being carried out.
Absence of timely maintenance results in
severe damages. Restoration works are very
IJAET/Vol.I/ Issue III/Oct.-Dec.,2010/304-311
E-ISSN 0976-3945
expensive and time consuming. Therefore,
providing required level of funding for
maintenance is very essential. Some of the
measures for funding rural road maintenance
are highlighted as follows:
• An assessment of funds required for
maintenance would be necessary so that
the demand for same could be
incorporated in the annual budget.
• Grants available through finance
commission’s needs to be channelized
for rural road maintenance.
• Raise additional resources by way of
levying a cess to meet the cost of
maintenance of rural roads.
• Capacity building of contractors-same
set of facilities, as is provided to the
contractors carrying out original works,
needs to be extended to contractors
carrying out maintenance work such as
providing plants and machinery etc.
Rational Uses of Limited Resources
It is also necessary that the scarcely
available maintenance resources are utilized
rationally (Agarwal, 2006). Some of the
measures for rational uses of limited
resources are highlighted as follows:
• There is a need to take up right
maintenance by right method at right
time for achieving sustainable
maintenance of rural roads. Therefore,
prioritization of maintenance activities
should be carried out so as to make use
 International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945

of available maintenance resources in a • The rural road network should not be

rational manner (Agarwal, 2006). seen in isolation, the entire road network
• Scarcely available maintenance fund maintenance should be planned properly
should not be utilize for works of capital with an appropriate maintenance
nature. The up gradation or management system. A basic framework
strengthening of roads, repair of roads as presented in Figure 1 can be used for
damaged by natural calamities should developing such a maintenance
not be carried out from the available management system.
funds.

Figure 1: Basic Framework for Proposed Maintenance Management System

Table 2 Threshold Limits of Performance Indicators for Rural Roads

Riding quality Roughness Average depth Rut Average Longitudinal
IRI(m/Km) (mm) Depression (mm)
Very good < 4.5 <2 <3
Good 4.5-5.5 2-5 3-4
Fair 5.5-6.7 5-13 4-5.5
Poor 6.7-8.5 13-25 5.5-7.3
Very poor >8.5 >25 >7.3

IJAET/Vol.I/ Issue III/Oct.-Dec.,2010/304-311

 International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945

The rural road maintenance management • There is a need to monitor the projected
requires data about the distress condition of requirement of funds and its availability,
the rural road network and its deterioration, checking out the physical and financial
performance standards and resources progress of works as per the annual
required for selecting appropriate maintenance plan as well as quality of
maintenance strategies, conducting a work carried out by the field units
network level ranking and estimating through maintenance contractors. A set
maintenance budget. Once the critical items of performance indicators could also be
are found rural road Maintenance prepared so as to ensure that essential
Management System will actually select the features of the maintenance are not lost
optimum maintenance strategies for sight of. The threshold limits of various
improving the overall condition of the rural performance indicators are given in
road network.(Hass,et.al.,1994). Table 2 (Sahoo, et. al., 2010, Qiu. et. al.,
Strengthen the Institutional Measures 2000). These limits can be used as
There is a need to institutionalize rural road terminal condition for different riding
maintenance with sufficient dedicated qualities for rural roads.
funding, scientific planning and appropriate Developing Data Base
institutional development. Some of the Another major constraint in sustainable
measures to institutionalize rural road maintenance of rural roads is the
maintenance are highlighted as follows: requirement of huge maintenance data to be
• There is a need to develop a dedicated obtained from the road network which is
planning cell to oversee the follow up largely geographical spread. And, even if the
actions required for data collection, data becomes available, the problem remains
assessment of funds, development of how to access and manage this huge data. If
contract documents, timely call of this data is systematically documented by
tenders and award of work, timely developing information system, it will be
release of funds, preparation of annual highly useful for managing rural roads
maintenance plan etc. network maintenance. However, using
• There is a need to develop an effective standards methods it is often difficult to
mechanism for monitoring so that the determine what information is valuable,
status of maintenance activity being what trends are present and what decisions
implemented is available. There is need are correct. Considering the complications in
for strengthening the institutional developing, updating and processing road
measures to keep a track of the related information there is a need to adopt
maintenance activities and list out areas new concepts of information technology for
where no action is being taken or only design and development of rural road
partial action is being taken. network maintenance management system.
Adoption of Geographic Information
IJAET/Vol.I/ Issue III/Oct.-Dec.,2010/304-311
 International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology
Systems (GIS) into this area, can tackle
many of these limitations
(www.gisdevelopment.net).
GIS can plays an important and efficient
role in rural road maintenance management
and support all activities from planning,
analysis and decision making. Therefore;
necessary GIS based database and a GIS
Platform should be created for rural roads in
India. Various advantages of using GIS in
Rural road maintenance management are
identified and can be summarized as follows
(Lee. et. al., 1996):
• Many rural road agencies are now able
to use GIS due to falling cost and GIS
increasing overfriendliness.
• GIS is a logical approach for rural road
maintenance management where rural
road maintenance data such as pavement
condition data etc can be maintained by
location. A vast amount of data is
required to characterize and entire rural
road network and the data are
continuously being updated or changed
as rural road pavement deteriorates or is
rehabilitated. A GIS can provide an
integrated tool set for managing this
information [Lee et al, 1996]. Thus, GIS
is useful to store and access the wide
range of data (i.e. rural road network
data, various distress condition, traffic,
materials, design, maintenance,
rehabilitation etc.) needed in rural road
maintenance management and
graphically displays the current
condition of the network and future
condition projection.
IJAET/Vol.I/ Issue III/Oct.-Dec.,2010/304-311
E-ISSN 0976-3945
• Rural road component information can
be stored in the GIS data base by
location and attribute so that it can be
inventoried and identified for
maintenance. GIS can rapidly retrieve
attribute data from the rural road data
base and automatically generate maps to
meet specific needs such as identifying
maintenance locations. GIS is a logical
approach for managing rural road
maintenance programmes, whereby
analysis of rural road sections
descriptions and section deficiency
could be maintained by location.
• Innovative analysis allows for new ways
to look at old problems by combining
models with ‘what if’ analysis to
provide answers to complex,
multidimensional questions quickly. A
GIS can display deficient sections, can
group sections by deficiencies, can be
used to build projects through spatial
selection, and can compute impacts of
various maintenance strategies.
• Allocation of resources for maintenance
may be made on the basis of lane-
kilometers in a geographic area and
corresponding condition ratings. Rural
road maintenance management system
based on GIS will thus make more
equitable distribution of resources and a
more visual medium for maintenance
management of huge rural road network
in India. The multiple functionality
afforded by GIS distinguishes it from
older technologies. The geo-
visualization capability, analytical
 International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945

capability, integration of multiple levying a cess, capacity building of

functionalities within one environment, contractors for maintenance etc.
and database management features are o It is also necessary that the scarcely
some of the special features what makes available maintenance resources are
GIS a system different from any other. utilized rationally. Some of the
These aspects of GIS technology are the measures for rational uses of limited
decisive criteria to adopt it for rural road resources are prioritization of
maintenance management systems. maintenance activities, scarcely
CONCLUSIONS available maintenance fund should not
Some of the important conclusions drawn be utilize for works of capital nature,
from the present study can be summarized development of appropriate maintenance
as follows: management system for rural roads in
• Road network has resulted in increased India etc. A basic framework for
social and economic benefits in rural development of such maintenance
India. However, these benefits would management system for rural road is
reduce substantially due to lack of also presented.
maintenance of rural roads. Thus, in o There is a need to institutionalize rural
order to reap the benefits of created road maintenance with sufficient
assets it is essential to maintain the rural dedicated funding, scientific planning
road network. and appropriate institutional
• This study identifies some strategies for development. Some of the measures to
sustainable maintenance of rural roads institutionalize rural road maintenance
in India like strategies to provide are to develop a dedicated planning cell,
required level of funding, strategies for to develop an effective mechanism for
rational uses of limited resources, monitoring of maintenance activity
strategies to strengthen the institutional being implemented etc.
measures and strategies for developing o Another major constraint in sustainable
data base for sustainable maintenance of maintenance of rural roads is the
rural road network in India. requirement of huge maintenance data to
o Absence of timely maintenance results be obtained from the road network
in severe damages. Therefore, providing which is largely geographical spread
required level of funding for considering the complications in
maintenance is very essential. Some of developing, updating and processing
the measures identified for funding rural road related information there is a need
road maintenance are proper assessment to adopt new concepts of information
of funds required for maintenance, to technology for design and development
raise additional resources by way of of rural road network maintenance
management system. Adoption of
IJAET/Vol.I/ Issue III/Oct.-Dec.,2010/304-311
 International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Ministry of Rural Development, GOI,

New Delhi, 2010. pp 34-39.
into this area, can tackle many of these
• www.gisdevelopment.net, site accessed
limitations. GIS can plays an important in March, 2010
and efficient role in rural road
maintenance management and support
all activities from planning, analysis and
decision making. Therefore; necessary
GIS based database and a GIS Platform
should be created for rural roads in
India.
REFERENCES
• Agarwal, P.K., “Road Condition
Evaluation, Prioritization and Optimal
Resource Allocation for Rural road
Maintenance at Network Level,” Ph. D.
thesis, Department of Civil
Engineering, IIT Kanpur, Kanpur,
2006
• Haas, R., Hudson, W. R. and
Zaniewski, J, “Modern Pavement
Management,’’ Krieger Publishing
company, Malabar, Florida USA 1994.
• Lee, H.N., Jitprasithsiri, S., Lee, H., and
Sorcic, R.G., “Development of
Geographic Information System –
Based Pavement Management System
for Salt Lake City”, Transportation
research record 1524, TRB, National
Research Council, Washington, D.C.,
1996, pp. 16-24.
• NHAI,http://www.nhai.org/road
netwok.htm,website of National
Highway Authority of India, 2010.
• Qiu, Y., Dennis, N.D. and Elliott,
R.P.,(2000) “Design Criteria for
Pavement Deformation of Sub grade
Soils in Flexible Pavements for Low
Volume Roads,” Journal of the Japanese
Geotechnical Society of Soils and
Foundations, Vol.40, No.1, pp.1-10
• Sood, V.K. “Rural Road Maintenance
Strategy- An Overview,” proceeding
ICORT 1995, Department of Civil
Engineering, University of Roorkee,
1995
• Sahoo, U.C., Reddy, M.A. and Reddy,
K.S.,(2010), “Rational Design Criteria
for Sustainable Rural Roads,” Grameen
Sampark, News Letter, National Rural
Road Development Agency (NRRDA),

IJAET/Vol.I/ Issue III/Oct.-Dec.,2010/304-311