AP to build digital profile of 41,000 km road network in the state

The state intends to create a management system that will help prioritise improvement and maintenance of its roads

The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to capture the data and physical profile of 41,000-km road network in the state by using multi-purpose high technology network survey vehicles of the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB).

This exercise is meant for the creation of a state level road management system in the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department to help prioritise the works for improvment and maintenance of roads, according to the government.

These vehicles, first of its kind in India, will be used for collection of high-quality data on asset related parameters of the R&B roads, including the road carriage width, shoulder width besides boundaries and locations of bridges and culverts among other things. It also captures pavement conditions like potholes, cracks, edge breaking, rutting, road surface undulation etc.

The data will be gathered by ARRB vehicles fitted with digital laser profilers, cameras, GPS system, crack detection equipment and data acquisition system. The entire exercise will be completed in six months, the government said.

The initiative, which comes in line with the formation of the AP Road Management System, is being taken up with the loan assistance of the World Bank .

The road management system will be utilised to generate various outputs such as annual road condition reports and road maintenance and improvement plans among other things.