The road transportation sector plays a crucial role in accessing the growth of any country. India is a country with the second largest road network in the world. Out of the total stretch of 5.4 million km of the road network, almost 97,991 km is covered by national highways. Though enormous types of roads are available in India, low volume village roads connecting small villages with each other and also with other categories of roads play a vital role in the economic growth of the country as such class of roads establish direct linkages with agricultural and production sectors.
Even though the Government of India (GoI) is investing huge amounts of money on road construction every year, poor control over the quality of road construction and its subsequent maintenance is leading to faster road deterioration. Many roads after pavement are either deserted or rarely used; failing to give a substantial return for the put resources and investment. During the implementation of a construction project, the meticulous “Project Evaluation” at the beginning loses much of its importance during the latter stages because of various uncertainties related to the environment resulting in varying degrees of cost overruns.
In this regard, it is essential that scientific procedures are evolved for predicting if the construction of a new road will be beneficial in traffic diversion and traffic intensity reduction . This will ensure resources are allocated and utilized highly productively with high returns. Even though many scientific models are available for assessing the performance of flexible pavements, cost estimation, maintenance schedules, etc. very few exist if any to determine if new construction is even required. This project aims to fill that gap and develop a prediction and analysis model for the same.
The project will help analyze traffic intensity and flow; enabling us to predict where to construct new roads resulting in reduced traffic overload, lower travel time, and sustainable infrastructure.
