India
NHAI launches rating system for contractors to tackle poor highway maintenance – Times of India
The scores and ratings will be based on an objective assessment of five key parameters: roughness, potholes, rut depth, surface cracks, patchwork and fraying (loosening of coarse aggregate on the surface). They will be uploaded on the NHAI website and social media handles, which, officials said, are aimed at encouraging contractors to improve their performance.
The focus on highway maintenance has gained significance as approximately 95,000 km of national highways and expressways have been widened or constructed in the past decade.
NHAI will deploy Network Survey Vehicles (NSVs) equipped with cameras and sensors on the NH network to assess the condition. Officials said the NSVs will capture details of every 100 meters of the NH and the data will be automatically transferred to a central database for processing and actions within 48 hours.
Officials said that to start with, 21,000 km of network will be covered under NHAI and in the next phase, another 24,000 km will be brought under this regime. They added that the NSVs will cover each NH route once in six months.
TOI has learned that seven to eight NSVs are currently deployed for collecting and entering data into the system, but so far this was done manually. “In the new system, we will have no manual intervention as the 3D details are captured by cameras and sensors. This data is transferred seamlessly and processed within 10 days. The system then generates notifications for the contractors involved to take corrective action. Color codes are used for faster action. We have also deployed specialized manpower for this,” said an official.
Sources said if the contractors fail to improve the road condition within the specific timeline, NHAI will carry out improvements and recover costs from such players.
