Outcome Indicators

One of the key indicators of the effectiveness of road maintenance management is the condition of the road surface, which may be assessed on the basis of aggregate road surface condition indicators, upon data gathered in SOSN, SOSN-B and SOPO systems.

Individual parameters of the road surface condition are obtained by means of automatic measurements and semi-automatic visual assessment, and they are referred to a four-grade classification (see table 17). The results are published every year in a report.

The report for the year 2010 for the first time contains a comprehensive presentation of the technical condition of the national road network, i.e. it was extended by an analysis of the technical condition of shoulders and road drainage,

the condition of which affects the pace of road surface deterioration.

Commencing from the second half of 2011, measurements of the technical condition of road surface will be carried out twice a year. The plan is to use radar techniques (penetrating radars) to recognise and continuously monitor changes to the construction of road surfaces, which will also facilitate gathering additional information about the road and its condition (transverse and longitudinal road evenness, coefficient of friction, bending).

Comparison of the change in the value of road surface condition index in a good, unsatisfactory and poor condition in the years 2004-2010 (Figure 15) shows that positive, notable effects of national road management in Poland were achieved. In the analysed period, the length of roads in good condition grew on average on the national scale from 45.5% to 59.1%, i.e. by 13.6 percentage points.

Nonetheless, over 40% of roads are in an unsatisfactory or poor condition, which means that they require repairs of various kinds.

Nearly half of the repavement needs are of immediate nature, and the other half should be scheduled for completion in the short-term of several years. The condition of national road surface differs in individual voivodships (Figure 16), both in terms of total immediate needs, as well as in terms of individual operations carried out.

Road Surface Condition Indicators

Effectiveness of National Roads Maintenance Management by GDDKiA

For instance, ruts occur mainly in the majority of central and eastern voivodships, and poor anti-skid properties are recorded particularly in southern and eastern voivodships and in Wielkopolskie (GDDKiA, Report on the Technical Condition of the National Road Network at the End of 2010).

Table 17. Road surface condition indicators according to SOSN for repavement purposes

Road Category Road Surface

Condition Outcome indicator

Total repavement

needs A category –

good condition New and repaved road surfaces which do not require repairs

Relationship of the network length in a good condition to the total length of network (%) B category – NO

Relationship of the length of network in an unsatisfactory condition to the total length of network (%)

Relationship of the length of network in a poor condition to the total length of network (%) – indicator of immediate repavement needs Source: based on GDDKiA materials.

At the same time, a comparison of levels of average maintenance expenses per one kilometre of national roads and changes to the value of the road surface condition index for surfaces in a poor condition in individual voivodships points to a correlation between the expenses borne and effects achieved (Figure 17). The highest improvement of the road surface condition index for surfaces in a poor condition was achieved in voivodships, where the average annual level of maintenance expenses per one kilometre of road in the years 2004-2010 turned out to be over the national average (i.e. 110 thousand PLN/km):

Świętokrzyskie, Małopolskie, Mazowieckie, Śląskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie and Łódzkie. Lubuskie is an exception as at the end of 2010 it was characterised by the lowest percentage of roads in a poor condition in Poland (below 11%).

Effectiveness of National Roads Maintenance Management by GDDKiA

Figure 15. Surface condition of national roads in 2004-2010

2004

Good condition Unsatisfactory condition Poor condition Source: based on GDDKiA reports on the technical condition of the national road network.

Figure 16. Surface condition of national roads in voivodships (2010)

Source: GDDKiA, Report on the Technical Condition of the National Road Network at the End of 2010, Warsaw, January 2011, p. 13.

Effectiveness of National Roads Maintenance Management by GDDKiA

Figure 17. Surface condition of national roads and the average level of maintenance expenditure in 2004-2010 in voivodships

Source: own.

According to GDDKiA estimates at the end of 2010, the total needs for repavement of the national road network that is the required funding to eliminate sections in poor or unsatisfactory condition on the entire road network, amounts to PLN 7.7 billion. What is more, the current expansion of the road network (by approx. 3.2 thousand km) will result in the necessity to increase maintenance expenses by about 7% in relation to the present needs (which should not be confused with the present level of financing). Nevertheless, under constraints of the state budget, the new Programme of National Road Construction (January 2011) earmarks approx. PLN 3 billion annually on average to maintenance of national roads in the years 2011-2013.

For the time being calculation of outcome indicators for road user service (quality of travel, traffic hindrances, response time) is not possible owing to the lack of relevant data.

warmińsko-mazurskie świętokrzyskie

change in share of roads in a poor condition (percentage points) Percentage of roads in good condition (2010):

expenses (thousands PLN)/km of roads

80

4. National Road Maintenance