Financial Times

Road construction standards should meet local needs

Standards for road design, construction and maintenance must meet the requirements of local conditions, according to Cecil Amarasingha, Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Aviation.

Speaking as the chief guest at a recent seminar on "Standardization of Road Works", he said the government intends spending a large sum of money for the development of the country's transportation infrastructure. "In order to get the maximum benefit from the investment, the designs, construction and maintenance of infrastructure should satisfy the needs of the travelling public."

The panel of speakers at the seminar organized by Research and Development International Consultants (Pvt) Ltd. in association with the University of Moratuwa was Professor Manjriker Gunaratne of the University of South Florida, USA, Professor Sarosh Khan of the University of Colarado, Denver, USA, Ms. H.D.L.M.A. Judith, R.M. Amarasekara and D.P. Mallawaratchi of the Road Development Authority, and Professor Amal Kumarage, Dr. J.M.S.J. Bandara and M.B.S. Fernando of the University of Moratuwa,

Professor Kumarage said Sri Lanka's road network was poorly engineered and basically followed the footpaths that preceded the road.

The roads are poorly designed without considering the needs of different types of road users.

There are no operational limits with regard to axle loads. Safety standards are inadequate.

There is inadequate financial provision for maintenance of the road system. He emphasized the need for standards not only for design, construction and maintenance of roads but also for selecting, planning and allocation of funds for transport infrastructure projects.

Professor Gunaratne spoke of new technologies in road construction.

He referred to the "superpave" concept developed in the United States to achieve the best benefits from the investment on highways, which he said is what Sri Lanka needs today.

He said the traditional Marshall design method still be used for design of asphalt pavements in Sri Lanka which has been banned in the USA as it does not indicate field performance.

Professor Sarosh Khan dealt with standards for traffic control devices and design of traffic control strategies.

She said traffic control is the key to efficient utilization of highway infrastructure.

A well-coordinated traffic signal system ensures free flow of platoons of vehicles through a number of junctions without having to stop.

She said Baseline Road is a good road section for signal coordination to be introduced as a pilot project. But, Colombo needs a coordinated traffic control system that is responsive to demand, to tackle the congestion problem in the city.