Life cycle maintenance of low volume roads in the Alice Springs region

Abstract

1. INTRODUCTION. Low volume roads carry low volumes of traffic which can be anything from a bicycle to a fully loaded road train and these roads tend to be not well funded in comparison with the major roads. The Northern Territory's road network consists of national and regional highways as well as other roads linking the remote areas and major centres and majority of the roads in the Alice Springs Region are low volume roads. The aim of this project is to investigate and develop improvements to low volume road maintenance practices and procedures in the Alice Springs Region. 2. BACKGROUND. During wet weather the unsealed roads become impassable and the communities that rely on the roads become impatient if the roads are impassable for longer than two days. During long periods of dry weather patches of the unsealed roads deteriorate into bull dust and the pavement unravels due to the lack of moisture. Funding for low volume roads are limited and the increase of the Cyclical Maintenance budget each financial year is in line with the CPI rate. Specific Maintenance projects are very limited and capital works are very rare. 3. OBJECTIVES. With limited funding and resources for low volume roads, effective maintenance management should be able to provide a road surface that is of an acceptable standard to the road user. The methods researched will be used to examine the cost implications and resources availability. 4. METHOD. The stages involved in the execution of the project include: - Review existing literature on road management practices, with particular emphasis on maintenance practices for low volume roads. - Gather data on low volume roads in the Alice Springs Region and factors which influence the deterioration of the road. - Collect and analyse data on the current maintenance practices in the region. - Evaluate and propose innovative maintenance practices that improve effectiveness and efficiency, and promote sustainable use of materials. - Interrogate and evaluate the implications of the cost and resources availability of applying selected maintenance innovations in the region. 5. CONCLUSION. There is scope for improvement of the current cyclic maintenance methods used even through there is associated problems with remoteness, availability of water and quality of gravel.