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https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27432/critical-issues-in-transportation-for-2024-and-beyond

Romania - National Report Strategic Direction Session ST1: Road quality service levels and innovations to meet user expectations

A road network has different types of highways, which can provide a serie of distinct trips, from main movements for heavy and speedy flows or for smaller movements of local access. Because of great diversity characteristics of road networks, Highway Administrations have to establish a hierarchy, a classification of the roads from the point of view of the functional services roads can provide - mobility or access - a functional " classification or level service " in consequences of that, reflecting the pavement and maintenance " service quality level ". In the last few years the highway network is considered a very important " industry " which use maintenance programmes as PM.S. User groups - " clients " - consulted, identified as important the following parameters, which reflect engineering best practice for roads quality : Financial issues such as road taxes ; services issues such as quality of roads ; environmental issues such as pollution protection ; safety issues such as best signing, traffic management. The surface characteristics of measurement equipment is now automatic processed applied to surveys of road distress. As a remedial of road distresses we have a very high returns of costs. The actual trand in Romania is that one which is aiming to reconsider the road network in its entire functional integrity and in its intimate connection with the road users and environment. In these regards Pavement Preventive Maintenance (P.P.M.) is defined as a planned strategy of applying a cost-benefit surface treatments to a structurally sound pavement to preserve the system and retard future deterioration of pavement. With the aim to bring the best service to road users and also to Road Administration during the last four years four significant new road technologies have been developed, experimented and implemented in Romania : Bituminous mixes stabilised with cellulose and glass fibres for the construction of wearing courses ; bituminous mixes for wearing courses prepared with modified binders with reactive polymers (SBS, RBS etc.) ; the technology of mechanical distruction of existing deteriorated rigid pavement and use of the material resulted for construction of a strong base course for an elastic pavement ; cold in situ recycling with addition of foamed bitumen in conjuction with cement lime and fly ash with very good results. The primary causes of slope instability have been ascertained searching case histories of more then seventheen landslides to inherent of certain geologic formations, ground slope, vegetation, heavy rainfall and snows melt, water regime, clime, human activity for constructions. Specific details of ground strength and potential driving forces can be ascertained only on site surveys and studies. The primary causes of slope instability can be used as independent variable and using Regression Theory, other statistical Theory, especially Markovien Theory, can provide a more precise dependent variable the probability, the risk degree of hasard potential of an area. A stabilisation of soft soils as a subgrade layer increase strength and safety, bearing capacity and prevent shrinkage and swell, moisture and frost action. Well known stabilising agents are cement, lime and fly ash or a combination of lime 3-5% with fly ash 5-25%, which mixed in place with soft soils has as result a flexible layer of 10-30 cm. Since 1990 such cases we have been developed, experimented and implemented using the Geosynthetics in many embankment constructions. Specifications and testing before, during and after the works cannot always ensure long term objectives attented, because these rules vary for the specific climate of site, especially for embankment on soft soils. For the covering abstract see ITRD E135448.

  • Authors:
    • DOROBANTU, S
    • BOICU, M
    • PETERESCU, A
    • LUCACI, G
    • DUMITRU, P
    • RADU, A
    • HARATAU, I
    • VINTILA, B
    • CONSTANTINESCU, S
    • PAU, V
  • Publication Date: 2003

Language

  • English

Media Info

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01111784
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
  • Files: ITRD
  • Created Date: Sep 30 2008 9:50AM