In a bid to develop quality road infrastructure and ensure longevity of road corridors, all projects involving development of two, four, six and eight lanes and strengthening will have to be surveyed with a Network Survey Vehicle (NSV).
The NSV, which uses the latest survey techniques such as laser, Global Positioning System and video image processing tools, will have to be deployed before start of the work and thereafter at regular intervals as provided in the contract for each lane of pavement. The move comes close on the roping in of an independent engineer for supervision.
The inventory data include measurement of the pavement surface roughness, road geometrics such as gradient, horizontal curvature and cross slope, rut depth using spread lasers, sensor measure texture depth, mean profile depth, and the GPS coordinates -- longitude, latitude and altitude.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has asked the States and Union Territories to take necessary steps to deploy an NSV.
Directive
In a directive to Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and Chief Engineers of the Public Works Department, the Ministry has said it is necessary to ‘record the condition’ of highway prior to commencement of work to have a documentary evidence for status/condition and quality of the road. On completion, the exercise may invariably be done and recorded before issuing completion certificate.
The minimum parameters to be recorded during survey with the NSV in each lane will not be limited to inventory of road, GPS coordinates, pavement type, pavement width, terrain, land use, shoulder type and width, drain type and width, median type and width, wayside amenities, crash barrier, and signages.
In respect of contracts where provision for use of NSV does not exist, the condition of road will also have to be assessed using an NSV. The time interval for carrying out the survey using NSV has also been specified. It has to be done before start of the work, issue of provisional/final completion certificate and every six months after completion of work.
The States will have to follow the directive for NH corridors maintained by them and use the NSV. The updates from the NSV will also have to be uploaded to the portal, says the directive.
