Jahanian: Smart Road Maintenance Management Is the Golden Key to Reducing Costs

Arak – The Deputy of the Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization of Iran, referring to the shift from traditional decision-making to data-driven governance, said smart road maintenance management is key to reducing long-term costs.

According to Mehr reporter, Hasan Jahaniyan stated before noon on Wednesday at the first specialized conference on bitumen, asphalt and machinery in the central region of the country in Arak, referring to the need to bring closer academic knowledge, executive experience and policies in the field of road construction and road construction: the road industry requires continuous learning, exchange of experience and revision of operational methods to achieve sustainable performance, and the real value of specialized conferences lies in the impact they have on decisions and executive actions.

Explaining the approaches of the road administration organization in the field of road maintenance, he said: Durability of pavement should be considered as a managerial and economic issue, because the performance of roads is affected by a series of interconnected factors.

Referring to the climatic conditions of the central regions of the country, Jahian listed temperature changes, strong sunlight and traffic of heavy vehicles as factors affecting the performance of the pavement and said: the selection of maintenance solutions should be done according to the conditions of each axis and cannot be considered the same version for all roads.

He added: Before choosing the materials and the method of intervention, the type of damage, the factors causing it and the operating conditions of the road should be carefully examined. Therefore, the main criterion in choosing materials and products is their performance and durability in the actual operating conditions.

The Deputy Director of Highways of the Road and Road Transport Organization of the country emphasized the importance of selecting bitumen engineering and materials and stated: modified bitumen and polymer bitumen can improve pavement performance if selected according to the needs of the project and implemented correctly, but no single product can guarantee the durability of the road.

Jahian continued: Choosing the type of bitumen and asphalt mixture should be done based on climatic and traffic conditions, the possibility of correct implementation and economic evaluation, and the initial price of materials should not be the only decision criterion; But the life cycle cost and pavement performance during the operation period should also be taken into consideration.

Referring to the expectations of consultants for road construction projects, he said: Consultants should base the design on climatic and traffic conditions, the type of damage and characteristics of each axis, and select bitumen, materials and mixing plan with technical and economic evaluations. Also, the proposed solutions should be compatible with the actual production and implementation facilities, and the performance results of the pavement should be continuously monitored after implementation.

Jahian considered compliance with the technical requirements and approved specifications of the projects as the most important expectations from the contractors and added: controlling the temperature of materials, mixing, transporting, spreading and compacting asphalt, proper maintenance of materials and equipment, and having expert manpower and an effective quality control system play a decisive role in increasing the durability of roads.

He emphasized: Quality control should not be limited to initial tests or project delivery time, but pavement performance after implementation should also be evaluated in order to identify weaknesses and improve implementation methods in future projects.

Referring to the studies of the country's main corridors, the Deputy Director of Roads of the country's Road and Road Transport Organization said: These studies provide a good opportunity to make more accurate decisions about the maintenance of the country's roads, prioritize actions and choose solutions that suit the conditions of each axis.

Jahanian added: In these studies, indicators such as the amount of traffic, the type and severity of road damage, climatic conditions and the maintenance status of different axes are examined simultaneously so that the limited maintenance resources are spent on the parts that have the greatest impact on pavement durability, safety and service quality.

Emphasizing the need to evaluate the performance of projects after implementation, he stated: the success of a project cannot be measured only by the amount of physical progress, the tonnage of asphalt consumed or timely delivery, but it should also be checked in the years after implementation to see how far the pavement has maintained the expected performance and how far the initial decisions were technically and economically correct.

Jahanian continued: By connecting project information, laboratory results, failure status, and periodic evaluations during operation, the experience of each project can be turned into valuable knowledge for the design and implementation of future projects.

He emphasized: the country's road maintenance system should move from decision-making based on habit and scattered experiences to decision-making based on data, evidence and documented experiences, because the real success of a project is determined when its performance is confirmed during the operation period and not just on the day of delivery.

Stating that increasing the durability of pavements requires the cooperation of all related sectors, the Deputy Director of Roads of the Road and Road Transport Organization of the country said: Policy makers, consultants, contractors, bitumen and materials producers, laboratories, scientific centers and industry activists should cooperate as links in a chain to improve the quality of roads.

Jahanian added: In addition to supplying high-quality products, bitumen and materials producers are expected to strengthen technical knowledge, quality stability, and specialized support, and the engineering community also provides the basis for improving the performance of future projects by documenting and sharing successful and unsuccessful experiences.

He emphasized: It is hoped that the results of specialized meetings will be reflected in technical decisions, the quality of project implementation, and increasing the real durability of road paving in the country.

Jahian emphasized: The common goal of groups active in the road industry is to protect national assets, use public resources more efficiently, reduce maintenance costs in the long term, and improve the quality of the country's roads.