Fuzzy-AHP-Based Indexing Model for Performance Assessment of Highways and Expressways

Ongoing information discharged by the ministry of road transport and highways (MORTH) indicates that 73% more highways were built from 2014-2018 compared to highways’ construction before 2014. Design, performance and safety assessment becomes a desirable phenomenon to make the structurally and safety-wise better highways. The construction process of the highway has a significant impact on its performance and safety. Identification of critical and governing features for long-life performance, the optimum usage of quality material and provisions for commuters’ safety, are crucial aspects that govern the performance of expressways and highways. However, safety and performance can be expressed in both qualitative and quantitative terms. AHP is a notable multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique to express subjective measures in quantitative terms. To reduce the effect of uncertainty of the subjective appraisal by people, the idea of fuzzy logic was integrated by numerous researchers into the AHP method, making it a Fuzzy-AHP approach. In the present work, different design and performance attributes are identified and suitably combined to form a fuzzy AHP based hierarchical model which can be utilised to give a single performance index value. The current study focuses on developing a design and performance assessment index (DSPAI) of highways using the fuzzy AHP technique. The index obtained is applied to some existing and recently constructed highways and expressways in the Delhi NCR region of the Indian subcontinent. These are then ranked based on design and performance scores obtained based on the developed model. The advantage of such a design and performance index model is that it can help compare and rank two or more highways or expressways based on its design and performance characteristics. Some findings and suggestions for better performance scores of highways and expressways are made.