CURRENT HIGHWAY PRACTICES IN CANADA

The article describes some aspects of current Canadian road practices of interest to Indian highway engineers. Multi-year plans are prepared on a five-yearly cycle to evaluate future needs for most projects, but major projects are reviewed on a 10 year basis. A fully automated inventory management system has been set up from which deficiency maps are prepared each year. Road deficiencies are divided into five categories: surface, structure, level of service, operational and geometric deficiencies. The current maintenance management system, based mainly on the measurement of riding quality and visual observations from a slow-moving vehicle, is outlined. Structural tests are carried out by Benkelman Beam or Dynaflect. Skidding resistance is normally monitored by the ASTM Skid Trailer, but stereo photography is used at difficult situations. High yield specialised equipment capable of collecting data at traffic speeds, such as the Automated Road Roughness Analyser (ARAN) have recently been introduced to record road geometry, texture depth, rut depth and roughness. Design principles adopted are discussed and the methods used to ensure safe access are outlined. Truck weights are controlled by permanent weighing stations and a series of mobile patrols that operate randomly in truck parking areas.