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The ROADEX Project was a EU funded collaboration of northern European roads organisations from Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Scotland and Sweden brought together with the aim of improving the condition of their rural road networks. These currently comprises 13 partners comprising 6 national roads administrations, a government department, 3 government agencies, 2 local authorities and a roads district. Local roads are vital social arteries for rural communities, as well as being major transportation routes for their internationally important timber, mining and fishing industries.

Map of the ROADEX partner countries

The project started as a European Union pilot in 1998 and over the intervening period and co-operations has grown into a centre of information for all things concerning the management of rural roads. Its website averages over 5,000 hits per month from individuals and organisations around the world seeking information and strategies for dealing with issues arising from poorly performing roads.

The project was awarded a European Union RegioStars special mention in 2009[1] and in 2018 its strategies and technologies were recognised internationally in a Global Road Achievement Award by the International Road Federation for ″Asset Preservation and Maintenance Management″ [2]

The project was renamed the ROADEX Network on 2012 when EU funding ceased.

History

A brief history of the project and its evolution is set out below.

The EU ROADEX projects 1998-2012

The ROADEX Pilot project, 1998-2001

File:ROADEX pilot.png
ROADEX logo

The EU Pilot ROADEX project created the forum for the exchange of information (ROADs Information EXchange = ROADEX). It was 50% funded by the European Union and also received support from The Scottish Executive and The Icelandic Road Administration. It proved that co-operation could work despite the difficulties of different countries, different currencies and prevailing climates.

ROADEX II, 2002-2005

File:ROADEX II.png
ROADEX II logo

This co-operation[3][4] was again part-funded by the EU, to develop ways for innovative road management of rural roads. It built on the networks created during the successful Article 10 ROADEX co-operation with additional inputs from local industry involving heavy road haulage to improve roads service provision across the area.

The four original Partners in the co-operation were joined by two new partners from Scotland: Forest Enterprise of Scotland and Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar as well as a number of Associate Partners. These were: The Norwegian Hauliers Association,[5] The Finnish Road Administration, Lapland District, Metsähallitus Forestry, Stora Enso Metsä, Metsäliitto Osuukunta, and The Forestry Centre of Lapland.[6] The involvement of these Partners from the forestry and forest products industry brought extensive experience of gravel road technology to the Partnership and permitted the co-operation to consider community roads in the widest possible context.

The formal outputs of the co-operation included a DVD Focussing on low volume roads in the Northern Periphery and 11 technical reports concerning the management and maintenance of low volume roads.

ROADEX III, 2006-2007

File:ROADEX III loo.png
ROADEX III project logo

ROADEX III aimed to disseminate and implement the roads management strategies, practices and innovation gathered under the previous projects. This was done through a range of methods including producing executive summaries of ROADEX outputs in the various partner languages; presentations at conferences, seminars, workshops; training packages, web based information; and further pilot trials of prototype solutions on the rural road networks of the Partner areas.

The six partners from ROADEX II were joined by five new partners: The Icelandic Road Administration, The Swedish Forest Agency, The Department of Transport and The National Roads Authority from Ireland, and The Municipality of Sisimiut of the Greenland Home Rule Government. The Swedish Board of Forestry, Dalarna/Gävleborg and The Association of Regional Road Authorities (RADOR),[7] Russia joined as Associate Partners.

The formal outputs of the co-operation included 3 DVDs[8] and 14 technical reports on the management and maintenance of low volume roads, including the socio-economic benefits of minor roads to remote rural communities. An important new area of research in ROADEX III was the measurement of daily vibration in drivers of heavy vehicles caused by poorly maintained road networks. This vibration could not be mitigated by modern trucks with modern suspension systems.

At the conclusion of the project The Northern Periphery Programme recommended the ROADEX co-operation for a RegioStars award[9] in 2009. At the award ceremony the co-operation received a special mention from the RegioStars 2009 Jury.[1]

ROADEX IV, 2009-2012

File:ROADEX IV.png
ROADEX IV logo

This Fourth EU part-funded ROADEX co-operation[10][11][12][13] set out to demonstrate what was possible using the new ROADEX technologies.[14]

Demonstrations of the ROADEX methods were carried out in the local Partner areas supported by a new pan-regional ROADEX Consultancy Service and Knowledge Centre. Joint research and development also continued in the areas of climate change,[15] road widening[16] and the driver health issues that can arise from poorly maintained roads.[17]

The Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada (FERIC)[18] and Coillte of Ireland contributed to the co-operation as Associate Partners.

Each demonstration project was followed up by a fully referenced technical report published on the ROADEX website. These continue to be available free of charge to all. In all over 30 technical reports were published. Typically these reports covered roads related issues such as drainage analysis techniques across different countries and road landscapes, demonstrations of state-of-the-art road rehabilitations and widening, condition surveys and rehabilitation proposals for forest roads, as well as a summary report on the benefits & savings[19] that could be accrued using ROADEX strategies and technologies.

The EU part-funding of the ROADEX co-operations ended in 2012[20] at which point the Partners committed themselves to jointly self-fund a ROADEX Network to permit continued information sharing and research.

The ROADEX Network since 2012

File:ROADEX Network.png
ROADEX Network logo

The present ROADEX Network commenced in 2012 and aims to continue the close working on rural roads between Partners. This includes keeping the ROADEX website, knowledge centre, e-learning and reports live and up-to-date, as well as continuing to carry out joint research in areas of common interest.

The 13 continuing partner organizations are: Transport Scotland, The Highland Council, Forestry Commission Scotland and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar;[21] the Northern Region of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration; the Northern Region of the Swedish National Road Administration and the Swedish Forest Agency; the Lapland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment; The Finnish Transport Agency, The Icelandic Road Administration; The Department of Transport Tourism and Sport, The Road Management Office and The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine from Ireland.

From the outset the Network Secretariat was tasked with continuing the legacy of the ROADEX co-operations: the website, knowledge centre, e-learning packages, co-operation outputs, technical reports and others. Its aim was to move the ROADEX collaboration further to continue to promote the application of state-of-the-art strategies and technologies in low volume road management.[22][23][24][25]

The Partners aim to have one physical steering committee meeting and one Skype steering committee meeting per year with the physical meeting ideally being held in conjunction with an annual conference or workshop in the chosen partner area. These meetings monitor the dissemination of the ROADEX strategies & technologies and receive information on how ROADEX results are being implemented by the partner areas. Round-table discussions and work sessions are arranged on topics to be selected by the partners to facilitate in-depth exchange of ideas and experiences.

Recent noteworthy projects involving technologies developed by the ROADEX Network include: research into the effects of the new generations of heavy trucks on asphalt pavement lifetimes;[26][27] the Pajala Mine Road in Sweden (2013);[28] the PEHKO[29][30][31] 2015-2025 project in Finland.

The website

Open accessOpen access icon

E-learning

Locations of ROADEX users

A major output for the ROADEX IV Project was the web-based e-learning suite of four e-learning lessons.[32]

  • Drainage of roads
  • Causes and solutions for deformations in roads
  • Road construction over peat
  • Environmental considerations for roads

These lessons summarise the ROADEX research in the respective areas and have been designed to help learning in the workplace and in academic institutions. All four are available in the main partner languages to encourage dissemination and implementation.

As of 2019 the project website is averaging over 5,000 users per month from around the world seeking information and solutions, including such countries as India (18%), USA (13%), Philippines (8%), Malaysia (5%), Nigeria (5%).


The PEHKO Project

The PEHKO Project is the first full test and assessment of ROADEX strategies and technologies on a live public road network. The Finnish Transport Agency originally commissioned the project in 2015 on two tests areas the Kemi-Tornio and Karstula road networks to take place over the 10 year period to 2025, and extended the brief to the Uusimaa area outside Helsinki in 2018.

Figures from the PEHKO project: LHS - Point Cloud screenshot showing rutting on the road surface. RHS - Survey vehicle equipped with Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Laser Scanner, 3D accelerometer and digital video

The project involves using ROADEX state-of-the-art surveys and analyses to formulate a maintenance plan for the test areas with the aim of reducing maintenance costs, whilst at the same time improving the overall condition. The key operations being carried out in the areas are improved drainage maintenance, pro-active snow removal[33] and targeted rehabilitations focussed only those road sections that need action and not on lengthy standard solutions. Early results in 2016[34] have already shown clear benefits in the new ROADEX strategies over the former practices.

Such has been the success of the PEHKO project, and the potential operational savings it offers, that it was awarded the 2018 Global Road Achievement Award for ″Asset Preservation and Maintenance Management″ [2] by the International Road Federation. The PEHKO Project and ROADEX technologies continue to publish results internationally[35][36]

References

  1. ^ a b "ROADEX receives special mentions RegioStars 2009". www.northernperiphery.eu.
  2. ^ a b "2018 Global Road Achievement Awards" (PDF). www.irf.global.
  3. ^ Munro R; et al. "ROADEX II Project: Focusing on Low-Volume Roads in the European Northern Periphery". Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 1989: 76.
  4. ^ "ROADEX II". interreg.no. Interreg.no. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Norwegian hauliers association".
  6. ^ "The Forestry Centre of Lapland".
  7. ^ "The Association of Regional Road Authorities (RADOR)".
  8. ^ "ROADEX III DVDs". www.roadex.org.
  9. ^ "RegioStars Awards leaflet" (PDF).
  10. ^ "ROADEX IV". www.northernperiphery.eu. Northern Periphery Programme. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  11. ^ "ROADEX IV". interreg.no. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  12. ^ Sigursteinsson, H. "ROADEX IV" (PDF). www.vegagerdin.is. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  13. ^ "ROADEX IV - Case Study 5" (PDF). www.interreg-npa.eu. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  14. ^ "NPP Achivements 2007-2013" (PDF). www.interreg-npa.eu.
  15. ^ Hudecz, A. "Climate Change Adaptation - A Report on Climate Change Adaptation Measures for Low Volume Roads in the Northern Periphery" (PDF). core.ac.uk.
  16. ^ Varin P, Saarenketo T. "Road Widening Guidelines" (PDF). www.roadex.org.
  17. ^ Granlund, J. "Reducing Health and Safety Risks on Poorly Maintained Rural Roads" (PDF). road-transport-technology.org.
  18. ^ "The Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada (FERIC)".
  19. ^ Saarenketo T; et al. "ROADEX Benefits and Savings - Achieving More with Less" (PDF). www.roadex.org.
  20. ^ "ROADEX IV - ROADEX Network Implementing Accessibility 4.1". www.northernperiphery.eu. Northern Periphery Programme. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  21. ^ "Report by Director of Technical Services, 28 Nov 2012" (PDF). www.cne-siar.gov.uk.
  22. ^ White D, Vennapusa P. "Low-Cost Rural Surface Alternatives - Draft Final Report, December 2013" (PDF). www.iowadot.gov. Center for Earthworks Engineering Research (CEER), Iowa State University. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  23. ^ Saarenketo T, Varin P. "Effect of Tyre and Axle Configurations on Pavement Durability - A ROADEX Network Prestudy" (PDF). www.nvfnorden.org.
  24. ^ Arnold G; et al. "Pavement moisture measurement to indicate risk to pavement life, March 2017" (PDF). www.nzta.govt.nz.
  25. ^ Saarenketo T; et al. "The use of Ground Penetrating Radar, Thermal Camera and Laser Scanner Technology in Asphalt Crack Detection and Diagnostics". books.google.co.uk. 7th RILEM International Cnference on Cracking in Pavements, p137-145. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  26. ^ Varin, P. "New Heavy Trucks and Pavements - Experiences from Finland" (PDF).
  27. ^ Varin P, Saarenketo T. "The effect of new tyre type, tyre pressure and axle configurations of heavy trucks on asphalt pavement lifetime".
  28. ^ Varin P; et al. "Impact Analysis of Kaunisvaara - Svappavaara Road Iron Ore Transportation Options".
  29. ^ Tapio R; et al. "PEHKO Project 2015-2025, increasing the productivity of paved road management in Finland". www.h-a-d.hr. 6th Eurasphalt & Eurobitume Congress 2016, Prague, Czech Republic.
  30. ^ Saarenketo, T. "PEHKO Project – Hur upståren en skadeskuldinom väganläggningar" (PDF). www.nvfnorden.org.
  31. ^ Kolisoja P, Saarenketo T. Effects of super heavy trucks on the condition of road infrastructure. Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields: Proceedings of the 10th Conference, Athens, 28–30 June 2017: CRC Press. Retrieved 18 August 2018.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  32. ^ "ROADEX E-learning portal".
  33. ^ Saarenketo, T. "Winter Maintenance and the Annual Costs of Pavements" (PDF). tapahtumat.tieyhdistys.fi.
  34. ^ Saarenketo, T. "The effect of better maintenance to" (PDF). www.nvfnorden.org.
  35. ^ Saarenketo, T. "PEHKO project - implementing ROADEX recommendations for rural road asset management in Finland".
  36. ^ Arnold G; et al. "New Zealand Transport Agency research report 611 Pavement moisture measurement to indicate risk to pavement life March 2017" (PDF). www.nzta.govt.nz. New Zealand Transport Agency. Retrieved 19 February 2020.


Category:1998 establishments Category:Road transport in Europe Category:Northern Europe

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