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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 that came together with the aim of improving the condition of their rural road networks. It is still active, now as the ROADEX Network, and currently comprises 13 partners: 6 national roads administrations, a government department, 3 government agencies, 2 local authorities and a roads district. Local road networks are the vital social arteries for rural communities across northern Europe, as well as being major transportation routes for internationally important timber, mining and fishing industries.

Map of the ROADEX partner countries

The project started as a pilot project in 1998 to:

  • Share best practice
  • Research and develop new knowledge
  • Implement and test new solutions

It has now been running for 22 years and over that period it has become a centre of information for all things concerning the management of rural roads. Its website averages over 5,000 hits per month from around the world seeking information and strategies for dealing with issues of poorly performing roads, and elements of the project's research are being cited in Wikipedia[1][2][3][4][5]

The project was awarded a European Union RegioStars special mention in 2009[6] 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″ [7]

The project became self-funding as the ROADEX Network in 2012 when EU funding ceased.


History

The EU ROADEX projects 1998-2012

The pilot project, 1998-2001

File:ROADEX pilot reduced.png
ROADEX logo

The pilot ROADEX project (ROADs Information EXchange = ROADEX) created the forum to enable information exchange. It proved that the co-operation could work despite the differences in languages, currencies and climates. It was 50% funded by the European Union and also received support from The Scottish Executive and The Icelandic Road Administration.

The pilot identified 5 common problems across the countries, and these still form the basis for all considerations today.

  1. Road drainage
  2. Heavy trucks and permanent deformation (i.e. rutting)
  3. Poor quality road materials
  4. Roads on peat
  5. Widened roads

ROADEX II, 2002-2005

File:ROADEX II reduced3.png
ROADEX II logo

The second project[8] was also part-funded by the EU and aimed at developing new ways for rural road management. The existing members in the project were joined by two new partners from Scotland: Forest Enterprise of Scotland and Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar and a number of associate partners: The Norwegian Hauliers Association,[9] The Finnish Road Administration, Lapland District, Metsähallitus Forestry, Stora Enso Metsä, Metsäliitto Osuukunta, and The Forestry Centre of Lapland.[10] The involvement of the new partners from the forestry and forest products industry brought the insight and experience of industry using gravel roads to the partnership and permitted the co-operation to embrace all types of rural roads, both surfaced and unsurfaced.

The project particularly considered the challenge faced by roads organisations everywhere - how to meet the growing expectations of modern production and logistic chains, in times of reducing budgets.

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

ROADEX III, 2006-2007

File:ROADEX III reduced.png
ROADEX III logo

This third project was designed as a Dissemination and Implementation project to show how the strategies and practices developed under the previous projects could be used in practice and what benefits could result. This was achieved through a variety of methods including translating the reports into the partner languages for easier learning; presentations at conferences, seminars and workshops; training packages, web based information; and trials of prototype solutions in local areas.

Five new partners joined at this time: 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),[11] Russia joined as Associate Partners.

An important new area of research was the measurement of daily vibration in drivers of heavy vehicles caused by poorly maintained road networks. This vibration cannot be mitigated by modern trucks with modern suspension systems. It is wholly due to the condition of the road and was an important discovery of the research.

Outputs of the project included 3 DVDs and 14 technical reports on the management and maintenance of roads, including the socio-economic benefits of minor roads to rural communities. External uses[12]

The project received a RegioStars award[13] in 2009 by the Northern Periphery Programme[6].

ROADEX IV, 2009-2012

File:ROADEX IV reduced2.png
ROADEX IV logo

The fourth project[14] carried out a programme of demonstrations of the new strategies on live public roads.[15] The work was supported by a new consultancy service and web-based knowledge centre. Joint research and development continued in the areas of climate change,[16] road widening[17] and driver health issues.[18] The Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada (FERIC)[19] and Coillte of Ireland joined as Associate Partners.

30 technical reports on the demonstrations were published at the end of the project. These covered issues such as road drainage methods in different countries and road types, demonstrations of state-of-the-art road repairs and widening, road condition surveys and proposals for forest roads. The project concluded with a summary report on the benefits & savings[20] that could be acheived using the new strategies. External usage[21]

The ROADEX project was listed as one of the five best case studies to show the tangible and intangible benefits to the area in the final summary report of the Northern Periphery Programme 2007–2013 entitled "Achievement".[22]

The ROADEX Network since 2012

File:ROADEX Network reduced.png
ROADEX Network logo

EU part-funding of the ROADEX projects ended in 2012 at which point the partners undertook to continue to share information and research at their own cost. The present ROADEX Network now has responsibility for the website, knowledge centre, e-learning and reports. Joint research into road management strategies continues[23][24][25][26] to keep the collaboration live and sharing information. External usage[27][28][29][30][31][32]

Recent noteworthy projects involving strategies developed by the project include: research into the effects of the new generations of heavy trucks on road surfaces[33][34]; and the PEHKO[35][36][37] 2015-2025 project in Finland. Further details on this last named project is given in a separate section below.

The E-learning suite

A major output for the project has been the suite of four web-based e-learning packages.[38] These packages were developed in response to demand form the partners and address the four main concerns for northern European road organisations.

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

The packages have received excellent reviews since they were released, and are now being used as self-learning undergraduate training packages in universities. All four are also available in the main partner languages of Icelandic, Finnish, Greenlandic, Norwegian and Swedish to make the learning experience easier for non-English readers. The English suite continues to be regularly reviewed and updated to keep the material valid.

The PEHKO Project (2015-2025)

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 PEHKO Project is the first comprehensive application of the ROADEX strategies on a 10 year main road maintenance programme. The Finnish Transport Agency commissioned the long-term exercise in 2015 on two tests areas on the Kemi-Tornio and Karstula road networks to take place over the 10 year period to 2025.

The work involves using ROADEX strategies and analyses to formulate the maintenance plan for the test areas with the aim of reducing maintenance costs, whilst at the same time improving the condition of the network. The key operations being carried out are improved drainage maintenance, pro-active snow removal[39] and targeted repair of road sections that need action.

Early results in 2016[40] already showed clear benefits using the new strategies in the two test areas. In this knowledge the trials were extended to a third test network in the Uusimaa area outside Helsinki in 2018.

The PEHKO project was awarded the 2018 Global Road Achievement Award for ″Asset Preservation and Maintenance Management″ [7] by the International Road Federation. The project publishes results its results internationally[41][42]

The ROADEX website

The project website, www.roadex.org, contains everything that the project has done since 1998 as well as holding the elearning suite and knowledge centre. It is fully open accessOpen access icon and free to use by all. As of 2020 the project website was 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%).

References

  1. ^ "European Campaign for Safe Road Design". Wikipedia. Wkimedia Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  2. ^ "Banked turn". Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Cross slope". Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Traction (engineering)". Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Drainage gradient". Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  6. ^ a b "ROADEX receives special mentions RegioStars 2009". www.northernperiphery.eu.
  7. ^ a b "2018 Global Road Achievement Awards" (PDF). www.irf.global.
  8. ^ "ROADEX II". interreg.no. Interreg.no. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  9. ^ "Norwegian hauliers association".
  10. ^ "The Forestry Centre of Lapland".
  11. ^ "The Association of Regional Road Authorities (RADOR)".
  12. ^ "The Transport Strategy for the Highlands and Islands 2008 – 2021" (PDF). hitrans.org.uk. HITRANS The Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership. p. 8. para 2.15. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  13. ^ "RegioStars Awards leaflet" (PDF).
  14. ^ "ROADEX IV". interreg.no. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  15. ^ "NPP Achivements 2007-2013" (PDF). www.interreg-npa.eu.
  16. ^ Hudecz, A. "Climate Change Adaptation - A Report on Climate Change Adaptation Measures for Low Volume Roads in the Northern Periphery" (PDF). core.ac.uk.
  17. ^ Varin P, Saarenketo T. "Road Widening Guidelines" (PDF). www.roadex.org.
  18. ^ Granlund, J. "Reducing Health and Safety Risks on Poorly Maintained Rural Roads" (PDF). road-transport-technology.org.
  19. ^ "The Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada (FERIC)".
  20. ^ Saarenketo T; et al. "ROADEX Benefits and Savings - Achieving More with Less" (PDF). www.roadex.org.
  21. ^ Brito, L. "Design Methods for Low Volume Roads" (Doctorate Thesis 2011). www.nottingham.ac.uk. University of Nottingham. p. 4. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  22. ^ "ROADEX IV - Case Study 5" (PDF). www.interreg-npa.eu. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ Saarenketo T, Varin P. "Effect of Tyre and Axle Configurations on Pavement Durability - A ROADEX Network Prestudy" (PDF). www.nvfnorden.org.
  25. ^ Arnold G; et al. "Pavement moisture measurement to indicate risk to pavement life, March 2017" (PDF). www.nzta.govt.nz.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ "Constructed tracks in the Scottish Uplands" (PDF). www.nature.scot. Scottish Natural Heritage. p. 85. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  28. ^ "Draft District Strategic Plan North Highland Forest District 2014-2017" (PDF). consult.gov.scot. Forest Enterprise Scotland. p. 49. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  29. ^ "Black Isle and Lochaber to trial new roadside ditch maintenance regime". www.highland.gov.uk. The Highland Council. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  30. ^ "Timber Transport Forum Written Submission" (PDF). www.parliament.scot. The Scottish Parliament. p. 8. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  31. ^ "Flexible Pavement Narrow Widening Best Practices and Lessons Learned, CTR Technical Report: 0-6748-2" (PDF). library.ctr.utexas.edu. The University of Texas at Austin. p. 2 and p24. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  32. ^ Kolisoja, P. "Mechanistic design of low volume road structures". www.ntnu.no. Ninth International Conference on the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields, 2013. pp. 331–340. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  33. ^ Varin, P. "New Heavy Trucks and Pavements - Experiences from Finland, High Capacity Transport årskonferens, Örebro, 28 Aug 2015" (PDF). closer.lindholmen.se. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  34. ^ Varin, P. "Impact Analysis of Kaunisvaara – Svappavaara Road Iron Ore Transportation Options" (PDF). road-transport-technology.org. HVTT12: 12th International Symposium on Heavy Vehicle Transport Technology, 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ Saarenketo, T. "PEHKO Project – Hur upståren en skadeskuldinom väganläggningar" (PDF). www.nvfnorden.org.
  37. ^ 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)
  38. ^ "ROADEX E-learning portal".
  39. ^ Saarenketo, T. "Winter Maintenance and the Annual Costs of Pavements" (PDF). tapahtumat.tieyhdistys.fi.
  40. ^ Saarenketo, T. "The effect of better maintenance to" (PDF). www.nvfnorden.org.
  41. ^ Saarenketo, T. "PEHKO Project – Implementing ROADEX Recommendations for Rural Road Asset Management in Finland" (PDF). iscord2019.exordo.com. ISCORD 2019, 12th Symposium on Cold Regions Development. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  42. ^ 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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