Road Network Evaluation Tools:

Overview, Main Concepts, Applications

Cesar Queiroz, Ph.D.

Consultant, former World Bank Highways Adviser
Arusha, Tanzania, 16-20 September 2013
RONET Overview, Main Concepts,
Background and Applications
• Infrastructure and economic development
• Optimization defined
• A common concern: how to optimize
maintenance and rehabilitation
• What is required for an agency to use
RONET?
• RONET structure
• RONET applications
• Next steps
 Infrastructure
• “The built environment in which we
live” (Ausubel and Herman)
• The physical framework upon
which the economy operates and
our standard of living depends
(ASCE)
 Infrastructure comprises
• Public utilities: power,
telecommunications, piped water supply,
sanitation and sewerage, solid waste
collection and disposal, piped gas
• Public works: roads, dams, canals,
railways, ports, waterways, airports,
buildings
 Developing and Developed Countries
• Developing countries include low- and middle-
income economies
• Developed (advanced, industrial, rich) countries
denote high-income economies
• The World Bank’s main criterion for classifying
economies is gross national income (GNI) per
capita, previously referred to as gross national
product (GNP)
• http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD
 Classification of Economies
Economies GNI per capita
Low-income $1,035 or less
Middle-Income $1,036 to $12,615
Lower $1,036 to $4,085
Upper $4,086 to $12,615
High-income $12,616 or more

Source: http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications
 Examples of Gross National Income
120000

100000
GNI,
$/cap 80000

60000

40000

20000

0
 Examples of Gross National Income
25000

20000
GNI,
$/cap
15000

10000

5000

0
Economic Development and Infrastructure
GNI ($/pop)

GNI = 1.39 PRD

R squared: 0.76
98 countries

Source: Queiroz and Gautam

 Optimal Road Condition
Total Road Transport Costs
Budget,
Costs $

Road Agency
Budget
Too
Large

Optimal User Costs

Too
Small
Too Poor Optimal Too Good
Road Condition
Road Network Evaluation Tools
• RONET, developed by Rodrigo
Archondo-Callao for SSATP, helps
decision makers to:
 Monitor network condition
 Plan allocation of resources
 Assess consequences of macro
policies
 Design Road Asset Management
Systems
Road Network Evaluation Tools
• Availability: RONET is available free of
charge on the World Bank website at:
http://go.worldbank.org/HWVR0FWEF0
http://go.worldbank.org/FF0CT8M770
• General use: RONET can be used in
any city, country or region, provided
that appropriate data are available
• Version 2.00 – latest version,
published in 2009
 RONET Version 2.00

Road Network Evaluation Tools

Version 2.00, January, 2009

Step Configuration Inputs Calculations Outputs

O-Length & Utilization
1) C-Basic Configuration I-Country Data Current Condition Assessment O-Asset Value
I-Road Network Length O-Roughness
O-Network Distribution Charts
O-Network Monitoring Indicators

Performance Assessment O-Network Performance

2) C-Standards Configuration I-Historical Expenditures O-Annual Work Program
PAM O-Solution Catalog
O-Road Works Distribution
O-Road Works Summary
O-Historical Expenditures Comparison

3) C-Vehicle Fleet Configuration I-Road User Charges Road User Revenues O-Fuel Consumption Revenues
I-Funding Requirements O-Road User Revenues
O-Requirements & Revenues Comparison

The World Bank

Washington, D.C.
What is Required for an Agency to
Take Advantage of Tools Such as
HDM-4 and RONET?
• Updated road inventory and condition data,
e.g., length of roads in each category,
pavement structure, road roughness
• Traffic data, e.g., volumes by vehicle
category, weight of heavy vehicles
• Road user cost data, e.g., price of new
vehicles, fuel consumption and cost
• Unit cost of road works, e.g., rehabilitation
($/km), new construction ($/km)
 Road Network Length Matrix
Matrix of Road Classes: Overall Network Evaluation

Network Road Type

Type Concrete Asphalt S.T. Gravel Earth
Motorways
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
Unclassified

Traffic Condition Category

Category Very Good Good Fair Poor Very Poor
Traffic I
Traffic II
Traffic III
Traffic IV
Traffic V

Total 5 X 5 X 5 X 5 = 625 Road Classes

International Roughness Index (IRI)
• Main road condition indicator used by
models such as RONET and HDM
• A standard scale used throughout the
world to quantify the roughness of roads
• The IRI summarizes the roughness
qualities that impact vehicle response
(such as vehicle vibration)
• It relates to overall vehicle ride,
operating cost, dynamic wheel loads,
and overall surface condition
 Development of IRI
• The International Road Roughness
Experiment, Brasilia, Brazil, 1982
• Reference: World Bank Technical
Paper No. 45, “The International Road
Roughness Experiment: Establishing
Correlation and a Calibration Standard
for Measurements,” available at:
http://go.worldbank.org/0UUNR93490
International Roughness Index
 IRI Meaning and Uses
• IRI is determined by measuring the
profile along the wheel paths of the
road, and then filtering the profiles
through a quarter-car mathematical
model to simulate the suspension
deflection of a passenger car
• Its uses include assessing road
condition and as a construction
specification
IRI Calculation from Road Profiles
• “ProVAL” - Profile Viewing and
AnaLysis - an engineering software
used to view and analyze pavement
profiles, including IRI calculations
• Sponsored by the US Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA)
• Available free of charge from:
http://www.roadprofile.com/
IRI Calculation from Road Profiles
• “RoadRuf” – a tool for computing IRI,
available from the University of Michigan
at:
http://www.umtri.umich.edu/divisionPage.php?
pageID=62
• RoadRuf includes an interactive X-Y
plotter and a spectrum analyzer
• A sample program for calculating IRI is
available at:
http://www.umtri.umich.edu/content/IRIMain.f
21
RONET Paved Road Deterioration Model
RONET uses simplified incremental road
deterioration model for paved roads:

dIRI  Kgp  o  e  1  SNC  1   YE4  2  t   Kgm  m  IRIa

Kgm mt 5

 

• traffic loading (YE4)

• pavement modified structural number and
subgrade bearing capacity (SNC)
• pavement age (t)
• environmental coefficient (m)
• existing condition (IRIa)
 Road User Costs Model
• Expressed as a polynomial function of roughness for
each vehicle category
• Developed using World Bank RUCKS (Road User
Costs Knowledge System) model

URUC  ao  a1  IRI  a2  IRI 2  a3  IRI 3

URUC - unit road users’ cost ($/vehicle-km)

IRI - pavement longitudinal roughness (m/km)
a0, a1, a2, a3 - model coefficients that depend on input
data (e.g., new vehicle, fuel and tire costs)
Example of IRI and Road Condition
• Very good: IRI less than 2.5 m/km
• Good: IRI from 2.5 m/km to 3.5 m/km
• Fair: IRI from 3.5 m/km to 5.5 m/km
• Poor: IRI from 5.5 m/km to 10.5 m/km
• Very poor: IRI higher than 10.5 m/km
Riverside Freeway, SR 91, CA
 Types of Road Network
• Five or less network types can be
defined by the user based on
functional classification, region,
terrain type, or environmental type
Default Alternative
Configuration Configurations Examples
Network Types by Types by Types by
Type Functional Class Geographic Region Terrain Type
1 Motorways North Region Flat Terrain
2 Primary South Region Hilly Terrain
3 Secondary Easthern Region Mountainous Terrain
4 Tertiary Western Region NA
5 Unclassified Central Region NA
31
 Surface Types
• RONET uses five surface types. The
country specific characteristics of the
surface types are user defined
Default
Surface Configuration
Type Surface Type
1 Cement Concrete
2 Asphalt Mix
3 Surface Treatment
4 Gravel
5 Earth
32
Traffic categories vary by surface type
Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) Illustrative Standards
Surface Traffic Traffic Minimum Maximum Average Geometry Pavement
Type Category Level (veh/day) (veh/day) (veh/day) Standard Standard
Earth Traffic I T1 0 10 5 1-lane warranted Formation not warranted
Traffic II T2 10 30 20 1-lane warranted Formation warranted
Traffic III T3 30 100 65 2-lane warranted Gravel warranted
Traffic IV T4 100 300 200 2-lane warranted Gravel warranted
Traffic V T5 300 1,000 650 2-lane warranted Paved Surface warranted
Gravel Traffic I T2 10 30 20 1-lane warranted Formation warranted
Traffic II T3 30 100 65 2-lane warranted Gravel warranted
Traffic III T4 100 300 200 2-lane warranted Gravel warranted
Traffic IV T5 300 1,000 650 2-lane warranted Paved Surface warranted
Traffic V T6 1,000 3,000 2,000 2-lane warranted Paved Surface warranted
Paved Traffic I T4 100 300 200 2-lane warranted Gravel warranted
Traffic II T5 300 1,000 650 2-lane warranted Paved Surface warranted
Traffic III T6 1,000 3,000 2,000 2-lane warranted Paved Surface warranted
Traffic IV T7 3,000 10,000 6,500 2-lane warranted Paved Surface warranted
Traffic V T8 10,000 30,000 20,000 4-lane warranted Paved Surface warranted
- Standard given for illustration purposes. Proper standards are country specific.
- AADT of motorized 4-tires or more 2-way traffic
 Road Condition Categories
• Very Good: requires only routine maintenance
(RM)
• Good: requires RM plus preventive
maintenance or spot regravelling or repairs
• Fair: requires RM plus periodic maintenance
• Poor: requires RM plus strengthening or partial
reconstruction
• Very Poor: requires RM plus full reconstruction

34
 RONET Main Input Data
• Length of road sections (per
category, traffic, condition)
comprising the network
• Unit cost of road works
• Selected country data (e.g., discount
rate, fuel cost, salaries, vehicle fleet,
traffic growth rate)

35
 Current Asset Value Calculation
Road Current
Type Condition Current Asset Value Unit Cost
Paved Roads Very Good Construction Unit Cost
Good Construction Unit Cost - Preventive Treatment Unit Cost
Fair Construction Unit Cost - Resurfacing Unit Cost
Poor Construction Unit Cost - Strengthening Unit Cost
Very Poor Construction Unit Cost - Full Reconstruction Unit Cost
Gravel Roads Very Good Construction Unit Cost
Good Construction Unit Cost - Spot Regravelling Unit Cost
Fair Construction Unit Cost - Regravelling Unit Cost
Poor Construction Unit Cost - Partial Reconstruction Unit Cost
Very Poor Construction Unit Cost - Full Reconstruction Unit Cost
Earth Roads Very Good Construction Unit Cost
Good Construction Unit Cost - Spot Repairs Unit Cost
Fair Construction Unit Cost - Heavy Grading Unit Cost
Poor Construction Unit Cost - Partial Reconstruction Unit Cost
Very Poor Construction Unit Cost - Full Reconstruction Unit Cost
 Performance Assessment
What are the consequences of
different budget scenarios?
Budget Scenarios Consequences
Optimal +2 Road Works
Optimal +1 Performance Financial
Optimal Assessment Economic
Optimal -1 Condition
Road
Optimal -2 Asset Value
Network
Optimal -3 Road Users
Do Minimum Etc.
Do Nothing
Custom
 Road Work Standards
RONET evaluates alternative maintenance
and rehabilitation road works standards for
each road class
Code Standard
A Very high
B High
C Medium
D Low
E Very low
F Do minimum
G Do nothing
Defined in RONET at: Capital Road Works Standards Configuration
 Asphalt Mix Roads Standards
7.0

6.0
Roughness (IRI, m/km)

5.0
Very High Standard
High Standard
4.0
Medium Standard
Low Standard
3.0 Very Low Standard
Do Minimum
Do Nothing
2.0

1.0

0.0
0 5 10 15 20
Year
 Optimal Standard
RONET determines optimal
standard per road class
9,000
8,000
Present Value Costs (M$)

7,000
6,000
5,000
Least Total Society
4,000 Costs
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
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Lo

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V
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Road Agency Costs Road User Costs

Total Society Costs
 Budget Scenarios
Optimal + 2 Two standards above optimal standard per road class

Optimal + 1 One standard above optimal standard per road class

Optimal Optimal standard per road class

Optimal – 1 One standard below optimal standard per road class

Optimal – 2 Two standards below optimal standard per road class

Optimal – 3 Three standards below optimal standard per road class

Do Minimum Do minimum on all road classes

Do Nothing Do nothing on all road classes
Custom User defined standard per network type and traffic category
 An Example of Consequences
to the Road Agency
Road Agency Costs Breakdown (Years 1-20)
Annual Costs Years 1-20, M$/year
Network Scenario Rehabilitation Periodic Maint. Recurrent Maint. Road Agency
Total Optimal +2 28.6 27.6 10.6 66.8
Network Optimal +1 25.4 19.6 10.1 55.1
Optimal 19.6 18.4 7.7 45.7
Optimal -1 21.5 11.2 8.1 40.8
Optimal -2 17.9 10.5 8.5 36.8
Optimal -3 16.1 11.9 3.4 31.4
Do Minimum 6.9 8.5 2.4 17.7
Do Nothing 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Custom 16.6 24.9 7.4 48.8
 Consequences to Road Users

Unit Road User Costs

Unit Road User Costs ($/vehicle-km)
Network Scenario Current Years 5 Years 10 Years 20
Total Optimal +2 0.328 0.298 0.298 0.296
Network Optimal +1 0.328 0.299 0.301 0.306
Optimal 0.328 0.301 0.301 0.308
Optimal -1 0.328 0.309 0.313 0.325
Optimal -2 0.328 0.318 0.326 0.339
Optimal -3 0.328 0.335 0.339 0.352
Do Minimum 0.328 0.355 0.369 0.397
Do Nothing 0.328 0.362 0.376 0.420
Custom 0.328 0.312 0.315 0.311
 Consequences to Society

Society Costs (Total Costs Years 1-20)

Total Costs Years 1-20, M$
Network Scenario Road Agency Road Users Society
Total Optimal +2 1,335 17,698 19,033
Network Optimal +1 1,102 17,936 19,038
Optimal 913 18,026 18,939
Optimal -1 817 18,794 19,610
Optimal -2 735 19,491 20,226
Optimal -3 629 20,360 20,989
Do Minimum 354 22,027 22,381
Do Nothing 0 22,896 22,896
Custom 977 18,635 19,612
Consequences to Road Network Condition:
Roughness (IRI in m/km)
 Years 1-5 Years 6-20
Road Agency Costs (M$/year) Road Agency Costs (M$/year)
Network Paved Unpaved Total Percent Network Paved Unpaved Total Percent
Motorways 0.0 0.0 0.0 0% Motorways 0.0 0.0 0.0 0%
Primary 27.0 2.7 29.8 33% Primary 10.4 1.5 11.9 39%
Secondary 11.1 23.0 34.1 38% Secondary 3.1 10.1 13.2 43%
Tertiary 0.0 27.1 27.1 30% Tertiary 0.0 5.4 5.4 18%

Road Total
Percent
38.2
42%
52.9
58%
91.0
100%
100% Total
Percent
13.5
44%
17.0
56%
30.5
100%
100%

Rehabilitation Costs (M$/year) Rehabilitation Costs (M$/year)

Works Network
Motorways
Paved Unpaved Total
0.0 0.0 0.0
Percent
0%
Network
Motorways
Paved Unpaved Total
0.0 0.0 0.0
Percent
0%

Details Primary
Secondary
13.1
9.2
2.3
16.7
15.3
25.9
24%
41%
Primary
Secondary
3.2
1.7
0.0
0.0
3.2
1.7
65%
35%
Tertiary 0.0 22.5 22.5 35% Tertiary 0.0 0.0 0.0 0%
(M$) Total
Percent
22.2
35%
41.5
65%
63.7
100%
100% Total
Percent
4.9
100%
0.0
0%
4.9
100%
100%

Periodic Maintenance Costs (M$/year) Periodic Maintenance Costs (M$/year)

Other Tables for: Network Paved Unpaved Total Percent Network Paved Unpaved Total Percent
($/km-year) Motorways 0.0 0.0 0.0 0% Motorways 0.0 0.0 0.0 0%
($/veh-km) Primary 12.1 0.2 12.2 63% Primary 5.4 1.2 6.5 36%
Secondary 1.4 3.0 4.4 22% Secondary 0.9 6.8 7.7 43%
(km/year) Tertiary 0.0 2.9 2.9 15% Tertiary 0.0 3.8 3.8 21%
Total 13.4 6.1 19.6 100% Total 6.2 11.8 18.0 100%
Percent 69% 31% 100% Percent 35% 65% 100%
per surface class
Recurrent Maintenance Costs (M$/year) Recurrent Maintenance Costs (M$/year)
and surface type Network Paved Unpaved Total Percent Network Paved Unpaved Total Percent
Motorways 0.0 0.0 0.0 0% Motorways 0.0 0.0 0.0 0%
Primary 1.9 0.3 2.2 28% Primary 1.9 0.3 2.1 28%
Secondary 0.5 3.3 3.8 50% Secondary 0.5 3.3 3.8 50%
Tertiary 0.0 1.7 1.7 22% Tertiary 0.0 1.7 1.7 22%
Total 2.5 5.2 7.7 100% Total 2.4 5.2 7.6 100%
Percent 32% 68% 100% Percent 31% 69% 100%
 Road User Charges
Road User Charges
Performance Assessment Fuel Consumption
Vehicle Registration Fees
License Fees
Road Damage Fees
Routine Maintenance Distance Travel Fees
Periodic Maintenance International Transit Revenues
Rehabilitation Toll Revenues
+ Foreign Vehicle Permit Revenues
Administration Vignettes Revenues
Improvements Carbon Taxes Revenues
Other Traffic Enforcement Revenues
= Other Fees and Taxes Revenues
Total Funding Needs Total Revenues

Funding Gap
 Next steps
• Review RONET’s User Guide
• RONET familiarization interactive
exercise
• Obtain as realistic as possible
information on a road network of each
participating country
• Develop an optimum road network M&R
program for the selected network
• Prepare a brief report and present the
results
Cesar Queiroz
SSATP/World Bank Consultant
Former World Bank Highways Adviser
Tel +1 301 755 7591
queiroz.cesar@gmail.com
Washington, DC, USA
 RONET Team Exercise
Road Network Two-lane Equivalent:
Length, condition and traffic levels
Length, km
Primary Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor
5000 1000 2500 1500

Asphalt 300 750 450 Surf Treat 700 1750 1050

vpd
300-1000 60 150 90 140 350 210
1000-3000 240 600 360 560 1400 840

This example of calculation is for primary roads. Please

follow the example and obtain the lengths per cell for
secondary and tertiary roads.
Cesar Queiroz, former World Bank Highways Adviser, is an international
consultant on roads and transport infrastructure. His main expertise is
in public-private partnerships, road management and development,
performance-based contracts, port reform and rehabilitation, improving
governance, quality assurance and evaluation, research, teaching and
training. Between 1986 and 2006, he held several positions with the
World Bank, including Lead Highway Engineer and Principal Highway
Engineer. Prior to joining the World Bank, Cesar was the deputy director
of the Brazilian Road Research Institute in Rio de Janeiro. He holds a
Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, a M.Sc.
in production engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro,
and a B.Sc. in civil engineering from the Federal University of Juiz de
Fora, Brazil. Cesar has published two books and more than 130 papers
and articles. His recent assignments include infrastructure advisory
services to Russia, Brazil, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine,
Philippines, Uganda, Sri Lanka, India, Egypt, Colombia, Laos,
Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Sweden and Norway. He is currently
a visiting professor at the University of Belgrade, Serbia, and has
lectured on PPP at George Washington University since 1996, and at the
International Law Institute since 2007.