2016 - Australia - Unsealed Road Maintenance and Deterioration Performance

This report describes a two-year study designed to quantify the immediate and longer-term maintenance impact of grader blading and surface re-sheeting on unsealed roads.  The project assembled and analysed roughness data collected by Cassowary Coast Regional Council in Queensland, Blayney Shire Council in New South Wales and Moorabool Shire Council in central Victoria to expand the current works effects (WE) models to cover a wider range of traffic and climatic conditions and to validate the existing unsealed road roughness deterioration (RD) model. WE models were developed for light blading, medium blading and granular re-sheeting maintenance works and a RD model was developed for roughness progression between maintenance activities.  The suggested modifications to the RD and WE models should assist local government asset managers in their management of unsealed roads. It is expected that the models could be adapted to the varying local conditions of unsealed roads in other locations.