IndiaRAP’s first NHAI project Star Rating 2,400kms of national highways across 3 states began in Sept 2020 in a bid to address escalating road deaths and injuries in recent years. The assessment covered 791 km of dual-carriageway highways in Uttar Pradesh, 188km in Tamil Nadu and 309km in Maharashtra. Workshops were conducted in the three states discussing assessment results and safety treatment for implementation with over 140 engineers and decision-makers.
Following the three workshops conducted in March and April 2021, the fourth and last workshop was conducted in Pune in September 2021. The workshops provided stakeholders with an introduction and update on the project and shared results of assessments conducted by IndiaRAP for national highways assessed in three states. Recommended treatments for improving safety and comments shared by the project teams were also discussed.
The workshops, hosted by IndiaRAP, were attended by Regional Officers, Project Directors and Technical Staff, concessionaires, Independent Engineers, design consultants, as well as officers of Road Safety Cell from NHAI Head Office. Hands-on experience provided in the workshops for accessing the online assessments results in ViDA helped in implementation of the life-saving treatments.
Following the workshops, the PIUs implemented low-cost and easy to implement treatments such as improving delineation, quality of intersections and curvature, application of thermo-plastic bar markings near intersections, road surface improvement, provision of street-lights etc. The safety treatments identified under the investment plan such as provision of crash barrier, shoulder rumble-strips, footpaths, traffic calming measures, etc. which fall under mid-term category were recommended for implementation by PIUs during the period of 1 to 3 years. Long-term safety treatments such as provision of protected turn lane at intersections, bicycle/motorcycle lane, service road, grade separation of intersection, etc. were recommended for further detailed investigation, designing and cost estimate for implementation.
The systematic safety assessment conducted on important corridors in the three states provided NHAI a safety performance indicator which can be tracked over time. The assessment has provided targeted safety interventions prioritized into three categories viz., maintenance (short-term, low cost), advanced maintenance (mid-term, medium cost) and upgrade (long-term, high cost). The tailor-made safer roads investment plan provided an estimate of reduction in fatalities and serious injuries if the safety treatments are implemented.
