Research of economic feasibility of laying hard surface on gravel roads in Lithuania

Abstract

10523 km of Lithuanian state roads are gravel. lt is 49.8 % of the totai length of 21111 km of the state roads. State roads are under the responsibility of the Lithuanian Road Administration. There are also 14602 km of gravel roads under the responsibility of municipalities. Lithuanian Road Administration recognizes the need of researches about gravel roads. The research about economic feasibility of their paving was financed since 1994. Research is based on the roughness measurements with the mounted Bump Integrator. The evaluation of results will be carried aut using the third version of a HDM model. Research of the influence of gravel pavement quality to the transport losses or when it is economicaly feasible to lay hard surface on gravel roads is planned to be finished in 1995. Information about the methodology of the research and overview of the results of first roughness measurements are presented together with some other characteristics of gravel roads in Kaišiadorys and Ukmergė regions of the Republic of Lithuania.