Fifth Round of National Road Infrastructure Monitoring Nears Completion
The fifth phase of the national project to monitor Iran's arterial road infrastructure is nearing completion, achieving 80% progress in advancing smartization and leveraging knowledge-based products of the Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization. This milestone was announced by the Head of the Center for the Development of Training, Studies and Artificial Intelligence.
According to Dr. Zakeri, since the second half of Iranian year, an integrated update of over 100,000 kilometers of national road network has been undertaken using advanced and automated equipment. In collaboration with the Soil Mechanics Technical Laboratory, 80% of arterial roads and 50% of all roads nationwide have been surveyed.
Mr. Hamzeh Zakeri also highlighted road health monitoring as one of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development's most notable achievements, aligning with the implementation of smart management methods. Over a decade of support and investment by the Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization has transformed this effort into a pioneering knowledge-based initiative within the technical-engineering community.
National Road Pavement Monitoring Plan
The national plan for monitoring the national road pavements is among the largest research projects in Iran, noted for its extensive studies and use of advanced technologies. Dr. Zakeri explained that, for the first time, simultaneous planning in the areas of pavement and road safety is being conducted using automated equipment to collect and process data with the Simorgh supercomputer infrastructure management system.
Smartization and Predictive Capabilities
Dr. Zakeri stressed the importance of maintaining and enhancing road infrastructure efficiency despite budget constraints. By integrating automation and smartization capabilities, Iran has emerged as a leader in road infrastructure management (AMS) technology. The project employs international standards and data-based scientific methods to drive technological advancements.
New capabilities, including intelligent interpretation, prediction, optimization, image processing, and long-term planning, are being developed alongside systems for bridge, tunnel, safety and black spots management. Endeavors are also underway to integrate these systems, enhance computing speeds and streamline data superposition processes.
Advanced Monitoring and Performance Indicators
Simultaneously, in October 2023, advanced laser measurement equipment (LCMS) was deployed across 48 selected road sections. By early March 2024, the third round of data collection began, focusing on developing advanced predictive models within the Pavement Management System (PMS). Performance indicators such as the International Roughness Index (IRI), Rutting (RUT), Mean Profile Depth (MPD), and road geometry data are being automatically updated for the fifth time.
Enhanced Analytical Tools for Road Management
New analytical features have been incorporated into the Road Maintenance technical system to facilitate data-driven planning and decision-making. These tools enable corridor reporting, pavement condition assessment, scenario modeling for repair and maintenance, and continuous road surface monitoring. The collection of road status data has been supervised by 26 provincial Directorates of the RMTO and carried out by two teams using automated monitoring equipment.
Dr. Zakeri concluded that the fifth round of monitoring is expected to be completed within the next three months, with its results becoming available for network-level planning and implementation.