Methodological proposal for road network functional upgrading

MALTINTI, FRANCESCA;F. ANNUNZIATA;MELIS, DANIELA

2007-01-01

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Abstract

The answer provided to the need to transport persons, goods and information has been prevalently that of road and motorway building based of local and sectorial requirements, with plans drawn up in the absence of compulsory building rules. In today’s situation it is not difficult to predict that in the short- to medium term roads will continue to absorb most of the traffic of persons and goods. This raises questions of management and upgrading of the roads being used; this is especially important owing to their impact on productive sectors and the consequences they have from the social and environmental standpoints. Thus the need to proceed to the functional upgrading of the existing network is being emphasized more and more since it is a part of the vaster issue of the management of the roads now in use. Improvement in the quality of the service offered and road safety requires overall or local works to be implemented with a series of coordinated actions to follow a sustainable approach also from the environmental and economic viewpoints. The overall issue of mobility requires an innovative and original effort with respect to the traditional vision of roads limited to layout only, one that is capable of taking into account all present and future aspects of mobility, proposing trends, programmes and work priorities in the definition of new proposals and in the conservation and improvement of the existing road network. The transportation system and within this the road network must be upgraded in the light of the socioeconomic realities and future development of the region it serves while safeguarding and making the best use of its historical and environmental peculiarities coherently with overall economic planning. This paper presents the results of research conducted by the University of Cagliari on an existing infrastructure network. The methodology adopted in the study provides indications and examples concerning the different stages in the analysis of an existing network: from the indication of objectives to the identification of critical situations and consequently the definition of design alternatives capable of reaching the objectives set.