Review of the Roads Appraisal Process in Russia
By Prof. Valentin V.Silyanov, State Technical University-MADI,
Moscow, Russia, 125319, Leningradskyi prospect 64,
Ph.+7-095/151-52-41, Fax +7-095/151-0331,
e-mail: vvs@madi.ru ; http://www.madi.ru
Introduction
Major stages of planning and designing of highways is the substantiation of the
necessary investments, and also substantiation of a choice of alternatives of
alignment and other elements of a road as transport structure.
Now Russia has joined the majority of the international documents, which regulate
these works. In October, 2004, the document allowing completely to adapt HDM-4
to the Russian conditions was issued. Thus, in Russia the project analysis and
HDM-4, which are used by the World Bank, is completely accepted at a
substantiation of the investments in road construction and receiving credits of this
bank.
The normative base is completely advanced, however process of its confirmation
for practical application is not completed yet (except for HDM-4) and the transitive
period takes place.
The information on planning and designing of highways is resulted below which is
now practically used in Russia.
The described below design stages and the estimations of the investment projects
apply to all kinds of roads (urban, inter-urban and rural), difference to each type of
roads is in terms of performance of works, their cost and sources of financing.
1. Road planning process
Stages of designing new roads, designing the road reconstruction and road
rehabilitations.
I. Pre-feasibility
study:
This stage includes mainly: Working out the general scheme of road network
development.
Working out of road network is a pre-planning document and is being developed for
federal, state and local roads. Financial support for working out the schemes is given
from the state budget.
The scheme of road network development solves a problem of complete and duly
satisfaction of needs in cargo and passenger transportations by road transport. In the
scheme the prospects of development of a road network of region is being planned
and proved for planning design and survey works and capital construction, define a
configuration, extent and technological level of a road network on the basis of
development of productive forces, expect requirement of material resources and
efficiency of planned measures.
The scheme of road network development is developed on prospect 20-25 years and is
a basis for the subsequent development 10- and 5- years plans of construction and
reconstruction of highways.
The scheme of development of a network of roads of nation-wide importance affirm
by government.
Term of development of the scheme of development of a network of roads of nationwide importance - 1-1.5 years, local importance - till 1 year.
The development of the scheme of development of a network of roads is carried out in
two stages.
At the first stage define tasks and basic parameters of development of a network, and
also provide measures on complex use of industrial base in view of a rational
combination of roads of the various administrative importance.
At the second stage in structure of the scheme is being developed the technical and
economic characteristics with necessary accounts proving expediency and a sequence
of construction, reconstruction and expansion of separate objects on five years period
with definition of settlement cost of objects and economic efficiency.
The scheme consists of the following sections:
1.Introduction (The basis for development of the scheme. The used materials of the
schemes on development and accommodation of branches of economy of region and
other materials. The normative and methodical instructions)
2. Transport and economic characteristic of the region.
3. Analysis of a modern condition of a network of highways.
4. Volumes of road transportation and traffic volumes.
5. Principles of development of a network of roads
6. Offers on development of a network of roads
7. Nature conditions of road construction
8. Efficiency of a capital investment.
9. Technical and economic characteristics.
10.Conclusions and Recommendations
II. Feasibility study
This stage include mainly: Substantiation of the investments (assessment of
investments efficiency).
Efficiency of the investment project is understood as a degree of conformity of its
results to the purposes and interests of its participants, as which can act both
society as a whole, and separate subjects of investment activity under the given
project (investors, shareholders, creditors).
At an estimation of efficiency of the investments in the road projects distinguish its
following kinds:
·
public;
·
commercial;
·
budget.
The public efficiency characterizes socio-economic consequences of realization for
a society as a whole; commercial - its financial consequences for the concrete
investors and budget - financial consequences of the project for the federal,
regional or local budget.
The public efficiency pays off for the economic and large-scale investment
projects, which realization essentially influences on an economic, social and
ecological situation in the country or in separate regions and sectors. The
construction and reconstruction all highways of general usage concern to such
projects.
The account of a commercial effectiveness of construction and reconstruction of
roads is carried out in the event that for its reproduction off-budget sources of
financing are used or the creation of toll roads is provided.
The budget efficiency of construction and reconstruction of roads is determined if
necessary estimations of expediency of participation in them of the state from the
point of view of the charges and incomes of the budget of the appropriate level.
For an estimation of efficiency of the projects the following basic parameters
basing on commensurability of expenses for their realization and results from
realization are used:
·
net discount income;
·
an profitability index of the investments;
·
internal norm of profitability
·
payback period.
The basic criterion is not payback period but net discount income.
The next feature which is the obligatory account at an estimation of efficiency of
the road projects of risk factors and uncertainty, which should be carried out on the
basis of use of one of the following methods: updating of discount norm, analysis
of sensitivity of results of the project to change of its parameters or imitating
simulation.
The important feature is that the significant attention is given to necessity of the
authentic account of connections between road conditions and operational
parameters of road transport.
III. Engineering project.
IV. Working draft.
The basic transport-operational parameters of the projects and
methods of their account
Methods of forecasting of volume and composition of traffic flows
The parameters of general traffic volume and average speed of traffic flows are
established for each temporary step of the accepted limit of comparison of variants
by special account, which depending on the available information and conditions
of realization of each variant of the project can be carried out by several methods:
·
forecasting on one dynamic series (extrapolation method);
·
multifactor forecasting;
·
forecasting on the basis of gravitational models;
·
forecasting on the basis of expert estimations.
The extrapolation method is based on use of data of the long-term traffic volume
account, and revealing of pattern of growth of traffic volume in retrospective
reciew with subsequent trend extrapolation of the established tendencies on the
future period. At use of this method the approximation of the received series of
dynamics is carried out, as a rule, on linear or exponential law with definition of
average rate of growth of traffic volume. In this case factor of growth of traffic
volume for any year of the examined perspective period is defined accordingly
under the formulas:
Kt = (1+pt)
Kt = (1+p)t ,
where t- serial year of the examined perspective period; p- rate of growth of traffic
volume in relative units of measurements.
Multifactor forecasting is based on economical-statistical simulation of
dependences between parameters of traffic volume and all or most significant
factors determining their size (for example, volumes of industrial and agricultural
production, population density, presence cargo vehicles, production concentration
ratio for freight traffic, road network density, transport mobility of the population,
level of motorization - for passenger transportations). The usual algorithm
multifactor forecasting includes:
·
selection of quantitatively measurable and functionally independent factors
- arguments determining size of a researched parameter;
·
a choice of the form of connection between an investigated parameter and
factors - arguments to the greatest degree adequate to simulated process;
·
account of parameters (regression coefficients) multifactor regression
equations and estimation of their reliability;
·
substitution in regression model prediction meanings of the factors -
arguments and account of parameters of traffic volume, expected in the perspective
period.
In a basis of forecasting on the basis of gravitational models the hypothesis about
presence between traffic volumes and major factors by their determining following
the interrelation of a gravitational type lays:
Q=k (PiPj/Rijn),
where Pi,Pj- economic potentials correlative points i and j, characterized, for
example, volume of made production; Rij- distance between correlative points; k, n
- constants describing a level of economic development of considered region.
The forecasting on the basis of expert estimations assumes attraction of
group of the experts with wide experience of operation of road structures to
definition of prospective dynamics of growth of traffic volume before and after
realization of the project with the subsequent estimation of a degree of a
coordination of opinions.
At comparison of route alternatives of the design decisions while designing
highways and for the characteristic of alternatives, recommended to construction,
the parameters are being applied, which can be divided into the following groups:
1. Technical parameters (length of the route; number of turning angles (total
number and number per km); number of curves of minimum radius; the length of
sections with steep and maximum gradients; number of railway crossings and atgrade intersections; the length of sections with restricted traffic speed; the number
of major bridges and their length; the number of places where traffic interruption is
possible owing to mudflow streams, snow avalanches, landslides, etc; the average
haulage distance for the main construction materials; the requirements for main
construction materials; the total amount of basic machinery and manpower
required, etc.)
2. Economic parameters (the total engineering cost of the alternative; operating
cost; construction cost; road maintenance expenses; transportation expenses
3. Characteristics of transport-operational qualities of road alternatives
(volume and composition of traffic flows, turnover of goods, average route speed,
road capacity, fuel consumption, average route speed, free speed, road capacity,
levels of service, fuel consumption, clearance and axle loads of bridged etc.)
4. Characteristics of road traffic safety, including possible accident cost,
detection of possible “black spots” (there are in Russia special methods for
detection “black spots”: “Accident Coefficient Method” and “Safe Coefficient
Method”)
5. Parameters that are taking into account adverse influence of a road on an
environment
6. Characteristics of an economic efficiency, “cost-benefit” analysis.
2. Standards
There are two separate standards for rural (inter-urban) and urban roads exist
in Russia.
According to the existing standards for rural (inter-urban) roads (SNIP
2.05.02-85) five classes of roads are established (Table 1).
Table 1. Classification of inter-urban and rural roads in Russia (according to
standards SNiP 2.05.02-85)
Classes
of
roads
I-a
Design Traffic Volume, vpd
In p.c.u’s/day
Mixed traffic flow,
Vehicles per day
Exceeding 14000
Exceeding 7000
Design
Speed,
kmph
150
I-b
II
III
Exceeding 14000
6000-14000
2000-6000
Exceeding 7000
3000-7000
1000-3000
120
120
100
IV
200-2000
100-1000
80
V
Up to 200
Up to 100
60
Purpose of roads
International and Federal
Motorways
Federal and Inter-Urban
Roads
State, regional and local
roads (except of local
roads of class II)
Regional and Local
Roads (except of local
roads of classes II and
III)
Local Roads (except of
local roads of classes III
and IV)
Minimum horizontal radii, longitudinal profile elements and cross-sections
are recommended. Clearance and axle loads of bridged are given in it. Types of
road pavements are recommended for each class of roads the following:

Heavy-duty high quality (asphalt-concrete and cement-concrete
pavements)

Light-duty high quality (broken-stone and gravel materials stabilized
by binders)

Intermediate (broken-stone and gravel materials pavement)

Inferior (soil roads).
Urban roads and streets are designing according to the existing standards
(SNiP II-60-75). Table 2 gives the classification of urban streets and roads used in
the standards for urban street designing in Russia.
Table 2. Classification of Urban Streets and Roads (according to standards
SNiP II-60-75)
Streets and Roads Classes
Principle designation
Design speed,
kmph
High speed communication between remote
city districts, with large industrial areas
beyond city limits and with rural (inter-urban)
highways of high classes. Designed for high
volume traffic flows with grade separation
Communication between residential,
industrial and business districts and also with
the town center, with places of general
importance (stations, parks, stadiums, freight
yards, etc.) as well as with inter-urban
highways with traffic separation in one or
different grades
120
b) district arteries
Local communication within the limits of
residential and industrial districts,
communication between these districts and
city arteries and expressways
80
c) roads for transportation
of cargo
Transportation industrial and constructional
cargos outside of residential areas between
industrial area of city
80
Transport and pedestrian communication
between residential districts and arterial
streets
60
Expressways
Arterial streets:
a) city arteries
Streets and Roads for local
traffic:
a) in residential districts
100
b)
in industrial and
warehouse districts
Transport and pedestrian communication
between industrial enterprises, warehouses
and arterial streets and through-roads
60
c) pedestrian streets and
zones
Communication for pedestrians between
residential areas and places of recreation,
public centers, cultural and welfare center,
public transport stops, lanes in parks
d) streets in settlements
Transport communication within the
settlement area with public center and
enterprises
60
e) roads of settlements
Transport communication between settlement
area and service enterprises and warehouses
60
f) access roads and
thoroughfares
Transport communication between local areas
30
New Standards for Rural Roads (under confirmation, planning to confirm in
2005)
In new standards the following terms with the appropriate definitions are applied:
 Technical classification of highways - division of set of highways to
classification attributes on classes and categories with the purposes of an
establishment of their characteristics necessary for designing of new
construction, reconstruction, organization of maintenance, road service and
other tasks of a road facilities(economy).
 Class of a highway - characteristic of a highway on conditions of access on it.
 Category of a highway - characteristic reflecting belonging of a highway to the
appropriate class and determining technical parameters of a highway.
 Access on a highway - opportunity of entrance on a highway and congress
from it(her) of vehicles determined by a type of crossing or a contiguity.
Classes of highways
1 The highways depending on conditions of access on them of flows of vehicles are
subdivided into three classes: motorway, high-speed road and not high-speed road.
2 The motorways of general usage concern to "motorway":
-
having on all extent multilane carriageway with the median lane;
-
not having of at-grade intersections with roads, railways, tram ways, bicycle and
pedestrian paths;
-
the access on which is possible only through interchanges.
3 To “ a high-speed road “ the highways of general usage concern:
-
having on all extent multilane carriageway with the median lane;
-
not having of at-grade interchanges with roads, railways, tram ways, bicycle and
pedestrian paths;
-
the access on which is possible through interchanges and at-grade and
uncontrolled access located not more often than through 5 km.
4 To "a not high-speed road " the highways concern:
-
having undivided carriageway or with the median lane;
-
the access on which is possible through interchanges and at-grade accesses.
Categories of roads
Basic classification attributes of a category of a road are:
-
number and width of traffic lanes;
-
presence of the median lane;
-
a type of crossings with roads, railways, tram ways, bicycle and foot paths;
-
design traffic volume;
-
design speed.
Basic characteristics of classification attributes of roads
The basic characteristics of classification attributes are given in the table 3.
The Table 3 Technical classification of roads of general usage
Class
of
roads
Category
of road
Total
number
of lanes
Lane
width,
m
Median lane Intersection with roads, Access to road
railways, tramways, from at-grade
bicycle and pedestrian intersection
paths
1
Motor
way
2
IA
3
4 and
more
4
3,75
5
6
Obligatory
Interchanges
7
Not permitted
High
Speed
Road
IB
4 and
more
3,75
Permitted
without
crossing main
road
Non
High
Speed
Road
IC
4 and
more
3,75
Obligatory
Permit at-grade
intersections
with traffic
signals
Permitted without
crossing main road
II
III
IV
2
more 21
2
2
3,75
3,5
3,5
3,0
No
Permitted
V
1
4,5
and
more
Permit at-grade
intersections
The notes.
1. It is not supposed to design roads with three lanes.
2. At designing roads II category with 4 and more lanes, median lane is obligatory.
3. Environmental inputs
The normative base of road sector for ensuring the decision of environment
protection tasks, includes:
 The Nation-wide Laws.
 The Decrees of the President of Russia and Resolutions of the Government
of Russia.
 State standards.
 Interbranch norms and standards.
 Guides and Manuals of Road Administration of Russia
First four groups of the documents determine nature protection tasks of
branch, formulate a circle of considered tasks and requirements to their decision,
form principles of step by step designing approached to structure which acting in
Europe. The fifth group of the normative documents, in the essence, should ensure
practical realization of rules of the legislation, standards, decisions and interbranch
norms in practical activity in road sector of the country, having ensured
opportunity of integrated designing of highways.
The Federal Law of 23.1.95 "About ecological examination" establishes
a principle of potential danger of any activity which is carried out in territory of
Russia, legal relations at organization both realization of state and public
ecological examinations and status of their conclusions, power of a special body in
the field of state ecological examination, compulsion of its realization, requirement
to the conclusion of a commission of experts and order of its statement, regularity
of realization of examination, requirement to realization of public examination.
The responsibility for infringement of the legislation about ecological examination,
order of the decision of disputes.
Establishes the order and structure of examination pre-project and design materials
of all kinds of construction, level of examination, order of public examination,
responsibility of the investors and experts. Requires obligatory ecological
examination of all legal and economic documents of authority, accepted at all
levels, is direct or indirectly touching attitude with an environment.
In road sector four normative and methodical documents formulating and
explaining ecological problems of a roads work only:
 Road Design Standards - SNiP 2.05.02-85;
 The Instruction on protection of natural environment at construction
and maintenance of highways (VSN 8-89 Ministry of Transport of
Russian Federation);
 The Recommendations for the account of the requirements on
protection of an environment at designing highways and river
crossings (Federal Road Administration, Ministry of Transport of
Russian Federation, 1995);
 Manual on drafting of the project resoil of grounds occupied in
temporary usage for construction of highways and road structures
(1984).
Standards for road design SNiP 2.05.02-85 "Highways" contain the basic
ecological requirements to lay of an alignment of a road, constructive decisions,
including the direct protection measures and structures, rules of organization of
construction of highways, observance of the requirements of the land laws.
“The instruction on protection of natural environment at construction
and maintenance of highways (VSN 8-69)” and “The Recommendations for
the account of the requirements on protection of an environment at designing
highways and river crossings” contain the information on the basic requirements
to an estimation of influence of roads on an environment and recommendations of
the part of the road project " Protection of an environment" at various stages of
road designing, methodology of development of the nature protection technical
decisions.
It is recommended 3-stage process of road designing (feasibility study, engineering
project, the working documentation), at which last stage – “working
documentation” - is developing by road building company but not road design
company.
At designing roads it is recommended preference to give back the design
decisions rendering the minimal negative influence on an environment, providing
an optimum combination of a road to a landscape.
For an estimation of influence of the highways on an environment the
following parameters are used:
 levels of transport noise and pollution of atmospheric air on sites of
the roads which are taking place through residential areas or in
immediate proximity from them, their comparison to allowable
meanings;
 the area of grounds, contiguous to a road, where concentration of lead
in ground exceeds allowable level;
 extent of sites, within the limits of which is expensive can to render
adverse influence on an existing landscape, animal and flora,
historical and cultural monuments, including reserves, taking place on
territory, sanitary and protective zones.
4. Social enquiry
There is no much practice in this field. Only a few examples of social
enquiry took place while designing rehabilitation of Moscow Ring Road.
5. Social impacts
There is no much practice in this field. There are a few examples of
estimation of social impacts of urban streets in Moscow and some other large
cities.
6. Appraisal tools
In connection with development of model HDM-4 (version 1.1.) adapted to
northern regions and having more an ample opportunities in comparison with
HDM-3, in Russia the interest to use of this model for an estimation of the various
investment projects and formation of the projects of the budget on repair and
contents of highways has appeared. However not all parameters (initial data) and
not all methodical features of HDM-4 were acceptable to the Russian conditions,
that has required its appropriate adaptation.
In Russia the work on an establishment of correlation dependences and
analogues of initial parameters allowed to make use of HDM-4 in conditions of
Russia was carried out and to establish the limits of its effective use.
The normative document for "Recommendations adaptation initial given in
model HDM-4 to the Russian conditions " was issued by the Federal Road Agency
of the Ministry of Transport of Russia in October 2004. At making use of model
HDM-4 with reference to the Russian conditions adaptation the parameters
describing geometrical and strength parameters of a highway, traffic conditions
and climatic features of region of an arrangement of a road are subject.
In this normative document the application HDM-4 is recommended for the
decision of the following an issues:
·
for the analysis of alternative and specification of the design
decisions;
·
of a comparative estimation of efficiency of the investments in
various alternatives, including development of a network of highways;
·
for comparison purposes of efficiency of technologies of road
maintenance and road service in the different road projects and programmes;
·
for the analysis of activity of the road transportation enterprises;
·
for preliminary of forecasting of expenses on road maintenance and
service of roads, with the purpose of development of the projects of the
intermediate term and long-term budgets (for the period till 5 years);
·
for scientific research purposes.
7. ORN 5
It is very important and useful document and manual for practical road
design specialists, and for receiving high quality road projects and roads.
Much more attention should be paid to appraise road traffic safety for
different road route alternatives. There are special methods for detection of “black
spots” while road design and estimation of alternatives of road were worked out
and used in Russia.
Conclusion
ORN5 is very important document and should be international one which
shall be very effective for using while planning and design international corridors
and highways which cross a number of countries. ORN5 should be harmonized
with the standards of different countries
It should be published not only in English but in Russian for using in Russia,
CIS, Mongolia and Baltic countries.