Project
Development of Expertise within Road Maintenance
Funding origin:
Norway
STRIA Roadmaps:
Other ()
Transport mode:
Road
Transport sectors:
Passenger transport
Freight transport
Duration:
Start date: 01/01/2007,
End date: 01/12/2009
Status: Finished
Funding details:
Overview
Background & policy context:
The background for the project is the concern about loss of maintenance expertise in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) and in the business sector, for which several causes can be identified:
- NPRA lost both expertise and experience when the Production Department was separated from NPRA in 2003 and became a commercial company;
- introduction of competitive tendering has caused a sector-wide shift of focus from maintenance practices to competitive bidding, contracts, terms of settlement, etc.
- over the next few years many employees will reach retirement age, and important experience may disappear.
In addition, experience has shown that contractors are unwilling to spend their resources on long-term research. The Roads Authority must therefore actively stimulate innovation in the sector.
Objectives:
The main objective is to increase maintenance expertise, not only for NPRA, but for the whole road maintenance sector in Norway.
An additional aim of the project is to establish systems, routines and procedures that help develop expertise in the future.
Methodology:
The project focuses on five different areas:
- Making road maintenance more visible to politicians and the general public: increase status and recruitment.
- Training and education: improve knowledge of road maintenance at all levels within the sector.
- Specialisation: encourage more PhD studies and other forms of specialisation in the field of road maintenance.
- Research: develop and implement new technologies and knowledge.
- Exchange of experience: collect, systematise and disseminate maintenance experience.
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