Raine, Timothy (2024) Low Volume Road Development and Maintenance. [USQ Project]
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Abstract
Throughout Australia, Low Volume Roads (LVR) encompass a large number of rural roads, connecting regional communities to each other and offering routes for mining equipment, raw materials to and from mines as well as local health and recreational services. Due to the relatively low average daily vehicle rate for these roads, federal, state and local funding is rather small if any as compared to larger, more occupied roadways.
The following research project aims to assess sample low volume roads and provide an insight into the economic viability and priority of repairs for the low volume road. This is to be tested through the development of research models to both determine whether a simple low volume road repair is more economic than a complete renovation of the section, as well as a model to effectively provide an accurate ranking of road segments required to be repaired and providing the most cost-effective repair technique for the required road characteristic. This was completed through the prolonged phase of research and analysis. The research project delivers on this with the development of a model to accurately outline the hierarchy of road segment repair with respect to road segment importance.
The results for this research project showcase the effectiveness of performing periodic maintenance strategies to segments of the road over that of complete reconstruction and rehabilitation of the roadway. This indicates the findings of neglecting roads for the duration of their design life is counterproductive and inefficient in the long-term planning schemes for low volume roads. These consistent inspections enable engineers to detect any signs of degradation or wear and tear, allowing for the most appropriate and cost-effective repair strategy or mitigation technique to be applied, leading to the road in most cases far exceeding the initial design life figure stated.
Utilising this approach, appropriate budget allocations can be introduced instead of the established practices currently being employed when discussing low volume roads. In addition to this, the adopted practice in this research paper supports the long-term economic growth of the region and if scheduled and maintained properly, can significantly reduce the level of disruption that the maintenance works would usually cause. Implementing these findings into the scheduling and budgetary responsibilities for low volume roads will assist agencies such as regional councils effectively manage these low volume roads with a higher level of efficiency as to ensure even in reduced budgetary conditions, these low volume roads will have appropriate funding and methodologies.
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| Item Type: | USQ Project |
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| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Engineering (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Thorpe, David |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil) |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Mar 2026 05:04 |
| Last Modified: | 17 Mar 2026 05:04 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Low Volume Roads (LVR); Australia; economic viability |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/53152 |
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