Survey vehicles to map road defects of over 20,000 km of National Highways: Ministry

New Delhi, Oct 22 (IANS) The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will deploy Network Survey Vehicles in 23 states to survey 20,933 kilometres of National Highways in order to gather detailed road inventory and pavement condition data to expedite corrective maintenance, a government statement said on Wednesday.

The deployment of NSVs will enable the NHAI to collect necessary data related to road inventory and pavement condition, including all relevant road defects like surface cracking, potholes and patches, etc, the Road Transport & Highways Ministry statement said.

The data collected through NSV surveys will highlight deficiencies in road conditions, prompting the NHAI to take corrective measures for better upkeep of National Highways, enhancing the riding experience of the commuters, it added.

A 3D laser-based NSV system is capable of capturing and reporting road defects automatically without any human intervention with the help of high-resolution 360-degree cameras, differential GPS, inertial measurement units, and distance-measuring indicators.

Onboard data acquisition and processing software will generate inventory and pavement reports for two, four, six, and eight-lane projects.

To implement this initiative, the NHAI has invited bids from qualified companies, the statement noted.

Survey data will be uploaded to the NHAI’s AI-based Data Lake for analysis by a dedicated expert team, converting the information into actionable insights for road maintenance and asset management. The ministry said that results will be stored in the Road Asset Management System in designated formats for future use.

NHAI's 'Rajmargyatra' app enables users to gift the FASTag annual pass, the government said earlier this week, urging citizens to consider this “perfect gift for travellers” during the Diwali and festive season.

FASTag annual pass provides a seamless and economical travel option to the National Highway users and is applicable on about 1,150 toll plazas across India. The annual pass costs Rs 3,000 and is valid for one year or up to 200 toll plaza crossings.

--IANS

aar/