Smoother rides ahead as highway maintenance in ministry’s crosshairs

So, the ministry has decided on periodic audits of all highways, especially six months before the defect liability period (DLP) expires, to ascertain problems on stretches so the concessionaire can rectify the issue.

A MoRTH official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said maintenance is not very high on contractors’ priorities, and they generally don’t pay much attention to this aspect of highway building, even when these provisions are built into the contract. So, the official said, these conditions should be strictly enforced with contractors.

DLP is the period during which the construction company building a project is also responsible for deficiencies in maintenance and structures.

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Highway inspection

A MoRTH circular has made it mandatory for government agencies to inspect and assess highway condition and repair requirements six months before the end of the contract or DLP period for highway projects. Further, only when the concessionaires rectify all deficiencies and defects will they receive their dues and a taking-over certificate be issued.

Also, the changes in the standard operating procedure for highway maintenance will ensure that repair and rectification work in subsequent STMC or PBMC is done according to requirements.

A query sent to MoRTH remained unanswered till press time.

Maintenance work

Out of the 146,195 km length of the National Highways (NH) network in the country, damages have been reported in about 1% of the stretch every year.  The development and maintenance of NHs is a continuous process with MoRTH and its executing agencies assessing the conditions of NHs from time to time. 

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The maintenance works on NHs are taken up to keep the NHs traffic worthy. In FY24, MoRTH spent nearly ₹6,500 crore on highway repair and maintenance. A similar amount is also expected to be incurred in the current fiscal.

However, highway construction companies have their inputs on the maintenance issue.

“The government should come out with transparent and standard systems for maintenance of highways so that it is easier for contractors to fulfil their commitments,” said an official of a prominent highway construction company on condition of anonymity due to his company’s engagement on highway projects with government agencies. “Non-transparent methods increase the cost for concessionaires.”

The different modes used for maintenance and upkeep of National Highways including bridges, structures, etc include EPC, HAM and TOT. In the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts, contractors maintain the road during the construction period and thereafter during Defects Liability Period-cum-Maintenance Period. 

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In Design Build Finance Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) / Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) Contracts, the concessionaires maintain the road during construction period and thereafter till the end of the concession period. Concessionaires of Toll Operate and Transfer (TOT)/ Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) of Infrastructure investment trusts (INVIT) agreements maintain the road during the concession period. 

The rest of the National Highways stretches are generally maintained by contractors of Performance Based Maintenance Contract (PBMC) and Short-Term Maintenance Contract (STMC).

Visual as well as equipment based periodic inspection, evaluation and monitoring has been mandated for National Highways including bridges to ensure that structural integrity is maintained through timely repair/rehabilitation. Structural health on a real-time basis is also is monitored in some very important bridges. 

The ministry has sanctioned the Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS) for monitoring and maintenance of bridges and other structures on the entire NH network.