Survey and Design Consistency Evaluation in Two-Lane Rural Road Segments

The present research proposes a time and cost-effective methodology to survey and perform a design consistency evaluation in two-lane rural road segments. The implementation of the proposed methodology carried out in Central Greece and more particularly along the national road Volos-Karditsa, from the local community Mikrothives up to the entrance of the Volos municipal unit. The road survey methodology, the process of creating the terrain model as well as the cross-check between the designed road with the requirements included in the Greek Road Design Guidelines Manual-Chapter X, are analytically presented. Similar checks are also performed for the sight distance throughout the road segments aiming to enable the rehabilitation of existing rural roads and enhance their safety level. The design of the road was followed by the execution of an experiment with the participation of a motorcycle rider aiming at the recording of his trajectory throughout the road which was then compared with its geometry. The experiment carried out by exploiting an instrumented vehicle and GPS technology. Several conclusions were drawn regarding the encroachment of the centerline and the deviation from the theoretical trajectory in the middle of the travelled way. Subsequently, the proposed methodology provides a reliable and simple solution of surveying and evaluating a 2-lane rural road in safety terms.