How IRC:82-2015 Defines Serviceability Indicators for Indian Highways and Urban Roads?

Maintaining the performance of India’s highways and urban roads requires a structured framework that ensures safety, durability, and cost-effectiveness. The Indian Roads Congress (IRC) introduced IRC:82-2015 – Code of Practice for Maintenance of Bituminous Road Surfaces – as a benchmark for evaluating serviceability and guiding road asset management in India.

This blog explains how IRC:82-2015 defines serviceability indicators, why they are crucial for Indian road networks, and how digital solutions like visual distress measurement in India, AI-based pavement testing, and digital pavement monitoring systems are transforming maintenance practices.

What Serviceability Indicators Mean in IRC:82-2015?

According to IRC:82-2015, serviceability indicators are parameters that measure the functional health of pavements. Two critical indicators are:

• Pavement Roughness: Riding quality is measured by the International Roughness Index (IRI). Lower values mean smoother, more serviceable pavements.
• Skid Resistance: Measured as Skid Number (SN), it defines how safe pavements are under wet conditions.

IRC:82-2015 provides clear thresholds:

• Highways: Roughness up to 1800 mm/km is good, 2400 mm/km fair, 3200 mm/km poor. Skid resistance is considered safe above 60 SN.
• Urban Roads: Roughness up to 1800 mm/km is good, 2600 mm/km fair, 3400 mm/km poor. Skid resistance of 65 SN is desirable.

These values guide maintenance agencies in deciding when to apply treatments, renewals, or overlays.

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Why Serviceability Indicators Matter for Road Maintenance?

For India’s extensive road network, serviceability indicators:

• Reduce premature deterioration by enabling timely interventions.
• Lower vehicle operating costs due to smoother pavements.
• Improve safety by ensuring minimum skid resistance.
• Extend the pavement life cycle, reducing reconstruction budgets.

Modern AI-based road condition monitoring now ensures faster and more reliable assessments, supplementing traditional methods.

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Role of Visual Distress Measurement and AI

IRC:82-2015 also emphasises distress observation. Visual distress measurement in India helps identify cracks, potholes, rutting, and deformation at early stages. With AI, these surveys are now automated, minimising subjectivity.

Solutions such as digital road survey tools allow continuous pavement scanning using high-resolution cameras and sensors. This integration of field inspections with analytics ensures data-driven maintenance strategies.

For agencies and contractors, partnering with the best road asset management company in India helps achieve compliance with IRC standards while leveraging advanced AI-powered platforms.

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Moving Towards Digital Pavement Monitoring

Today, a digital pavement monitoring system enables continuous measurement of roughness, skid resistance, and surface conditions. Combining AI algorithms with sensor-based vehicles provides real-time insights.

With such tools, maintenance can be shifted from reactive to predictive, ensuring timely intervention before roads deteriorate to unsafe levels.

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Conclusion

IRC:82-2015 establishes clear serviceability indicators that remain essential for effective road asset management in India. By adopting AI-based pavement testing, digital road survey tools, and AI-based road condition monitoring, agencies can improve safety, extend pavement life, and optimise budgets.

RoadVision AI is transforming road infrastructure development with advanced AI in road safety and computer vision technology. Using digital twin models, it performs detailed road safety audits, detecting potholes, cracks, and other issues early to ensure timely repairs. The platform also improves traffic surveys with data-driven insights to reduce congestion and optimize road usage. Fully compliant with IRC Codes, RoadVision AI helps engineers and stakeholders lower costs, minimize risks, and build smarter, safer roads.

‍Book a demo with us today to explore how AI-driven systems can transform your road management projects.

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FAQs

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Q1: What are serviceability indicators in road maintenance?

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They are measurable parameters like roughness and skid resistance defined in IRC:82-2015 to evaluate pavement performance.

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Q2: How does AI improve pavement monitoring?

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AI enables real-time analysis through automated surveys, reducing errors and speeding up decision-making.

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Q3: Why is skid resistance important?

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It ensures safe braking and reduces accidents, especially in wet weather conditions.

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