How to Plan Preventive vs Periodic Renewals of Roads Using AI Condition Ratings?

Efficient road asset management in India requires precise timing of interventions to preserve pavement life and avoid expensive reconstruction. The Indian Roads Congress, through its standards like IRC:82-2015 and IRC:67 (Road Markings), guides highway engineers on maintaining safe, durable road surfaces.

Traditionally, decisions on preventive and periodic maintenance depended on manual surveys and engineer judgement. Today, technologies like AI-based pavement monitoring and AI road inspection are transforming how Indian road authorities schedule renewals. By accurately rating pavement condition, AI can tell whether a road needs preventive upkeep now or full periodic renewal later, reducing costs and downtime.

Understanding Preventive vs Periodic Renewals in IRC Standards

According to IRC:82-2015, road maintenance is categorised into routine, preventive, and periodic maintenance.

Preventive maintenance involves minor, cost-effective treatments on pavements that are still in good or fair condition. The goal is to extend the pavement’s life and delay deterioration. Examples include slurry seals, crack sealing, fog seals, microsurfacing and rejuvenating sprays.

Periodic renewals, on the other hand, are planned resurfacing treatments applied when the pavement has dropped to a fair or poor condition. These are more extensive, involving renewal coats, overlays, or milling and relaying the surface to restore full structural capacity.

IRC specifies that preventive treatments must be done before the pavement rating drops below 2 on its 1-to-3 condition scale. If the rating reaches 2 or below, periodic renewals must be planned immediately to avoid expensive rehabilitation later.

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Why Correct Timing Matters for Road Asset Management in India?

Delaying renewals can increase lifecycle costs exponentially. Preventive treatments are far cheaper than reconstruction and can extend pavement life by several years.

A road left untreated will deteriorate rapidly after reaching the fair condition threshold. This triggers issues like alligator cracks, rutting, potholes, stripping, and edge failures as noted in IRC:82. These defects not only increase maintenance costs but also endanger traffic safety.

Using modern AI-based road survey systems, authorities can collect accurate pavement condition data at scale, enabling data-driven asset management decisions aligned with IRC requirements.

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How AI Enables Accurate Pavement Condition Ratings?

IRC:82 describes condition assessment using visual distress measurement (Proforma 1 and 2) and serviceability indicators like roughness and skid resistance. These traditionally require slow, labour-intensive manual surveys.

AI-powered platforms like RoadVision AI automate this process by:

• Capturing high-resolution road imagery through mounted or drone-based sensors
• Detecting defects such as cracks, ravelling, potholes, shoving, and bleeding in real time
• Measuring rut depth, surface roughness, and skid resistance using computer vision and sensors
• Scoring each stretch of road based on IRC distress thresholds and serviceability indicators

This allows engineers to accurately rate roads on the 1-to-3 IRC scale (Good, Fair, Poor). Once a segment’s rating trends down towards 2, the system can automatically flag it for preventive or periodic renewal planning.

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Linking AI Condition Ratings with Renewal Planning

Using condition rating data, authorities can create Pavement Maintenance Management Systems (PMMS) as recommended in IRC:82. PMMS enables:

• Mapping all roads with their latest AI-generated condition scores
• Forecasting deterioration curves to predict when each road will hit the critical threshold
• Allocating funds and manpower to the highest priority stretches
• Automating alerts for upcoming pothole detection AI India interventions and IRC pothole repair treatments

This scientific planning ensures roads never slip into the “poor” category where full-depth rehabilitation becomes unavoidable.

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Role of IRC 67 (Road Markings) in Maintenance Planning

While IRC:82 governs surface condition, IRC:67 specifies road markings, which are a crucial part of safe and compliant renewals. When planning periodic renewal overlays, engineers must reapply road markings as per IRC:67 immediately after surfacing.

AI systems can also detect faded or missing markings during road defect monitoring, ensuring renewals restore both structural and safety performance. This makes AI a powerful tool to keep roads compliant with both IRC:82 and IRC:67 requirements simultaneously.

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Benefits of AI-Based Renewal Planning for Indian Road Authorities

Implementing AI-based pavement monitoring for renewal planning offers several benefits:

• Extends pavement life by 25–40 percent through timely preventive actions
• Cuts maintenance expenditure by reducing expensive reconstruction
• Improves safety by addressing surface distresses before they become hazards
• Enables transparent, data-backed budgeting for road asset management in India
• Automates compliance with Indian Roads Congress maintenance and marking standards

With AI-driven systems like RoadVision, road agencies can finally move from reactive patching to predictive and planned renewals.

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Conclusion

The Indian Roads Congress clearly mandates that preventive treatments must precede serious deterioration, while periodic renewals must follow when condition ratings drop to fair or poor. Using AI road inspection platforms to automate condition ratings gives engineers the data they need to time these interventions perfectly.

By integrating IRC:82-based condition assessments and IRC:67-compliant marking checks, AI allows Indian authorities to protect road assets, enhance safety, and reduce lifecycle costs.

RoadVision AI is revolutionizing road infrastructure development and maintenance by leveraging cutting-edge AI in road safety and computer vision technology. Through advanced digital twin technology, the platform performs comprehensive road safety audits, enabling early detection of potholes, cracks, and other surface issues, ensuring timely repairs and improved road conditions. It also enhances traffic surveys by providing data-driven insights to address challenges like traffic congestion and optimize road usage. With a focus on building smart roads, RoadVision AI ensures full compliance with IRC Codes, empowering engineers and stakeholders to reduce costs, minimize risks, and improve the overall road safety and transportation experience.

To see how AI can transform your road maintenance strategy, book a demo with us.

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FAQs

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Q1. What is the main difference between preventive and periodic maintenance as per IRC?

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Preventive maintenance keeps good pavements in good condition, while periodic renewals are done after roads deteriorate to fair or poor condition.

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Q2. How does AI help in deciding when to do periodic renewals?

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AI tracks distress levels, skid resistance, and roughness to predict when a road will hit the IRC threshold for renewal.

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Q3. Can AI also detect safety issues like faded markings?

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Yes, AI can detect missing or faded road markings as per IRC:67, helping authorities plan marking renewal alongside surface works.

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