Cost- effectiveness analysis of the road-weather information system (RWIS)

Abstract

Knowing the current atmospheric conditions of the roads is of great importance, both for road managers and for road users. RWIS stations record all relevant local atmospheric conditions in real time and transmit this information to control centers. This information has a dominant application in planning activities related to road maintenance in winter conditions. An analysis of the literature relating to the costs and benefits of RWIS stations indicates that their implementation in the transport infrastructure is not only economically profitable, but also offers a number of benefits such as more efficient road maintenance and facilitated organization of available funds, all for the purpose of winter road maintenance. Implementation of this system contributes to the safety of users on the public road network, as well as to the reduction of the number of traffic accidents in which the road and its condition are recognized as the cause. Twenty-eight meteorological stations were installed on the road network of the Republic of Serbia. On the basis of the historical data on the state of the roads from the mentioned stations in the previous period of winter maintenance and an individual implementation cost, the cost-effectiveness analysis of RWIS in the Republic of Serbia was performed.