What kind of road maintenance and facilities exist?

Road maintenance is essential in order to (1) preserve the road in its originally constructed condition, (2) protect adjacent resources and user safety, and (3) provide efficient, convenient travel along the route. Unfortunately, maintenance is often neglected or improperly performed resulting in rapid deterioration of the road and eventual failure from both climatic and vehicle use impacts. It follows that it is impossible to build and use a road that requires no maintenance.

In order to plan for road maintenance needs, it is important to keep a complete set of "as built" plans and records of all maintenance operations and observations. The as built plan should contain the following:

1. Complete job index
2. Complete history of project from planning stage to construction
3. Photographic records
4. Exact location and observations of any unstable conditions in relation to the road location
5. Exact location of culverts and other drainage features
6. Wet areas that may have required additional excavation and replacement with more suitable ballast backfield materials
7. All major changes made to the original plan

 regular and extraordinary (corrective and preventive maintenance)

Corrective maintenance is a maintenance task performed to resolve equipment failure and restore it to operational condition. This type of maintenance is the most commonly used approach and it occurs when routine check-ups fall through the cracks, leading to major mechanical problems.Preventative maintenance is any maintenance that is designed to retain the healthy condition of equipment and prevent failure, which could mean an oil change, cleaning or inspection. This type of maintenance has been determined by researchers as the best and most efficient way to maintain equipment. By performing routine maintenance, equipment life can be extended dramatically and reduce the number of major mechanical failures that occur.