Global Quality Index for Road Networks Performance Evaluation

In the paper, a procedure for a quantitative evaluation of an Highway Agency performance is presented. The evaluation procedure takes into account three main points of view: organization of the Highway Agency, road network physical characteristics, performance measures. From the process, a Global Quality Index (GQI) is calculated. The procedure of determination of the GQI offers a vast range of possibilities of application and besides it can be linked for the integration with other techniques connected to the control and the optimization respectively of existing roads and of new projects related to the road infrastructures. In particular: • It allows the evaluation of the Highway Agency organizational plan and its work during the inspection phases of the service quality offered by the Highway Agency to total the equivalent that is due to it. • The GQI can be used to link it to the possible benefits that the State could give to Highway Agency, if their work resulted efficient and of quality. These benefits could, i. e., be linked proportionately to differential increase of the index, so to motivate the Highway Agencies to work in an efficient way aiming towards a quality management. • Methodology can be used by public administrations to verify and compare different levels of efficiency of management offices. • During the project phases, it can contribute to identify the better project; in fact, it can be extremely important, in decision-making phase, to compare directly GQI values of various alternative projects of new infrastructure.