The Ministry of Transport issued three industry standards for rural highway

Recently, the Ministry of Transport issued three industry standards for rural highway, including the Standards for Rural Highway Condition Assessment, the Design Guidelines for Safety Facilities of Low Volume Rural Highways and the Technical Guidelines for Design and Construction of Rural Highway Simple Pavement. These standards further improve the modern highway engineering standard system and contribute to the high-quality development of the rural highway that are well built, managed, maintained, and operated.

The Standards for Rural Highway Condition Assessment establishes an indicator system suitable for assessing the technical condition of rural highway in China and clarifies the classification of damage types, monitoring requirements, and assessment methods of various types of infrastructure to provide a technical basis for the scientific and rational evaluation of the technical condition of rural highway in China. The issuance and implementation of the standards can satisfy the current needs of rural highway inspection and assessment and steadily promote the automation of rural highway testing in China.

Following the principles of economic feasibility, adaptation to local conditions, conservation-oriented and environmentally friendly, the Design Guidelines for Safety Facilities of Low Volume Rural Highways defines the design requirements and technical specifications for various traffic safety facilities, such as traffic signs, road markings, and guardrails, and provides comprehensive examples of the setup of traffic safety facilities for common typical highway sections. The issuance and implementation of the guidelines will better serve the construction of low volume rural highway and maximize the travel safety of people in remote areas.

The Technical Guidelines for Design and Construction of Rural Highway Simple Pavement stipulates the materials, construction technical requirements, and acceptance standards for asphalt, block, and gravel pavement types used in rural highway. The issuance and implementation of the guidelines will further regulate the construction of rural highway simple pavement and help address the limited construction and maintenance funds, as well as low traffic volumes in remote areas, thereby maximizing the fulfillment of the travel needs of the local people.