Strategic Planning of Roadworks with HDM-4 Model

The author presents his experience in applying the Highway Development and Management (HDM-4) software system to strategic planning evaluation of road networks in developing countries. HDM-4 is most commonly used worldwide as a feasibility study base, in which the economic viability of a road project is used in evaluation. HDM-4 is also the basis of a more comprehensive type of evaluation, which assesses an entire road network to help decision makers in road investment strategic planning and/or rational road works program definition. The HDM-4 model's most challenging use is a network economic evaluation, but given the potential savings to be achieved in regard to transportation cost by comparison of various project alternatives and performance of optimization of budget constraints, the effort is well worth it.