NR2C: New road construction concept

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 03.0318

Key words (English)

Noise abatement; pollution mitigation; sustainable infrastructure; urban roads. Interurban roads

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: 505831

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 6. Frame Research Programme - 1.6.2 Urspr. Progr. Sustainable surface transport

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
EPF Lausanne
Département de Génie civil
LAVOC Laboratoire des voies de circulation

Abstract (English)

European countries contain a large amount of surface transport infrastructure, which sometimes appears inappropriate to meet societal demands. Road-building techniques have developed slowly, due to a limited number of significant technical breakthroughs, poor coordination among stakeholders and a focus directed primarily on resolving current problems. No global European road concept has yet come to the fore; the upcoming enlargement of the European Union should heighten the acute need for a sustainable integrated European surface transport network. Road-related budgets have been steadily decreasing while user expectations become more demanding and contradictory: increased transit capacities, higher safety levels, pollution mitigation (sound, air), aesthetic integration.
Creating a global vision for the road of the future and confronting both technological and societal problems Within a single research process have thus taken on urgency; such is the objective behind the NR2C proposal. Based on a large survey among road stakeholders, this project is aimed at selecting safe, environment-friendly and subtle concepts in order to strike a compromise between reduced global construction/maintenance costs, safety and environmental criteria. A number of innovations targeted for different social and geographical environments will be selected to achieve pilot applications in support of a long-term perspective. NR2C will consider urban and interurban areas as well as needs specific to Western and Central Europe; bridges, considered as single network nodes, will be studied separately.
FEHRL (Forum of European Highway Research Laboratories) Will perform a decisive clustering role in addition to conducting major dissemination actions. Moreover, the management function will be given special attention via a dedicated work package. Special efforts will be made to avoid duplication with ongoing projects backed by either previous FPs or other European and international bodies.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 03.0318