New Delhi: The city’s road digitisation survey kicked off with Ashoka Road Monday, marking the first on-ground step of Delhi govt’s collaboration with CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) to make the capital’s roads greener and scientifically managed.A specialised network survey vehicle (NSV) has started digitising the road network to create a geo-referenced database that will enable authorities to monitor road conditions, plan repairs scientifically and prioritise maintenance instead of relying on patchwork fixes.The survey marks the first on-the-ground milestone under the memorandum of association signed in June among Delhi govt, CSIR-CRRI and School of Planning and Architecture. Delhi is the first of the four NCR states to roll out the project before it expands to Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.Beginning with New Delhi Municipal Council roads, the indigenous, sensor-equipped NSV will also cover those maintained by Public Works Department, Municipal Corporation of Delhi and other agencies. Using sensors, cameras and GPS, it will capture geo-tagged data on pavement condition, road geometry, assets and surface distress.In Delhi, the project will cover a network of nearly 15,178km, including around 3,136km of roads with a right of way exceeding 12 metres. The immediate task is to create a digital inventory of these roads and assess their condition through an extensive pavement survey.Developed to reduce dependence on imported technologies, the NSV is equipped with high-speed laser profiling, ultra-high-definition imaging, 360-degree panoramic vision, high-precision GNSS/GPS positioning, inertial navigation, and AI- and machine learning-powered analytics.The initiative stems from Commission for Air Quality Management’s 2025 framework for paving and greening urban roads, which identified deteriorating roads, unpaved shoulders and exposed roadside stretches as major sources of road dust.The field data will be integrated with existing information on pavement layers, construction history, maintenance records and GIS datasets maintained by different road-owning agencies. Together, the inputs will form the backbone of a GIS-based road asset management system, a digital platform designed to help authorities assess road health, identify stretches requiring urgent intervention and prepare short-, medium- and long-term maintenance plans.The project also aims to standardise road cross-sections, identify opportunities for paving and greening to suppress dust, and evaluate sustainable construction technologies that can improve the longevity of urban roads.
