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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL

The road over bridge (ROB) is a grade separated bridge structure

with its gradient approaches on either side. The ROBs are proposed over
railway level crossings (LCs) in order that the traffic passes over the LC,
without any waiting. The LC’s are either manned or unmanned. The manned
level crossings have gates on either side of the level crossings, under the
control of an operator, in such a way that the traffic is blocked when a train
passes the LC location. The closure of gates at the manned LCs depends upon
the frequency of crossing of rail traffic. The unmanned LC’s are not having
gates on either side of the LC’s and are not controlled. Usually the unmanned
LC becomes a manned LC whenever the traffic at an LC is large and it
needed to be controlled for better traffic management over the LC. Further, if
a particular LC is located at an urban location on a National Highway or on a
State highway, the number of gate closure increases and this lead to chaotic
scenes at LC’s and the problem increases day by day till it escalates into a law
and order problem.

The problem of waiting at the level crossing also leads to loss of

fuel, loss of man hours, increase in wear and tear of vehicles and consequent
loss of GDP of a fast growing economy. The pedestrians also find it very
difficult to cross the LC’s during gate closure time. The chaotic conditions
prevailing at the LC’s during opening and closing of the gate often lead to
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accidents and loss of human lives. Level crossings are the major contributor
to Railway accidents in India next only to derailments. Between the years
2009 – 2015, there were about 349 accidents at level crossings in India.
(Dubbudu 2016).

The principal components of grade crossing crash costs, i.e., the

costs associated with accidents at level crossings, as described by the study on
comprehensive costs of Highway-Rail grade crossing crashes done by
Transportation research board, in the USA ( Brod et al. 2013) are shown in
Table 1.1

Table 1.1 Grade crossing crash cost components

Effect Impact Cost Component

Primary Direct Property damage
(Highway vehicles, Railroad
equipment and Infrastructure)
Other Direct Costs (e.g., EMS,
insurance)
Indirect Work-Related Productivity Loss
Tax loss
Intangible Quality of life
Pain and suffering
Environmental cost
Secondary Supply chain and Disruption
Business Rerouting costs
Lost Sales
Prevention Costs
Inventory Spoilage
Freight and Passenger Delays
Freight and Passenger Reliability
Increased inventory
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As on 01.04.2014, the Indian Railway Network has about 30,348

Level Crossings, out of which, 18,785 (62%) are manned and balance 11,563
(38%) are unmanned. These LC’s contribute 43% ( 50 out of 117) of all
consequential train accidents and 67% fatalities (101 out of 149) over Indian
Railways (Panjunen and Kumar, 2014). Thus, the Indian Railways has
planned to eliminate all unmanned level crossing within a time frame of next
five to seven years. To further enhance safety at the level crossings, it has
been decided to replace all Level Crossings by Grade Separators (Road Over
Bridge/Road under Bridge) gradually over a period of time.

Thus the Government of India and the State governments have

proposed to replace the level crossings with the construction of ROBs to
enable free flow of traffic. But the commencement of construction of ROB’s
itself poses major challenge to the authorities for several reasons. Among the
other things the major points that need to be taken care of before the
commencement of an ROB project are as follows:

(1) The railway traffic needs to be regulated to enable the

construction of ROBs.

(2) The road traffic needs to be diverted to some other nearby

location

(3) Arrangements have to be made for the safe movement of

pedestrians across the LC’s during the construction of ROBs.

(4) Arrangements have to be made for stacking the construction

materials, construction of a batching plant and casting of
concrete components at a nearby location.

(5) The utility lines, if any, are to be shifted to a new location in

such a way that the construction of the ROB is in no way affects
the population living near the site of construction of an ROB.
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Therefore, the ROB project proposals are usually placed before

respective traffic advisory committee for its approval. The traffic advisory
committee is usually chaired by the District collector, District Superintendent
of Police, District Revenue Officials, District Engineering Authorities, etc.,
Apart from the above, a traffic management plan is made before the
commencement of the ROB project and is also implemented in order that the
traffic is diverted well before the execution of an ROB construction project.

Thus unlike other infrastructure projects, ROB construction

projects pose a major challenge to the planners and executors in India.

1.2 ROB PLANNING IN INDIA

The salient points of the policy adopted by the Central Government

in India for planning the construction of a ROB are as follows (Indian
Railway Permanent Way Manual, 2014).

Number of Train Vehicle Unit (TVU) which is defined as the

product of average number of Road Vehicle and Trains passing a level
crossing (LC) in 24 hours is the basis for construction of an ROB in India.
Periodical census of all the level crossings is done every three years for seven
days. In the calculation of TVU, trains, road vehicles, bullock carts and tongas
are considered as one unit and cycle rickshaws/auto rickshaws as half unit
(Jain & Kumar 2012).

Minimum TVU on a Level Crossing should be 1 lakh units per day

to become eligible for replacement with ROB on cost sharing basis.

However, this could be relaxed in the following cases:

(1) Suburban sections near cities and towns having high

frequency of train services.
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(2) Near railway stations where detentions to road traffic are very
high on account of either shunting operations or multi-
directional receipt/despatch of trains or stabling of trains, etc.,

(3) Preference should be given to the Level Crossings located on

trunk routes vis-à-vis those located on branch lines. In any
case, minimum number of times the level crossing is required
to be closed against the road traffic should at least be 12 times
per day.

(4) Subject to (1) and (2) above, priority should generally be

accorded by the Concerned State Government giving
preference to level crossings on National Highways.

(5) In case of Road Over Bridges constructed in replacement of

busy level crossings situated in Municipal/ Corporation/
Metropolitan areas where Light Vehicular traffic is
considerable and where the Railways are satisfied that closure
of the level crossings would cause hardship, additional
provision may be made for construction of the subway or a
light Over Bridge with ramps for the use of light vehicular
traffic at the time of framing the proposal for the construction
of ROBs.

(6) Closure of the LCs should be ensured before commissioning

of the ROBs.

The State Governments in India also propose ROBs on their roads,

i.e., on State Highways (SH), Major District Roads (MDR) and in Other
District Roads (ODR) under their administrative control, whenever a stage is
reached where the construction of an ROB is absolutely essential. The State
Government sends an ROB proposal to the Central government for its
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approval so that the project could be taken up jointly with the Central
government on cost sharing basis.

The proposal for planning and construction of an ROB project in

India is complex and therefore scientific planning and implementation is
required for its construction. Every year substantial budgetary allocations
have been made by the central government and the state governments towards
the construction of ROB’s. Owing to various reasons, most of the projects
suffer with time delay and cost overrun.

1.3 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS OF ROB

ROBs are constructed over railway level crossings (LCs). They are
constructed over the boundary controlled by the Department of Railways. The
railway portion of the ROB is usually constructed at a height of 6.525m
(Bottom of deck) from the highest rail level and is also called railway span of
an ROB. Railway span is normally flat without any gradient. The Overall
height from the proposed sill level to the proposed road level on the railway
span varies from 9m–11m. The span depends upon the width of railway
boundary available at a particular LC location. This width normally varies
from 30–100m. Railway span is constructed using composite girder deck slab
and circular or wall type column piers.

The approaches on either side of the railway span are usually at a

gradient of 1 in 30 (IRC 86 – 1983, IRC 73 - 1980). The approaches length
depends upon the proposed road level over the railway span and the proposed
level at the end of approaches on either side. Approach length normally varies
from 300 to 500m on each side of the ROB. Lesser length of approaches is
also proposed depending upon the location of the particular ROB.
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The approaches fall over highway portion that may be a National

Highway, State Highway (SH) or a Major District Road (MDR).

The approaches are made of RCC column piers circular/rectangular

in shape and RCC simply supported superstructure T Beam superstructure up
to a span of 30 m and PSC Girder Bridge for spans of more than 30m.

Nowadays in National Highways the approaches are constructed in

Reinforced Earth wall (RE wall) constructed using geo synthetics.

Railway authorities close the LC at a particular location once an

ROB is constructed there. But when the LC location falls in an urban location
a limited use subway or an under bridge also proposed near the ROB location
to cater to the movement of light vehicles and pedestrians.

For the construction of an ROB, the railway authorities and

highway authorities jointly prepare a project report and a general arrangement
drawing which are given concurrence by both the authorities. The entire
construction is monitored by both the authorities from inception till the end of
the construction of ROB project and is maintained separately by the
authorities concerned.

The entire ROB construction is funded jointly by both the

authorities on cost sharing basis.

The entire design and construction is based on the guidelines of

Indian Road Congress (IRC) specifications, Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways specifications (MoRT&H) and the guidelines followed by the
Railway authorities

The typical general arrangement of an ROB is given in Figure 1.1

below.
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Figure 1.1 Typical general arrangement of an ROB

1.4 ECONOMICS OF AN ROB

An ROB project normally involves the following cost.

1. Preparation of the detailed project report at 0.5% of the project

cost

2. To conduct detailed investigations at 1% of the project cost

3. To provide for variation in depth of foundation and for

escalation and quality control charges at 5%

4. Contingencies, labour welfare fund other Lump sum(LS)

items at 3%

5. Cost of construction of an ROB normally at 90%

For e.g., for an ROB project having structural cost of construction

of Rs 25.00 Crores, has the following cost breakup.
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1. For the preparation of DPR - Rs 1250000

2. Investigation for the ROB - Rs 2500000

3. For variation in depth of foundation, escalation and quality

control charges - Rs 12500000

4. LS items - Rs 7500000

5. Cost of construction of an ROB - Rs 226250000

Figure 1.2 shows the breakup cost of an ROB

0.50 1% 3%
% 5% DPR

Investigation charges

Variation in depth of
foundation ,escalation and
QC charges
LS items
91%

ROB

Figure 1.2 Cost components of an ROB

The above is the representation of a normal cost of an ROB.

However, if the project involves land acquisition and shifting of utilities,
project cost may shot up by another 10 – 15 % depending upon the location of
the project.
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1.5 COST OVERRUN AND TIME DELAY

Cost overrun is also called cost escalation, cost increase, or budget

overrun. Cost overrun is the excess of actual cost over budgeted cost which
occurs when the final cost of the project exceeds the original estimates.
(Memon 2013)

Actual Cost Estimated Cost

Cost Overrun (1.1)
Estimated Cost

Time delay also called timed overrun is the excess of actual time
over the estimated time of the project.

Actual time Estimated time

Time Delay (1.2)
Estimated time

1.6 NEED FOR THE STUDY

Several studies have been carried out all over the world on time
delay and cost overrun of infrastructure projects. ROB project is also a key
infrastructure project, planned to alleviate the traffic bottlenecks at the LC’s.
The studies carried out in India on time delay and cost overrun of
infrastructure projects is minimum and there are no studies carried out in
India on the time delay and cost overrun of ROB projects in India.

Table 1.2 shows the status of highway projects executed in India

between the years 2009 -2010. The status report of the Ministry of Road
Transport and Highways, Government of India (MoRT & H), as on March
2010 shows that out of 224 National Highway Development Projects (NHDP)
that includes ROBs, 168 projects underwent cost overrun, 148 projects
underwent time delay, and 20 projects were subjected to time delay and cost
overrun (Kishore et al., 2012). This fact indicates that 75% have both time
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and cost overrun. Majority of infrastructure projects in India are affected by

time overruns. These overruns vary from a few months to as high as five or
more years, placing the project viability at risk (Kalady,2012).

Table 1.2 Status of Highway projects as on 31st March 2010

Within Within
Total No. Within Time Cost With Time
Category of
of Time and but with but with and Cost
Project Cost
Projects Cost Time Overrun
Overrun Overrun
Mega (` 1000
crores and - - - - -
above)
Major
(` 100 –
202 30 21 133 18
` 1000 crores
)
Medium
(` 20 –`100 22 5 0 15 2
crores )
Total 224 35 21 148 20

Cost revisions and cost overruns are common across

infrastructure projects in India. According to Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation (MoSPI), infrastructure projects in Central
Government sector are currently experiencing cumulative cost overruns of
16.9 percent of their planned cost (Kalady, 2012). The ROB projects are key
infrastructure facilities in India. As on May 2014, there were some 1200
ROBs under different stages of execution in India.
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Most of the ROBs are constructed every year solely on the

expertise of an experienced engineer who is in charge of the project, without
any scientific basis. This often leads to time delay and cost overrun of ROB
construction projects in India.

Time delay and cost overrun of an ROB construction projects in

India lead to direct and indirect loss on the economy. The direct loss often
results when the precious public money planned for a project exceeds its
allocation. The indirect losses attributed to the delay in construction of an
ROB results in the following, apart from the others

1. Loss of man hours due to long wait at the level crossings

2. Loss of fuel due to switching on and idling of the engine

3. Increase in pollution near the vicinity of the level crossings

4. Increase in accidents and fatalities that happen at the level

crossings

5. Increase in inefficiency of Railway operation.

The above factors tend to affect the GDP of a fast growing Indian
economy.

The studies available worldwide on time delay and cost overruns of

Infrastructure projects are country specific and also not pertaining to Indian
conditions. Moreover no such studies are available for ROB projects in India.
Hence there is a need to study the factors influencing time delay and cost
overrun of ROB projects in India in a scientific manner for completing the
ROB projects within the estimated time and cost of the project.
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1.7 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This research study is divided in to two components namely,

(1) Qualitative study and (2) Quantitative study.

The objectives of the Qualitative study are:

(1) To identify and rank the factors causing time delay and cost
overrun in ROB construction projects in the Indian context.

(2) To study the correlation between the responses of various

stakeholders to time delay and cost overrun in the construction
of ROBs in India.

(3) To classify the factors into distinct groups based on the

correlation matrix using factor analysis.

The objectives of the Quantitative study are:

(1) To develop empirical models to predict project completion

cost and project completion time to assess project cost overrun
and project time delay.

(2) To estimate the frequency of cost overrun and the time delay
of ROB construction projects in India.

(3) To recommend corrective measures to stakeholders in order to

reduce the time delay and cost overrun of ROB construction
projects in India.
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Based on the results of the analysis, conclusions have been derived

and the corrective measures have been suggested in order that the time delay
and cost overrun is minimum for any ROB construction.

1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS

This thesis has been organised into five chapters. Chapter 1 outlines
the objectives and the need for the research. Chapter 2 provides a detailed
review of literature relating to time delay and cost overrun of infrastructure
projects and examines approaches to model development for this research
work. Chapter 3 presents the methodology of the study. Chapter 4 deals with
the data base development for this study. Chapter 5 describes the analysis of
data for quantitative and qualitative analysis. Chapter 6 presents the summary
of the research work, conclusions, limitations and scope for further research
on this area of study.