ROAD NETWORK MANAGEMENT IN CROATIA IN COMPARISON WITH OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Road network management is a systematic process of effective maintenance, improving and exploitation of constructed roads, combining engineering principles with sound business practices and cost effectiveness. Thus, creating the conditions for more organized and flexible approach to decision-making processes in order to meet current and future customer needs is needed. Public roads management in the Republic of Croatia is based on strategic documents, Act on Roads and planning documents. Act on Roads (Official Gazette 84/11) is the basic document governing the classification of roads, planning, construction, reconstruction, maintenance, measures to protect the traffic and roads, concessions, management, financing and supervision of the road system. Although the total road network is a unique road system due to technical, traffic and economic characteristics, there are two main subsystems in Croatia: the highways (and semi-highways) and the primary road network. Primary road network consists of state, county and local roads. Public roads management is entrusted to the County Road Administration and the City of Zagreb (for county and local roads), Croatian Roads (for state roads), Croatian highways and concession companies (Rijeka-Zagreb highway, Zagreb-Macelj highway, BinaIstra) for management of highway network. Rational and quality management of the road network is a real challenge nowadays, which must meet high traffic demands with available financial resources. Such an approach necessarily requires modern database, system for monitoring the condition of roads and facilities, the unique reference marking system of roads, preventive maintenance approach, adequate laws and regulations and the appropriate organization of road administrations and financing. In this paper, besides the description of the road network management in the Republic of Croatia, road network classification will be described, modes of management in different European countries (such as Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, etc.) and comparison of experiences from given countries and Croatia will be shown.