iRAP road and design assessments and outcomes: A case study from Moldova

This work, supported by the Millennium Challenge Corporation, assessed the safety of the road infrastructure of a 93km section of the M2-R7 in Moldova in 2010 and 2015, before and after rehabilitation. The iRAP Star Rating with a Safer Roads Investment Plan guided provision of more than 22km of footway (sidewalk), a doubling in the number of pedestrian crossings to more than 50, installation of 12.3km of safety barrier, improvements in the quality of curves, the overall quality of the road surface, delineation and enhancement in the quality of intersections. Prior to upgrading, the safety rating of the road for pedestrians was poor (84% of the road rated only 1- and 2-star) and, for vehicle occupants, the road was predominantly 1- and 2-star (87%). Since reconstruction, the Star Ratings have improved. The percentage of the road rating 3-star and above has increased by around 30 percentage points for pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and vehicle occupants. The postconstruction Road Safety Audit by AECOM includes recommendations for improvements at intersections, in villages, on roadsides and for some measures related to the route. The pre-construction EuroRAP investment proposal showed that, for an overall package of safety countermeasures, there would be a reduction of around 300 killed or seriously injured casualties over 20 years, with a Benefit Cost Ratio approaching 4, a saving of almost a quarter of casualties on the road had there not been upgrading.