Strategic Research Plan is a document summarizing common strategic and operational goals of the project in research, development and innovations. It reflects the interests of project participants from both research and application areas. On the top level, it is divided into eight work packages. The packages are subsets of thematically tied working activites, which are further divided into partial targets, resulting in various types of deliverables.

Work Packages

WP1: Roads – Smart, Long-Lasting and High-Performance Technological Solutions

The work package is focused on comprehensive solution of road network issues. The aim is to improve the performance-based parameters of pavement layers from the point of view of durability and service life, to search for new material solutions, to optimize pavement drainage systems and road rehabilitation and maintenance systems while using recycled materials in maximum possible scale.

The main objective is to decrease the dependence on limited natural resources, to improve their exploitation, to reduce energy demand of road construction processes and to improve the safety level of road transport.

WP2: Progressive Approach to Technical, Technological and Cost Aspects of Railway and City Rail Infrastructure

The package is concentrated on modern railway and city rail tracks. It deals with both static and dynamic analyses of railway structures, design of new structures and related equipment. The issues of construction process management and maintenance works are handled
as well.

The goal is to achieve increased speed, traffic volume, safety, travelling comfort and accessibility of railway transport while decreasing energy needs, natural resources consumption and environmental impacts.

WP3: Bridges – More Cost Effective Structures with Increased Durability and Longer Life

WP3 deals with practical problems related to construction, maintenance and reconstruction of bridges.

For existing structures, advanced methods of diagnostics, maintenance, repair and reconstruction of bridges will be developed. New materials suitable for repair, rehabilitation and reconstruction will be designed.

For new bridges, the research activities are directed at development of sophisticated structural systems (e.g. hybrid bridges), details, materials (high-performance concrete and high-strength fine-grained steel) and construction methods.

WP4: Tunnels – Advanced Technologies and Smart Solutions

The package is focused on the increase of safety during construction of tunnels, reliable tunnel design from the perspective of function, safety and cost. The research includes the development of new lining construction methods and approaches to the design of pavements in road tunnels and permanent ways in railway tunnels.

The main objectives are optimization of tunneling methods, increase of safety during excavation and design of lining with defined service life at reasonable costs. For linings and permanent ways, new materials with engineered properties will be developed.

WP5: Environment Protection and Green Transport Infrastructure

All the activities of the work package are aimed at decreasing the impact of transport and transport structures on the environment and public health.

The work package seeks answers to the questions of modeling the influence of transport on the environment, measuring air pollution or reducing traffic noise and vibrations. It is focused on exploitation of locally accessible materials, construction waste
and by-products of industrial and energy production in transportation engineering.

WP6: Safety, Security and Diagnostics of Structures

The work package deals with significant aspects influencing safety of transport infrastructure objects while using latest tools for online monitoring and new methods of diagnostics.

Load monitoring (in particular weight-in-motion measurements) of selected objects and analyzing of their technical state is solved. From the perspective of one-time diagnostics carried out in periodic intervals, new systems for evaluation of changes on the surface of studied structures and in their close vicinity and non-destructive testing methods enabling high-speed measurements are of interest. Special concern is devoted to solving the fire situations in tunnels.

WP7: Performance and Life Cycle Cost Management in Transport Infrastructure

The seventh package is oriented on technical, economical and environmental issues of transport infrastructure, mainly in the phase of construction project cycle.

The objective is an improvement of current transport infrastructure management systems based on planning strategies, operation scenarios, methodical guidelines, risk assessment and financial flow analyses.

The package integrates information from the areas of roads, railways, bridges and tunnels and provides prediction and evaluation tools for life cycle cost assessment (LCCA).

WP8: Management and Dissemination

The package is focused on coordination and management issues of the CESTI project. It provides administration and technical support for the project.