Gener­al services

All main roads and connective roads are divided into service divisions, wherein they are individually prioritised based on their summer day average (SDU), or the amount of cars they each service on average per day, between the months of May and August. They are further separated based on other factors, such as road classification, road type, and proximity to the ring road or other popular tourist destinations.

The frequency of trash pickup and curbside mowing is determined based on a road’s service division. The frequency of quality inspection of general service and quality baselines is also based on these service divisions.

Roads signs are e.g. danger warning signs, prohibitory signs, mandatory signs, informative signs, service signs, direction and indication signs, lane markings, overhead bars, bridge markings, signposts, speedometers, lit-up signs and symbols, and any other lighting equipment.

Definition

Classified as the maintaining of road signs are the following actions:

• The renewal and replacement of road signs
• The maintenance of road signs
• The cleaning of road signs
• The cleaning of signposts, speedometers, lit-up signs and symbols, and other lighting equipment

Base guidelines
On roads with annual per-day (ÁDU) traffic >500 cars, the larger variant of road sign should be utilized (90 cm danger warning signs and 80 cm prohibitory signs) whilst the smaller variant of sign is to be used on other roads (70 cm danger warning signs and 60 cm prohibitory signs).
Signs should be legible at a distance of up to 120 m if the speed limit is 60 km/h or above, and legible at a distance of up to 70 m if the speed limit is lower.
Signs are considered slanted if their foundation has tilted up to 5 degrees, or if the signs have rotated up to 15 degrees.
Signs are considered fallen/ruined if they tilt and/or have rotated to a more extreme angle than previously mentioned.
Signs are considered to have limited reflective visibility if they have started to discolour, or if they are dirty.

Description of methods
Renewal of road signs:
Damaged road sign are to be renewed. Where signs are considered ruined or fallen, emergency operations are to be undertaken in every case; furthermore, emergency operations should also be undertaken if a sign can not be fully restored for any possible reason. Signs on roads in unforested areas, where plenty of sand blasting due to wind conditions can occur, will suffer damage at a faster rate, specifically to their reflective visibility, than in other areas.

Signs deemed to have insufficient reflective visibility are to be renewed.
Specifications on reflective signs in division 3 (weak reflection), unit (cd/lx) / m2 accounting for a 0.33° angle of measurement and a 5° angle of incident

Specifications on reflective signs in division 4 (strong reflection), unit (cd/lx) / m2 accounting for a 0.33° angle of measurement and 5° angle of incident

Repairing traffic signs:
All slanted, turned or fallen signs are to be repaired. Signs indicating direction of traffic flow need to be fixed if one or more have fallen, or are heavily slanted/turned. Foundations in need of repair should be serviced as soon as possible when the ground has defrosted.

Cleaning traffic signs:
Traffic signs are to be cleaned whenever deemed necessary, i.e. when snow obscures the sign, or the sign gets dirty due to nearby road construction/maintenance. Signs should be cleaned as quickly as possible over springtime, and no later than the beginning of May. Signs should be cleaned if their visibility is deemed lower than standards on reflective quality dictate.

The following should be taken into consideration when a decision on sign cleaning is made:

Previous seasonal experience should still serve as a guideline, as the need for traffic sign cleaning can be more pressing on gravel roads, and during the wet season.

Markers are road markers, snow markers, and reflective sides on guard rails.

Definition:
The following is considered maintenance on road markers:

• The renewal of road markers and reflective signs on guardrails
• The maintenance of road markers and reflective signs on guardrails
• The cleaning of road markers and reflective signs on guardrails

Surface markings, like road signs, fall in accordance with traffic sign law already in place. Signs on road work areas are there included. Surface marking requirements are in place year-round, excepting when a given road is fully covered in snow.

According to chapter 8 of traffic sign regulation and rules on road design, the general rules on surface markings are as follows:

Surface markings should facilitate efficiency and safety on the road through providing information, announcing, directing and guiding individuals when behind the wheel, as well as adding to and strengthening the information provided by road signs. This information is mainly provided visually, but also sonically for certain types of surface markings.

Definition:
The following operations fall under lighting and traffic lights:

• Cost of street/road lighting
• The operation of traffic lights and equipment there included
• The operations of lit-up traffic signs
• Lighting on sidewalks and in underground tunnels

Description of methods:
The IRCA owns and operates road lighting, and pays for the cost of energy, maintenance and operations of the light sources per a special contract, excepting decisions to the contrary.

Definition:
The maintenance of all guard rails, except for those present on bridges, and in underground tunnels, falls under the agreed upon service assignment.

Standard:
Guard rails should be in such a condition as to be able to serve their purpose, and travellers should not be put into danger due to their positioning, poor maintenance, or insufficient markings. The height of a guard rail’s upper edge should be 75 cm above the shoulder directly underneath the guard rail. All stones placed at the edge of a road should be at least 10 cm high.

Description of methods:
If a guard rail has been bent more than 30 cm outwards, i.e. due to vehicle collision, it should be repaired. Extra caution must be applied in making sure that the height of the guard rail is as mentioned above. Damaged guard rails, dangerous to the flow of traffic, are to be repaired immediately. Broken or loose foundations should be repaired within a week, and any other damages within a month. If a security fence between roadways is damaged it is to be repaired immediately.

If a road-side stone is broken or otherwise damaged it is to be repaired within a week on roads with an ÁDU of >2000, on roads with an ÁDU of <2000 it should be repaired within a month. The same applies for damages on traffic islands and loaded walls. Soil on traffic islands is to be lowered if it reaches more than 10 cm above a road-side stone.

The raising of road-side stones and traffic islands alongside the raising of a paved road is not financed by the service agents, since such operations are considered a consequence of the paving operation. Damages on stacked rock, walls or bulkheads should be repaired within a month.

Definition:
Falling under the maintenance of livestock grates are the following:

• The cleaning of grates
• Maintenance and cleaning of reflective markings on grates
• Maintenance on fences 20 m out from the grate on both sides

When a grate is beyond repair they must be replaced. The cost for this falls under the maintenance of fences.

Description of methods:
Where necessary, and depending on what region is being serviced, come beginning of May, livestock grates should be cleaned, fences connected to the grate should be mended and reflective markings should be cleaned or replaced.

If a grate’s foundation needs to be repaired this should be done as soon as possible after the soil has defrosted.

Damages to a grate, considered dangerous to travellers, or limit the usability of the grate, are to be repaired immediately Any other damages are to be repaired within three days on roads with an ÁDU of >1000 cars. On other roads these damages should be repaired within a week.

The following operations fall under the management and surveillance of roads:

• General surveillance of roads and road infrastructure
• Surveillance of measurement equipment and other equipment
• Recording of data and minor management work on measurement equipment and other equipment on roads
• Surveillance of axle weight and load capacity of roads
• Markings regarding weight limits
• Relevant recording of data from weight tax recorders
• Any work not falling under other service operations

Description of methods
General surveillance of roads and road infrastructure is carried out in order to survey the conditions of any given road, and to review and maintain everything related to traffic safety. Surveillance trips are undertaken if tips on road or road infrastructure damage is reported. In such cases the nature and scope of the damage is immediately looked into, and if a quick fix is impossible, the damages are properly marked according to protocol.

Aimed-for frequency of surveillance:

The surveillance of measuring equipment and other equipment is undertaken in accordance with relevant quality standards.

The surveillance of axle weight and load capacity of roads is carried out during thawing periods, particularly in spring. This surveillance is carried out to determine when/if weight limits and axle weight surveillance need to be imposed. The subsequent advertising of imposed weight limits are a part of the surveillance itself.

Definition:
The following actions concerning small machinery are carried out:

• The purchase of small machinery
• The maintenance and operation of small machinery

Description of methods:
Machinery equipped with an operating number is not small machinery.
Purchasing should take place through the IRCA’s Operations department, or through a framework deal.
Small machinery should fulfill all rules and regulations.

The following fall under the cleaning and caretaking of a road area:

• The cleaning and removal of fallen rock from road surfaces
• The cleaning and removal of minor landslides
• The repair and cleaning of rock nets
• The cleaning and caretaking of a road area, sidewalks within the road area, flood gates between lanes, prohibited areas, organic noise protection, security fences as well as rest stops, weighing areas and surveillance sites, rest areas for hikers, and mountain lodges with all relevant equipment
• The regular sweeping of road ways, shoulders and crossings
• The caretaking of traffic islands, road-side stones, loaded walls and shoulders
• The cleaning of blown sand off roadways
• The cleaning of drains and wells

Description of methods:
Rockfall and land slides onto a roadway which can put traffic flow in danger is to be cleaned as soon as possible (consult frequency chart). If rockfall or land slides can potentially cause greater damage to a road or other infrastructure then minimum actions to mitigate this should be undertaken immediately. Any other cleaning is to be undertaken in co-ordination with other projects in the area, but no later than a month after the incident took place.

Rock nets should be examined and/or mended at least once annually. If rockfall or land slides fill the nets to an extent which limits their usefulness, they should be cleaned and the damaged parts mended as soon as possible.

The removal of trash on roads which fall into service divisions 1-3 should be completed as quickly as possible come spring, with everything to be finished before June. Trash on other roads is to be removed alongside the repair of road markers and traffic signs in the area, or when other work is taking place in the region.

Roadways and their shoulders should be swept come spring if need be, but general operating procedure states that sweeps are not undertaken unless necessary. All intersections should be swept at least once a year, to be completed before the 1st of June each year. The sweeping of intersections should be done in such a way that they are always clean enough to avoid creating danger for travellers.

Wells and drainage needs to be cleaned regularly, with the frequency of cleaning to be determined from prior experience, with special consideration afforded to whether or not the road is sand-strewn in the winter or not.

Underground tunnels and sidewalks are to be swept, and drainage in tunnels is to be cleaned out at least once per spring. Grass-covered traffic islands and other sections of road areas should be mowed as needed over the course of summer.

Resting and picnic areas are to be cleaned regularly, and information boards inspected to make sure they are supplying accurate information, by informing the relevant authority whenever changes are required; furthermore, boards are to be painted and all other equipment is to be clean and in good condition. Trash disposals, wherever they can be found, are to be emptied frequently enough to never be overflowing. In those resting and picnic areas where trash disposals and loose furniture could be damaged they are to be moved for storage and maintenance before October 15th, with plans in place for the equipment to be back at its designated place come the end of May.

The condition and equipment of mountain lodges should be reviewed at least two times a year, once in the fall and once in the winter.

Frequency chart:

The following operations adhere to the maintenance of shoulders, sidewalks, cycling paths and horse trails:

• Material transportation for gravel shoulders, already serviced in relation to paving or other maintenance
• The laying, grading and flattening of gravel shoulders, already serviced in relation to paving or other maintenance
• Repair of paved shoulders when holes or other individual damages are less than 20 m² in diameter, and/or the ratio of repair area to total area is less than 2% of the contiguous stretch of road under repair
• Repair of damages on road-side stones, the surface of sidewalks or cycling paths, built in accordance with IRCA regulation
• Repair of damages on horse trails, built in accordance with IRCA, and Icelandic Equestrian Association guidelines, which fall into the service area of a given road
• Daily cleaning of repair and dispersal equipment

Standards:
If the difference in shoulder height on either side of a road is more than 2 cm on any given road with an ÁDU value of >1000 cars the shoulder should be redone. For roads that experience less traffic, the difference needs to be 3 cm. The re-doing of shoulders consists of grading and reshaping for the correct gradient and height, with the use of extra material if need be.

Description of methods:
Any holes in paved shoulders should be mended within three days on roads with an ÁDU value of >1000 cars. On roads experiencing less traffic the mending should take place within a week.

The cost of shoulder raising with gravel material, undertaken in accordance with the raising of paving, is the responsibility of the same party which paid for the original paving.

The following operations fall under the service assignment:

• Repair on smaller damages on a road, specifically material bleeding off of the road surface, out from the road’s side, or its filling
• Repairs on localised damages in the foundational or surface layers, e.g. due to muddy conditions or heavy traffic load
• Minor repairs on protective structures

Description of methods:
Repairs are to be made as soon as conditions allow. If repairs can not be undertaken immediately, or if estimates show that repairs will take a long time, the area is to be designated and marked as a long-term road-work area, with limitations imposed on traffic if determined necessary. If damages can lead to greater damages on roads or road infrastructure, minimum emergency operations are to be undertaken to prevent these damages as soon as possible.

If damages are severe enough to warrant special financing, or if there is doubt surrounding the repair procedure, minimum emergency operations are to be undertaken to guarantee traffic safety, and the place labelled however necessary, before bringing all available information to the regional executive.

Under dehydration fall the following operations:

• Regular cleaning and reshaping of road-sides, channels and ditches
• Cleaning and repair on drainage openings with a D value <2.5 m,
• Renewal of drainage openings with a D value <1.0 m, this includes the procuring of new material and the digging up of a drainage system, the construction of a new understructure, piping and filling for a new drainage system; pertaining to the need for renewal, not subject to the repair and rebuilding of the road itself.

Standard:
A ditch or channel bottom is to be 0.3 m lower than the lower edge of the road’s foundational layer. If the foundational layer’s thickness is unclear the minimum requirement of 0.5 m comes into effect.
Drainage pipe laying and the sorting of ends is to be in accordance with the work procedure in effect.

Description of methods:
Grass edges, which contain water on and in roads, are to be removed.

Ditches and channels are to be cleaned if their depth has receded to half of their original depth. The minimum depth of channels when operations need to be undertaken are 0.5 – 0.6 m, for dry-ditches it is 1.3 – 1.5 m. Generally, dry-ditches do not need to be cleaned oftener than every 10 – 15 years, but channels should be examined yearly, with subsequent cleaning undertaken if necessary. For roads constructed in accordance with IRCA guidelines, ditches and channels should be renewed in accordance. The construction of new channels or ditches does not fall under the IRCA’s umbrella.

Drainage and drain endings should be checked yearly on roads with an ÁDU value of >1000 cars, and once every two years for other roads. On roads or road sections wherein the drain state is known to be of a level that might facilitate danger, their condition should be examined at least once per year. Drainage needs to be repaired and/or renewed when pipes have come apart, or when sag leads to the formation of standing water within the drain system, preventing it from serving its purpose. The condition of a drain and its intake should be such that no water is in danger of spilling out of the drainage system and onto the road filling.

All trash and other material interfering with the drainage’s water intake and removal is to be removed. Drains are to be cleaned if soil depth reaches a third of the drain’s height.

Special assignments are assignments undertaken in places where conditions necessitate regular, costly service operations, such as:

• Rock removal in Óshlíð
• Rock removal in Súðavíkurhlíð
• Rock removal on Strandavegur, north of Bjarnarfjörður
• Landslides on Siglufjarðarvegur