Skip to main content

IRF launches global road diagnostic initiative

Transportation decision-makers will soon benefit from a new comparative study on the cost-effectiveness of road programme delivery. This will be thanks to the launch of a global benchmarking initiative by the International Road Federation using a methodology developed by McKinsey & Co. Globally, US$1.4 trillion is invested every year on transportation assets — including $700 billion for roads - as the world’s economies develop and respond to emerging mobility patterns. Delivering these road programmes
March 8, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The IRF Global Road Benchmarking Survey was launched in Riyadh on December 15th 2015 as part of the 4th IRF Middle East Regional Congress
RSSTransportation decision-makers will soon benefit from a new comparative study on the cost-effectiveness of road programme delivery. This will be thanks to the launch of a global benchmarking initiative by the International Road Federation using a methodology developed by McKinsey & Co.  

Globally, US$1.4 trillion is invested every year on transportation assets — including $700 billion for roads - as the world’s economies develop and respond to emerging mobility patterns. Delivering these road programmes is a task fraught with challenges which too often lead to inefficient use of scarce funds.

In 2013, a landmark report published by McKinsey’s Infrastructure Practice presented stark evidence of the size of the infrastructure gap and the resulting need for governments to rethink how they select, design, deliver and manage infrastructure projects.

Building on the methodology developed in this report, the International Road Federation is announcing a global benchmarking initiative to promote transparency through an objective diagnosis and evaluation of current practices worldwide.

According to Nicklas Garemo, senior partner at McKinsey, "There are large opportunities to improve efficiency in road investments and maintenance across the globe which would give the world more and better roads for the available funds. The first step to improve requires understanding where you stand and how you compare to best practice. This survey creates that understanding and allows countries to be more targeted in their future improvement efforts."

“As the sector’s chief knowledge broker, the 3918 IRF Washington knows that boosting productivity is a key priority for all local and national governments,” said IRF president & CEO C Patrick Sankey. “The survey and resulting recommendations will provide game-changing insights for decision-makers across our industry.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • IRF puts on premier event for road professionals in 2013
    June 14, 2012
    Join the Premier Event for Road Professionals in 2013 Since 1952, 16 IRF World Meetings have set new standards of excellence for the road industry by connecting industry leaders and experts from across the globe, and enhanced IRF’s image as the leading road development platform.Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the heart of one of the world's fastest growing regions supported by unmatched infrastructure investment programs, welcomes the opportunity to host the 17th World Meeting of the
  • Preserving transport Infrastructure, while adapting to climate change
    June 14, 2019
    Hundreds of lives lost. More than 8,000 people stuck overnight in a flooded airport in Japan in the wake of a typhoon in 2018. Nearly 800% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Dutch island of St. Maarten (and 600% of the GDP of the French half, St. Martin) wiped out during the 2017 hurricane season, which devastated many Caribbean island economies, with over $5.4 billion in losses reported in Anguilla, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, and Turks and Caicos Islands alone. Transportation in
  • Road transport must evolve in line with users’ needs
    February 7, 2012
    At its annual plenary meeting held on 25 May 2010, during the 16th IRF World Meeting in Lisbon, the European Road Federation (ERF) elected a new President in the person of Jacobo Díaz Pineda.
  • Road transport must evolve in line with users’ needs
    April 12, 2012
    At its annual plenary meeting held on 25 May 2010, during the 16th IRF World Meeting in Lisbon, the European Road Federation (ERF) elected a new President in the person of Jacobo Díaz Pineda. Mr. Díaz Pineda has been the Director General of the Spanish Road Association (AEC) since September 2006, and is also President of the Ibero-American Road Institute (IVIA). We took advantage of his presence in Lisbon to ask him a few questions about his new responsibilities: