Although the shoulder of the road is not an integral part of the road structure, but it has still a significant influence on the lifetime of the pavement.
Many people consider the design, construction, and maintenance of the shoulder as a side (secondary) activity in the construction of the main track (pavement structure + earthwork), even though many practical examples prove that a wrong designed shoulder or its careless maintenance drastically reduces the quality characteristics of the pavement, maintenance costs will increase, and its lifetime will be shortened. Despite this, it is still common practice to pay not sufficient attention to the design and maintenance of the shoulder. During the research work, we focused on the answer to how the importance (financial consequences) of shoulder maintenance can be quantified in Hungarian practice to prove to the decision-makers the true value of this relatively cheap activity (in some cases serious financial consequences). We also pointed out the opportunities and risks of the recently transformed Hungarian road maintenance system (privatized road network maintenance service) in the mentioned topic.

Road; Shoulder; Maintenance; Strategy