MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION-MAKING IN ROAD MAINTENANCE: AN AHP-GIS APPROACH

Abstract

Effective road maintenance planning is essential for prioritizing which road segments should receive maintenance interventions, especially in urban areas with limited budgets and growing traffic demands. This study used a structured multi-criteria decision-making approach to address the decision problem of selecting and prioritizing road segments for maintenance. The methodology integrates the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information System (GIS) to develop an objective and spatially-informed prioritization framework. The AHP was applied to assess expert-defined criteria, and GIS provided a spatial visualization to support resource allocation decisions. The originality of this study lies in its integration of AHP-GIS for spatial decision support in urban road maintenance planning. The evaluated criteria include traffic volume (23.3%), road authority (22.1%), strategic value (20.8%), population density (16.5%), handling type (8.9%), and environmental impact (8.5%). Weighting consistency was verified using SuperDecisions software. The results highlight Persatuan Road, Berlian Road, and LKMD I Road as the top priority segments requiring immediate attention. This adaptable framework enhances decision transparency and sustainability and can be replicated in other urban contexts facing similar infrastructure challenges. Future research should explore real-time data integration and predictive modeling to improve infrastructure management systems.