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BRIEFAugust 3, 2022

Highway Development and Management Model

A vehicle navigates a rural road in the Indian state of Meghalaya.

A vehicle navigates a rural road in the Indian state of Meghalaya. 

World Bank

The Highway Development and Management Model Four, Version 2.0, (HDM-4) is a software application which serves as a primary tool for road administrations in the analysis, planning, management and appraisal of road maintenance, improvements, and investment decisions.

HDM-4 supports business-level decisions, such as technical and economic appraisals of road investment projects, standards and strategies. The software helps determine the most economically efficient maintenance and improvement strategy for a road network. 

The World Bank and its partners – The Asian Development Bank, UK FCDO and PIARC – are in the process of upgrading the HDM-4 software, with a new version slated to become available in 2023. The updated software will seek to improve both the technical operation of the software and the content it contains.

In the next version of HDM (HDM-5), users can expect:

  • Cloud-based operation
  • Modern user interfaces
  • Compatibility with current operating systems
  • Updated parameters to account for emerging challenges such as climate change, GHG emissions, resilience to natural disasters, road safety and pedestrian use of roads and sidewalks. 

Explore the HDM Model and associated tools:

Last Updated: Aug 03, 2022