GRAVEL RURAL ROADS? GRAVEL RURAL ROADS? - PAVE THE LOT!- PAVE THE LOT! 

 

                

Intech Associates

Mr Good Guy – the Engineer asks you to Consider the following……..

Setting the scene Setting the scene – the maintenance myth– the maintenance myth

In considering rural road investment options

Many agencies & economists ASSUME that road maintenance will be carried out!

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Those in the real world appreciate that :- Maintenance organisations generally aren’t funded adequately or don’t perform ….

FOR A MULTITUDE OF REASONS

Politicians won’t support maintenancePoliticians won’t support maintenance

Because they can cut maintenance funding and the roads will fall apart after they leave office!!!!

Also, There are no opportunities to cut ribbons, kiss babies and give self congratulatory speeches

Anyway, Engineers can’t justify their needs

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World Bank view?World Bank view?

The World Bank itself admits that establishing effective maintenance regimes usually takes more than 15 years (this was 20 years ago!)

Where are the working maintenance systems?

What happened to the Road Maintenance Initiative?

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Effects on the Poor Communities?Effects on the Poor Communities?

Maintenance burden usually effectively falls on the communities/poor people – least able to cope – supposed to be our target for help.

Even Low Cost routine maintenance of rural roads is rarely achieved, so what is the chance of achieving expensive and resource intensive periodic maintenance (US$500 – 2,000/km/year) for gravel roads?

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Therefore – Therefore –

Forget Whole Life Costing which assumes maintenance is carried out, UNLESS IT CAN BE ASSURED

The Engineer, The Local Financier and Local Community are more interested in annual network maintenance funding needs Intech Associates

Rural Road Network – Rural Road Network – Example Annual Funding RequiredExample Annual Funding Required

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0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

ChipSeal

SemiPen-mac

StonePaving

Gravel:best

Gravel:worst

Earth:highCBR

US

$/km

PeriodicMaintenance

RoutineMaintenance

Vietnam Data: 1. Excludes emergency works.2. Periodic liabilities usually start about 3 - 6 years after constructio n.

Pave it! Pave it! Many paving types are low (or extremely low)

maintenance.

The International Agencies are willing to fund construction/rehabilitation and not maintenance – so why not convince them to contribute a little more “up front”.

It is better to provide 1 km of low-maintenance paved road to a community rather than 2 kms of future gravel nightmares!

Intech Associates

GRAVEL ROADS ARE GRAVEL ROADS ARE

UNHEALTHY FOR ENGINEERS!UNHEALTHY FOR ENGINEERS!   FROM THE COMMUNITY’S PERCEPTION THE

ENGINEER BRINGS:-  A TEMPORARY SOLUTION TO THEIR

SERIOUS PROBLEMS A DRY WEATHER DUST PROBLEM THE SHOCK OF THE FIRST REGRAVELLING

BURDEN IN 3 – 5 YEARS AFTER CONSTRUCTION

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GRAVEL ROADS ARE GRAVEL ROADS ARE

UNHEALTHY FOR ENGINEERS!UNHEALTHY FOR ENGINEERS!  

 FROM THE ENGINEER’S PERCEPTION A GRAVEL ROAD IS:-

  

A PROBLEM TO CONTROL THE QUALITY OF MATERIAL AND THICKNESS AT CONSTRUCTION

(A CONTRACTOR’S DREAM COME TRUE!) A MAINTENANCE NIGHTMARE A PROBLEM TO KNOW WHEN THE RESIDUAL

GRAVEL THICKNESS IS REACHED AND RAPID FAILURE IS EXPECTED

Intech Associates

GRAVEL RURAL ROADS?GRAVEL RURAL ROADS?

 I rest my case……….

that in most instances upgrading (if justifiable) should be from earth straight to paved standard

 

Intech Associates

Private Sector Roadworks –Private Sector Roadworks –Pre-requisites for SuccessPre-requisites for Success Adequate funding & cash flow to support effective, competitive market Reasonably stable sector workload Policy formulation & political support Competent and resourced contractors available Reasonable balance between contractor capacity and market size Clients personnel capable of managing and supervising contracts Adequate registration/pre-qualification, selection and award procedures Appropriate contract documentation Contractor access to affordable credit Efficient payment procedures

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