Technical issues in road maintenance and rehabilitation
Roads are essential for economic development and advancement, as well as
providing significant social advantages. Poorly maintained roads limit mobility, raise
vehicle operating costs, increase accident rates, and increase the cost of travel and
trade, which significantly affect the economy. These scenarios emphasize the
economic and social relevance of routine road maintenance and suggest strategies for
achieving long-term road maintenance with limited public funds (Burningham, 2005).
There are many factors to consider in a rehabilitation and maintenance project.
One of these factors is identifying technical issues to prevent problems in the future.
The study of Asian Development Bank (ADB) documents from 2009–2012 and
records from Developing Member Countries (DMCs) and additional documents from
other agencies. A total of 174 observations are gathered from the 16 maintenance
issues identified from the study of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Eleven of the
countries included in the study experienced eight over the 16 maintenance issues
identified, making it the top half of the maintenance issues in terms of ranking. The
four from the higher rank of the issues raised are associated with maintenance
planning, which covers insufficient regular maintenance, vehicle overloading,
substandard design of roads, and poor management of road systems. Three issues
from the top half ranking are from the category of maintenance capacity, which
covers limited qualified staff for maintenance, lack of participation from private
sectors specializing in road maintenance and financing. The lack of funds is the only
common issue from all the 22 countries included in the study, making it a top-ranked
maintenance issue.
Road Rehabilitation and Repair
No matter how well built or designed a road is, there will come a time that it
will deteriorate and decline its condition due to traffic loads and environmental
effects. Rehabilitation and repair should be efficiently implemented to prolong road
pavement life and stop the deterioration process. Maintenance can’t stop the
deterioration process of the pavement, but it can slow it down. As a result, the
deterioration will continue, and the effects need to be reversed by adding or replacing
materials of the current pavement of the road; this is referred to as rehabilitation. (ITS,
2000).
United States of America places a $200M per year budget for road and
highway construction; the road users lose $78B per year due to delays caused by road
traffics. Road maintenance and rehabilitation covers most of the budget on road and
highway constructiom. It is necessary to decrease the cost of maintenance caused by
the delays by applying methods that will efficiently decrease road traffic during
maintenance and rehabilitation (Larmie, 2005)
A road rehabilitation project in Kazakhstan is supported by the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) for the country's transport sector. The road network
deterioration is needed to be reversed to boost the economic development potential of
Kazakhstan further. The project's objective is to make efficient roads for better
movement of trading goods and lesser travel time for passengers. A section of a 192-
kilometer road from the country's north to south road corridor is the main focus of the
project and maintenance of other areas of the corridor. After the project's completion,
it was assessed, and it was tag as successful. The need for road maintenance and
rehabilitation of Almaty to Astana corridor is evident in the project using surveys and
analysis of project preparatory technical assistance (PPTA).
Road rehabilitation projects have resulted in more effiecient access to
economic and social services that is crucial for the livelihood of every people. The
decrease in travel time and the cost of transportation will have a long-term benefits
not only to the country but also to the road users. The preservation of the road assets
created is essential for the sustainability of the benefits obtained, and priority should
be given to activities aimed at building effective maintenance systems and mobilizing
resources to meet maintenance needs (International Labour Organization, 2010).
Burningham, S. (2012, August 13). Why Road Maintenance is Important and
How to Get it Done. Open Knowledge Repository.
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/11779#:%7E:text=Roads
%2C%20and%20means%20of%20transport,and%20bring%20important
%20social%20benefits.&text=This%20Note%20highlights%20the
%20economic,maintenance%20with%20scarce%20public%20resources.
ADB (2013). 2013 Annual Evaluation Review. Retrieved from:
https://www.adb.org/documents/2013-annual-evaluation-review
ADB (2005). Road Rehabilitation Project (Loan 1455-KAZ) in Kazakhstan.
https://www.oecd.org/countries/kazakhstan/36064944.pdf
International Labour Organization (2010). Benefits of Improved Road Access.
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---ilo-
jakarta/documents/publication/wcms_150112.pdf
