00473092

Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org...1987/1106v1/1106v1-003.pdf

https://scholar.google.co...Cook&publication_year=1987

Recent applications of the World Bank's Highway Design and Maintenance (HDM) model in sub-Saharan Africa indicate that periodic maintenance is generally justified by vehicle operating cost savings only on paved roads with traffic levels of more than 100 vehicles per day (vpd) and on unpaved roads with traffic levels of more than 50 vehicles per day. If traffic levels are below 50 vpd on paved roads and 20 vpd on unpaved roads, the HDM indicates that periodic maintenance should be postponed indefinitely. Road rehabilitation in potentially productive areas often appears economically justified at lower traffic volumes, based on the increase in agricultural production that occurs when road access is provided. These benefits may be lost if a rehabilitated road is allowed to deteriorate because of lack of maintenance. The potential loss of agricultural production is not considered in the HDM evaluation of an optimal road maintenance strategy. The relationship between road condition and agricultural productivity to develop an appropriate maintenance strategy for low-volume roads in sub-Saharan Africa is examined in this paper. Timely periodic maintenance is generally justified if the initial road construction investment was justified. If the expected increases in agricultural production or the related generated traffic is slow to materialize, the preferred economic strategy would be to defer periodic maintenance for 2 to 4 years. It is critical that roads be maintained routinely to preserve road access, which is the key to the effects of road investments on development.

This paper appeared in Transportation Research Record N1106, Fourth International Conference on Low-Volume Roads, Volume 1. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved

00490258

p. 17-25

1987-8

Transportation Research Record

International Conference on Low Volume Roads, 4th, 1987, Ithaca, New York, USA

0309044545

Figures (8) ; References (7) ; Tables (2)

Access; Economics; Farm roads; Highway maintenance; Low volume roads; Maintenance management

Maintenance costs

Sub-Saharan Africa

Economics; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

TRIS, TRB

Sep 30 1987 12:00AM