An operational management aid for low cost road maintenance

This paper outlines a simple cost recording system which could be used for rural highway maintenance in african countries. The system is based on that developed by the Main Roads Department of Western Australia and has been operational since 1973. The department is responsible for approximately 14,000 kilometres of main and secondary roads providing long lines of communication for a scattered population of one million people over an area of 2.5 Million square kilometres. The climate, terrain, subsurface and road construction have much in common with many african countries. The costing system records only thirteen basic maintenance activities such as shoulder grading and surface patching with an emphasis on simple recording by field personnel. The information provided gives maintenance costs for each unit length of road for each activity and can be provided for sealed and unsealed roads. The data can be processed by computer for quick turnaround. This facility has provided management and field personnel with a realistic aid for: 1) identifying areas of high or low expenditure and making field checks to evaluate the cause. 2) Rating the performance of various design standards and construction techniques. 3) Forecasting future maintenance needs. 4) Balancing utilization of resources. A full description of the input, maintenance activities chosen with output is presented (a). (This conference was held in accra, ghana, in June 1980).