The objective of this paper is to present a ranking method of low volume road interventions as an alternative appraisal method to the consumer surplus approach used by HDM. The consumer surplus method is reliable to apply to high volume roads (AADT >200). However, its application to low-volume roads (AADT < 50) encounters problems related to the small magnitude of user benefits and the stronger influence of the environment rather than traffic on road deterioration. Considering the low volume of traffic and its composition on most of the unpaved road network in Tanzania, it is recommended that the cost effectiveness approach that takes account of the social and economic importance of rural infrastructure interventions be applied to prioritise investments. Establishing the priorities of rural road intervention in Tanzania requires a selection process consisting of a combination of screening and ranking procedures. The screening process reduces the number of investment alternatives. This can be done through targeting disadvantaged communities based on poverty indices using the Human Development Index by region. After screening methods have been applied to a given set of investment choices, resources are still unlikely to be sufficient to finance the balance of the remaining desirable interventions, and hence a ranking or prioritisation method based on Cost Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) was developed. For the covering abstract see ITRD E135448.
Abstract