Road Management during the colonial period which lasted up till 1961 was undertaken mainly by Force Account. The system that was installed, like in all other colonies, was based on the British model of the Public Works Department. As the economy of the country was in a buoyant state road development and maintenance was undertaken without recourse to borrowings or loans. The economy of the country continued to be buoyant during the first decade after independence. The Public Works Department was then transformed to the Ministry of Works with the functions remaining almost the same. In the course of the 1970s a sharp decline in mining, large increase in oil prices, rapid inflation and fluctuating prices for agricultural products in the world market adversely affected the economy. This situation gradually eroded the base of the nations transportation infrastructure. Until the late sixties the railway was the most important means of transporting both passengers and goods but about this time the gradually improving road system, with its attendant flexibility of movement, ensured the diversion of goods from railway wagons to road trucks. Thus, with a decreasing volume of freight to move, the railway became uneconomical to operate. The railway was phased out by 1973. The World Bank financed the First Highway Project which started in 1972, and was designed to expand and improve the road network as rail service was being discontinued. While road construction and rehabilitation produced significant short-term improvements, maintenance failed to become institutionalised. The Second Highway Project which followed in 1982 provided for the re-establishment of routine maintenance of the network. However, limited success was achieved. Analysis conducted in conjunction with the First Highway Project and the subsequent Second Highway Project indicated that in addition to monetary and fiscal issues there were institutional and management issues which needed to be resolved before effective maintenance of the road network could be assured. A study commissioned by the Government in 1988 to examine the organisation of the road sector, recommended the establishment of a semi-autonomous agency with responsibilities for managing the road system, with funding provided from a Road Fund of road-user charges dedicated to road maintenance. The Sierra Leone Roads Authority was thus established in 1993 to manage the national road system. (A)
Abstract