Work that has been carried out at TRRL in the field of road maintenance in developing countries is reviewed under the headings of economics and policy, project implementation, and management. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the economic benefits of road maintenance and some of the reasons for the poor conditions of road networks in developing countries are discussed. Different approaches to carrying out maintenance are described, including a discussion of equipment and labour-based methods, and of using contractors. Recommendations are made on priorities for budgeting. The background to the increase in numbers of road maintenance projects is given and the two main types of these projects are described. Results of a TRRL study into maintenance management projects are given including recommendations for their future implementation. Methods of assessing existing maintenance capability are described. Maintenance management systems are described in terms of their objectives and their component steps, and the recommendation is made that maintenance frequencies should be determined on an economic basis using whole-life costs. Examples of the use of such methodology to the management of unpaved roads are given. The need for condition measurement surveys to determine maintenance needs for paved roads is described and different methods of rapid assessment are discussed. Comments on paved road intervention levels are also given. The final part of the report looks at the possible future for road maintenance in developing countries and discusses the way ahead under the headings of network priorities, finance and the need to improve efficiency. (A)
Abstract