4 Road maintenance, low-volume roads and seals, and labour-based methods

Road infrastructure provides the basis for most developing countries' economic and social enhancement. This is particularly true in the case of Uganda where the large majority of goods and people are transported via the road network. Having developed a national road network, it is important that this asset is well maintained to achieve predicted economic and social benefits, year on year. Unfortunately, road maintenance programmes are often bottom of the list in politics, so do not receive enough funding to ensure that roads are kept in good condition. In order to maximise the effectiveness of the limited funding available, there has been a growing need to research and develop low-cost construction and maintenance alternatives to traditional methods and materials.

This section provides details on the cost of maintaining roads in developing countries, the importance of providing adequate funding for road maintenance and the impact of insufficient road funding on social and economic development. It also includes reports on designs for low-volume roads, the application of low-cost seals for reducing maintenance costs, and guidelines for implementing labourintensive programmes for the construction and maintenance of gravel and low-volume sealed roads.