AN OVERVIEW OF THE ROADS APPRAISAL PROCESS IN
GHANA
DEVELOPMENT OF A TRANSPORT APPRAISAL MANUAL
(REVISION OF ORN 5)
Paper Prepared by
E N Bonne Acquah (Team Leader GRRRP)
and
John M Acquah (Transport Economist, GHA)
AN OVERVIEW OF THE ROADS APPRAISAL PROCESS IN
GHANA
BACKGROUND
Ghana has a total land area of 238,537 sq. km with a road network inventorized in 2003
to be over 50,000 km. This represents about 0.15% of the total land area of the country.
The road sector is controlled by the Ministry of Roads and Transport which is supported
by three agencies. The agencies are:
1)
Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) responsible for the administration,
control, development and maintenance of the trunk (inter urban) road
network, some town roads and related facilities in Ghana totaling
14,047km.
2)
Department of Urban Roads (DUR) responsible for the administration,
control, development and maintenance of the urban road network in some
of the ten regions (notably, Accra-Tema, Sekondi-Takoradi, Kumasi,
Tamale, Koforidua) in Ghana totaling 4,230km.
3)
Department of Feeder Roads (DFR) responsible for the administration,
control, development and maintenance of the feeder road network (rural
roads) in Ghana totaling 32,590km
All these agencies undertake a mixture of routine and periodic maintenance,
reconstruction and rehabilitation.
Key Issues
As the agencies in the road sector plan the construction of a road link, a design life of 1020 years is established taking various factors into consideration. These roads deteriorate
with the passage of time and some form of maintenance, rehabilitation or reconstruction
would have to be undertaken.
Similarly, if the traffic volume on the road increases to a certain level, i.e. 5000 ADT; the
approximate capacity limitation for a typical 2-lane road, the road may need to be
widened to a 4-lane carriageway to maintain an appropriate service level (HNMP, 2000).
The pavement designed for 2-lane traffic needs to be upgraded with the increase in
vehicle population and axle loading.
The above situation has a cyclical nature which is represented diagrammatical in Figure 1
below.
Figure 1 A Typical Life of A Road
New / Reconstructed
Road
Road Deteriorates
Road Use
(Associated with excess
loading, age etc.)
There is therefore the need for a planning process within the three governmental agencies
to ensure that services provided meet the demands and expectations of road users.
ROAD PLANNING PROCESS
The road planning process in Ghana will be looked at from the agency point of view i.e.
how the agencies in the road sector perform their functions to ensure that the road can
perform satisfactorily for its original design life. Basically, there are three major
influences on the effectiveness of a road planning process; the political process,
economic and society’s opinion.
The process of road appraisal in Ghana follows closely the rational/analytical model of
Simon (1957). This model is relevant for making investment decisions involving high
sunk cost and significant risk. The core of this model can be represented by four
activities;
i) Search,
ii) Modeling and forecasting,
iii) Evaluation,
iv) Decision making
The Ghana Highway Authority as indicated earlier has 14,047km of roads of which about
42% is paved and rest is unpaved. At present two divisions carry out the planning
process within the GHA. The Planning Division under the Development Department is
responsible for the planning and management of development projects and the Road
Maintenance Division under the Maintenance Department plans for maintenance works.
Within the GHA, there is a recognized project cycle. Figure 2 below shows the stages of
the cycle for development projects whilst figure 3 shows that of maintenance (routine,
periodic), rehabilitation and partial reconstruction.
For a typical development project, first there is the need for project identification. Road
projects are identified on the basis of the political, social (national integration and social
development) and economic aspiration of the country. Communities may be cut off from
the rest of the country due to inaccessible roads (missing links). The need to foster
national integration and social development may lead to the identification of such
inaccessible roads for future development. At this stage is the domain of ideas generation,
policy creation and option development for testing.
This is followed by a pre-feasibility study. The GHA, with funding support in the form
of grants from the donor community has undertaken Pre-feasibility Studies of the trunk
road network in Ghana. In 1998, GHA completed the “Pre-feasibility Study for Roads
Programme” in South-West Ghana under EU support. Similar studies were conducted in
the central part of Ghana under German government support. In 2001, GHA with
funding support in the form of grants from the donor community concluded a nationwide
Pre-feasibility Study for the trunk road network in Ghana including a review of the 1998
Pre-feasibility Study for Roads Programme” in South-West Ghana.
A detailed feasibility study (economic and technical) which involves transport modeling
and forecasting is undertaken. At this stage appraisal tools are used extensively to
determine the viability of the project. The study examines intervention options,
quantifies the resources required for implementing the options, construction, operation,
etc., and identifies funding sources that may be available to support such requirements.
Travel forecasts, traffic studies, design, environmental considerations and preliminary
cost estimates of reasonably practical alternative improvements are done i.e. an
evaluation is made by considering the “do something and the do nothing” scenarios.
A decision to either implement or to shelve the project is made. This decision is usually
influenced by the political agenda of the government in power, the perceived economic
benefits that the improved road will generate or the social opinion of citizens.
Supposing a decision is made to implement the project, this is followed by financial
arrangement. Apart from the Consolidated Fund and revenues from the Ghana Road
Fund, the road sector is heavily supported by donors in the form of loans and grants with
annual donor disbursements in the range of 150 million US$. The government is
however faced with the inability of mobilizing sufficient funds internally for major
investment projects such as roads. The result of the Pre-feasibility Study then forms the
basis for sourcing of funds from the donor community. Commitments made by the donor
community then form part of the overall budget for the sector.
Consultants are procured by International Competitive Bidding (ICB), Limited
International Bidding (LIB) or National Competitive Bidding (NCB). Eligible
consultancy firms both local and foreign are short listed under applicable donor
guidelines. The consultants are engaged to undertake preliminary engineering design,
detailed engineering design, review existing designs and/or construction supervision.
Prior to embarking on the detailed design, public forums are held in communities to be
affected by the roads for their concerns and inputs.
Civil works procurement process for each agency follows a programme of interventions
established by MRT. Contractors are procured by ICB, LIB or NCB. Eligible
construction firms both local and foreign are short listed under applicable donor
guidelines. For donor funded projects each agency manages the tendering process under
the applicable donor guidelines. Generally, four typical guidelines are used; those of the
World Bank, African Development Bank, the European Union or FIDIC. In 1996 some
reconstruction and development projects (GHA contracts) funded wholly by the
Government of Ghana were awarded without competitive procedures. The direct
negotiation was stopped in 1997 being replaced by competitive procedures. Similarly, all
routine and periodic maintenance works of the GHA are secured competitively using
International Development Agency (IDA) procurement guidelines.
The project cycle continues with the construction to completion of the project road.
Contract management within GHA is the responsibility of the Division of Contracts. A
Site Operations Manual (SOM) was published in May 2000 detailing procedures for
some key phases of civil works. Monthly and quarterly progress reports are prepared by
the supervision Consultant and forwarded to GHA head quarters for review in a
standardized format outlined in the SOM. A one year defects liability period is allowed
for all development projects. After the completion of civil works, final takeover
inspection is done.
Figure 1 A Typical Development Project Cycle
Project Concept
Planning
(Project Identification and
prioritization)
Pre-feasibility Study
Feasibility Study
&
Preliminary Design
Financial Arrangements
Consultant Procurement
Social
Enquiry
Detailed Design
Supervision Consultant
Procurement
Civil Works Contractor
Procurement
(Contract tendering & document
preparation)
Construction
&
Supervision
Operation
&
Maintenance
Source: GHA Planning Division
Data Collection, Preparation and
input for Road condition Survey
Data Processing by PMMP
Road Selection for Maintenance
Periodic Maintenance
Budget
Preparation
Routine Maintenance
Costing for Works
Project Level Planning
& Budget Preparation
Network Level Maintenance Planning
Figure 2 Project Cycle for a Typical Maintenance Project
Project Level Studies
Within Budget?
Prioritization / Budget?
Finalization of Annual Works Programme
Works
Procurement
Method of Procurement
Works
Implementation
Contracting
Source: The GTZ / GHA Road Maintenance Project
Force Account
Works Implementation
The project cycle in the DUR follows closely to what pertains in the GHA. The process
of procurement of works is detailed in a Project Management Manual that is intended for
units of the DUR. The procedures follow the guidelines and terminology of the World
Bank.
Within the DFR, there is a recognized project cycle similar to what pertains in GHA and
DUR. However, in respect of works procurement, bidding documents are finalized and
approved by headquarters while the regional offices handle the procurement procedures.
In many DFR projects, donors are involved and consequently World Bank (for national
competitive bidding) or European Union guidelines frequently prevail.
Unlike in the GHA where a computer based software (PMMP) is used in the
prioritization process for road maintenance works, roads are identified depending on
access to communities and farms within the DFR.
A Road Prioritization Methodology (RPM) is used by the DFR in the selection of rural
road projects. Figure 4 below shows the main steps followed in identifying rural roads
with the greatest potential to improve people's lives.
Similarly, the use of Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) in the estimation of consumer surplus
and producer surplus is frequently used in project identification. However, their
relevance in benefit estimation; consumer surplus for existing traffic and producer
surplus for generated traffic is increasingly challenged when applied to low volume rural
roads projects. Though CBA could be applied to social analysis (social cost benefit
analysis), it has the disadvantage of not being able to deal with quantifiable impacts such
as regional impacts, poverty and environmental, health and safety impacts.
With the limited approach of CBA in prioritizing low volume rural road projects, an
alternative approach could be contemplated.
Figure 4: The Road Selection Process
Consultations within District to
Nominate Candidate Roads
Initial Screening/ Ranking of
Candidate Roads
Survey and Technical Analysis
of Proposed Investments
Participatory Review of
Recommended Network
Source: Consultants Handbook, DFR, June 2000
The application of Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) is a reasonable alternative which
allows for the comparison of economic data derived from economic feasibility studies
with other non-quantifiable impacts from social, cultural and environmental studies.
A straight forward application of MCA in prioritizing rural road investments could be as
follows. First, the initial ranking is set according to ‘sound economic principles’, i.e. the
EIRR, or even better the ‘profitability index’ (ratio of net present value over investment
proposed). Subsequently, other quantitative and qualitative criteria can be added to the
MCA and relative weights attached to each variable (RSDP Evaluation, 2000).
Rural road prioritization based on economic criteria alone might change when criteria
such as social, regional and environmental concerns are included in the assessment.
STANDARDS
One notable fact which dates back to the post independence era of Ghana is that most
links on the road network were not constructed in accordance with proper design
standards in terms of geometry, pavement and drainage structures. This may be
attributed to the limited resources available to the roads agencies to provide the required
standards. This is especially true of regional roads.
However, at present the GHA, DUR and DFR have several design standards and manuals
for roads and bridge works. There is the Standard Details for Urban and Trunk Roads,
1991, developed by the MRT. This document is focused mainly on design standards for
geometric features, minor drainage structures and road furniture to be used for the urban
and trunk roads in the country.
Until recently, the structural design of a new bituminous surfaced road in Ghana was
based on a combination of Road Notes 29 and 31, published by the British Transport and
Road Research Laboratory. Several foreign consultants have used in the past other
methods such as the French, the Japanese and the Australian to name a few.
In 1998, the GHA prepared a “Pavement Design Manual” and an “Overlay Design
Manual” with World Bank support. The manual are based on the AASHTO Guide for
Design of Pavement Structures, 1993. The policy is to use these manuals for design of
pavement structures and overlays. However the outputs are usually compared with
design output using other manual like the ORN 31 to confirm the result from these two
manuals.
In relation to construction the operations of the three agencies are guided by the MRT
Standard Specification for Roads and Bridge Works. This document was developed in
1996 is based on a combination of BS, ASTM and AASHTO. Presently the need to
review this document has been identified and procurement of Consultants to undertake
the review is in progress.
In respect of maintenance works, the GHA prepared a “Bituminous Surface Treatment or
Sprayed Sealing Manual” also under World Bank support in 1998. The manual covers
type of treatment material, selection of treatment, design of treatment, plant, construction
practices, quality control and failure remedies. Sprayed seal surface treatment can be
used on roads with very low traffic for priming, primer sealing, surface enrichment, dust
laying and seal coats. This manual is used by all the agencies under the MRT. The
specifications and standard in the MRT Standard Specification for Roads and Bridge
Works relating to Bituminous Surface Treatment or Sprayed Sealing are superceded by
the contents in this manual.
Asphalt concrete design for urban roads and trunk roads are based on the Marshall
Design Method. On one of the current trunk road project, the Superpave method of
design of Asphalt mixes is being adopted.
The GHA does not have concrete design methodology for periodic maintenance at
present. Contractors are responsible only for one-year defects liability period for
development projects and six months for maintenance works.
In the case of bridge design, various design methods and different structure types have
been used in Ghana depending on the consultant and financing sources. The GHA is
currently preparing a manual “Bridge Management Systems (BMS)” and the reviewed
design guide and specifications will be incorporated into the BMS.
ENVIRONMENTAL INPUTS
In Ghana, the main tool for implementing environmental policy is the Environmental
Impact Assessment Regulation, 1999. The regulation stipulates that prior to any new
investment and development project, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be
done before the issuance of an Environmental Permit (EP). Thus for a road project, an
EP is required before implementation.
It is an established fact that a good road network facilitates improvement of the economic
and social welfare of the citizens of a country through reduction in travel time, access to
markets etc. However, road development and maintenance activities have some
negatively impact on communities along the road corridor. Such impacts include effects
on the physical and biological environment.
The first medium term development plan of Ghana placed no particular obligation on the
roads and transport sector agencies to consider environmental impacts of road
improvement. It only focused on the inclusion of landscaping and tree planting along
major development projects.
Currently, the agencies in the road sector have placed emphasis on the minimization of
the environmental impacts on the development of roads. Within the GHA, a new
division, the Safety and Environment Division (S&E) was created in 1999 with World
Bank support to commission, supervise and critically assess EIA that is requires within
the sector. Figure 3 shows the incorporation of environmental analysis of the S&E
division in the project cycle within the GHA.
EIA initially commences at the Pre-feasibility study stage of the project cycle with the
agency submitting a completed EIA application form to the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). The EPA undertakes a screening of this application which is normally
approved within 25 days of submission. An EP may be issued or declined. If issued, the
EPA requires a full EIA from the agency which starts with preliminary environmental
examination (scoping).
Scoping is a process to identify the content and extent of the environmental information
to be submitted to the EPA. At this stage the Terms of Reference (TOR) of an EIA is
prepared. This process involves desk study, data collection/verification, field visits and
stakeholder interviews, a systematic analysis of the key environmental impacts and
finally the preparation of the Scoping Report and the Draft TOR.
The process continues at the feasibility study stage with a full EIA study. This may be
done in-house or outside consultants may be engaged to undertake this study. A draft
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is submitted to the EPA for review. Public
hearing of the draft EIS is organized and decision and recommendations are incorporated
in the EIS and resubmitted to the EPA. If approved, an EP is issue. An Environmental
Management Plan (EMP) for the road project is thus developed.
At the Detailed Design stage of the project cycle, environmental mitigation measures are
incorporated into the detailed design of the road. Detailed designs of the road are
submitted to the S&E division of the GHA for review. The division in course of the
review ensures that the environmental concerns outlined in the EMP are incorporated in
the detailed designs of the road.
The next stage of the integration of environmental inputs in the project cycle is during the
contract procurement process. Clauses relating to environmental concerns such as the
disposal of waste construction materials and health and safety issues are inserted in the
contract document for works. It is the responsibility of the S&E division to review draft
contract documents and ensuring that such clauses are inserted.
During project implementation, it is the primary responsibility of the
Contractor/Supervising Consultant to implement to relevant clauses. However, the S&E
division does regular monitoring to ensure that the Contractor/Supervising Consultant
adheres to the clauses relating to environmental issues spelt out in the contract
documents.
Figure 3 Integration of Environment in the Project Cycle
Project Concept Planning
(Project Identification and
prioritization)
Environmental Screening
Pre-feasibility Study
Preliminary Environmental Examination, Scooping
Feasibility Study
&
Preliminary Design
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study
&
Environmental Management Plan (EMP)
Detailed Design
Integration of EIA & EMP into the Detailed Design
Civil Works Contractor
Procurement
Ensuring that Contracts have appropriate clauses
(Contract tendering & document
preparation)
Construction
&
Supervision
Operation
&
Maintenance
Source: Road Safety & Environmental Division, GHA
Environmental Monitoring and Supervision
Post Evaluation
&
Revising Environmental Management Guidelines
The DUR and DFR do not have assigned environmental units. The environmental
programmes are usually handled by task officers within these two agencies. The DUR
has been subcontracting this task to external consultants whilst the DFR subcontracts to
the S&E Division of the GHA.
Environmental concerns within the DUR and the DFR are addressed at the appraisal
stage of the urban and feeder roads project cycle.
SOCIAL ENQUIRY
Participatory social enquiry takes place after the completion of the Feasibility Study and
Preliminary Design stage of the GHA project cycle (see Figure 1). Citizen participation
is a key feature of Ghana's development policy in general and her decentralization policy
in particular. Participatory approach in road projects aims at broad consultation and
consensus building. It fosters strong ownership of the road projects by civil society, a
crucial element in making the program a success.
Social enquiry takes the form of consultation with secondary stakeholders (GHA regional
and district offices etc.) who will not be directly affected by the project. Social enquiries
in the form of public forums are held for the benefit of interested residents, opinion
leaders living along the road corridor whose lives will be affected by the project. This
facilitates focus group discussions. These Forums are publicly advertised.
Currently, all the road development projects under the GHA involve the reconstruction of
existing trunk roads which have deteriorated with the passage of time. Preliminary
design drawings are displayed for focus group discussions prior to the holding of the
forum. Contributions and other pre-planning needs that are made from such forums are
addressed and were necessary appropriate changes effected to the design drawings.
Public opinion with regard to construction of by-passes has not been respected is some
cases. Though the local people opposed the construction of these new by-passes, they
were constructed. This resulted in reduced cultural and economic importance of such
towns.
The situation is not different from what pertains in the DUR. Participatory social enquiry
takes the form of public forum where concerns by the stake holders, general public, and
road users are addressed.
Within the DFR, social enquiry starts at the road project selection stage. There are many
groups of people with interests in a rural road project. These interest groups (e.g.,
travelers, market traders and transport operators) are identified and consulted in the road
nomination process. Some other interest groups are important in the decision-making
process, but their own lives will not be affected directly by the project. These include the
District leadership, the District's Works agencies and the Department of Feeder Roads.
After the rural roads selection process has been completed and the necessary survey and
technical analysis of investment option considered, social enquiry takes another stage.
There is further participatory review of recommended network through stakeholder
consultations in the form of public forums. In particular, women are invited to comment
on issues like:

the appropriateness of the consultation process;

the acceptability of the results;

suggestions for review of rankings.
Contributions and other pre-planning needs that are made from such forums are
addressed and were necessary appropriate changes effected. If necessary there is a review
of the selection of roads based on recommendations made at the Public Hearing.
SOCIAL IMPACTS
Road development and maintenance activities, apart from causing environmental
problems also impact negatively on the social life of communities living along the road
corridor. Such social impacts may include the following;
1.
Properties may be in the path of the road works causing resettlement or requiring
payment of compensation.
2.
Peoples livelihood, community linkages, daily travel paths, community facilities,
cultural heritage and utilities may be disrupted.
3.
Air and water pollution and noise may increase health problems.
4.
Occupational health and safety risk to road workers as well as safety risk to other
road users.
Though the list of social impacts indicated above is not exhaustive, most of them are not
captured in the planning process. Apart from the payment of compensation to property
owners on the path of the road works and relocation of utilities, the others are not
captured in the planning process.
Main water lines, telephone and electricity cables are imbedded along the sides of major
road links in the urban and sub-urban communities. Prior to the Detailed Engineering
Design stage, the supervising agency liaises with stakeholders such as Ghana Water
Company Limited, Ghana Telecom and Electricity Company of Ghana to assess the
extent of relocation work along the road path. The cost of relocation is estimated and
incorporated in the contract sum for the road project. There is a document guide all the
key stakeholders on the steps to take for relocation of such utility service lines.
During the Preliminary Engineering Design stage of the project cycle, each agency
deploys valuation teams to site to assess the extent of encroachment on the road path.
Properties that require compensation are marked out and valued. In the preparation of
Tender Documents (Bills of Quantities) for the proposed road project, a line item is
introduced for compensation. Property owners affected by the road works are
compensated for the loss of property during the construction and supervision stage of the
project cycle.
Contractors are then procured either by International Competitive Bidding (ICB) or
National Competitive Bidding (NCB) for the relocation of utilities along the road path.
These contracts are awarded prior to and are to be completed before the commencement
of civil works on the project road.
Occupational health and safety risk to road workers as well as safety risk to other road
users which were in the past not captured in the planning process is an issue that is
currently on the agenda of the Safety and Environment Division of the GHA.
In course of the maintenance of paved and gravel roads, it has been observed that certain
health related social impacts are pre-dominant. These include water pollution, dust
pollution, damage to vegetation, soil erosion, health issues related to hazardous material,
to name a few. These negative social impacts are caused by;
1.
The inappropriate bitumen heating and management process. Most of our local
contractors have adopted the process of heating bitumen by burning old tyres. The
excess heat and smoke produced from the heated bitumen causes air pollution.
2.
Inadequate reinstatement of borrow pits. This results in dust pollution, soil
erosion, siltation and segmentation as well as the loss of agricultural land.
3.
Improper disposal of construction wastes.
4.
Water pollution caused by the discharge from pre-coated aggregates and the
inadequate disposal of spoils. These discharges find their way into surface and
groundwater sources.
5.
Poor maintenance of contractors’ equipment result in excess noise created with
their use.
The Safety and Environment Division has identified potential mitigation measures to
reduce the negative social impacts of road improvement.
These include the following;
1.
During the project planning process, stronger contract clauses are to be inserted in
contract documents which will help avoid or mitigate the effects of road works on
the social life of citizens. Whist procuring civil works contractor, the division
would ensure that stronger and appropriate clauses are inserted that will mitigate
such social impacts. This is indicated in Figure 3 above.
2.
Explicit line items to be introduced in Bill of Quantities for the haulage of water,
materials and the disposal of waste. Adequate financial resources will be made
available to our local contractors for the efficient disposal of waste materials on
site. This will mitigate the social impacts caused by the inappropriate disposal of
waste.
3.
Adequate supervision of road works especially in the enforcement and inspection
of safety and health issues.
4.
Environmental training for GHA staff as well as training for the contractor and his
staff. The division has initiated some training programmes for our local
contractors and their staff in this respect. It is envisaged that this will go a long
way to create awareness which will help reduce the negative social impacts of
road works.
These concerns are incorporated in the Scoping Report and Draft Terms of Reference the
Division forwarded to the EPA in November 2003 for approval. The Scoping Report and
Draft Terms of Reference have subsequently been approved by the EPA.
The division has further to this submitted the draft Sectorial Environmental Management
Report to the EPA. This document which includes special clauses on environmental
concerns will be incorporated in contract documents for all maintenance works, when
approved.
To mitigate the effects of road projects on the social life of the people, potential impacts
should be identified early in the planning process and the necessary curative measures
undertaken.
APPRAISAL TOOLS
The GHA has used the Highway Design and Maintenance Standards model (HDM)
model to assess the economic viability for its various development projects in the past.
The current version, HDM-4.2 is presently in use within the GHA. The model gives Rate
of Return, Net Present Value as benefit indicators.
The model is used during the feasibility study stage of the project cycle to determine the
economic viability of a road project and to assess the most suitable engineering design
and investment level.
The economic viability of a trunk road project is usually only measured on the economic
internal rate of return (EIRR) calculated on the basis of savings in vehicle operating costs
of road users. Other benefits which are difficult to measure and convert to monetary
terms are only used as supporting data.
Road appraisal tools such as HDM-4 do not include non-quantifiable social benefits.
Roads are justified in Ghana with a minimum EIRR of 12%, the minimum threshold
usually adopted by the Donor agencies. Trunk roads with high traffic volumes usually
have EIRR much higher than the minimum threshold. Benefits of most road
improvement projects outweigh the cost and therefore pass.
On the other hand, some trunk roads with low traffic volumes generate very low
economic returns. The only justification for the improvement of such low volume roads
is the non-quantifiable benefits which are not included in HDM-4. Such non quantifiable
benefits include;
i)
Poverty alleviation and social development
ii)
National and regional integration
iii)
National cohesion
iv)
Issues relating to Gender
v)
Environmental issues
There is the need for the development of an evaluation mechanism to reflect indirect
benefits for investment prioritization in Ghana for roads with low volume of traffic.
Another tool used within the GHA for maintenance programming is the Pavement
Management and Maintenance Programme (PMMP) developed in Ghana under German
Technical Assistance (GTZ) in 1998. The PMMP is used at the Network Level
Maintenance Planning stage of the maintenance project cycle. The annual maintenance
programmes are developed with the PMMP. Under the PMMP, road sections which are
subject to maintenance are listed and packaged as projects. Road sections were ranked in
accordance with a priority formula. Road sections with the highest value are accorded
highest importance.
Data input into the PMMP include road section traffic flow (ADT), roughness
measurement, degree of functional importance and visual road inspection. Project level
studies (including data collection) are carried out at the regional offices of the GHA for
implementation. Figure 4 shows the PMMP processes at the GHA.
Figure 4: PMMP process at GHA
VISUAL ROAD
INSPECTION
ROUGHNESS
MEASUREMENT
TRAFFIC
CENSUS
Source: GHA/GTZ 2000
PRIORITIZATION
COMPUTER
INPUT
PMMP
WORKS
DESCRIPTION
RATING SCORE
Some major shortfall of the PMMP includes;
i)
It does not have any direct economic indicators like EIRR or NPV in use for
project viability and priority assessment.
ii)
Only two options routine and periodic maintenance are available. These
options are not compared with other interventions like rehabilitation and
reconstruction.
iii)
Does analysis for a single year period and does not meet multi-year
requirements or programming.
iv)
Determining the condition score of a gravel road using roughness
measurement introduces bias in the assessment. A gravel road recently graded
but with a very thin layer of good quality top material may be classified as
‘good’ because of its low roughness index. Its condition could change rapidly
after a heavy rain and the passage of a few heavy vehicles.
The situation in DUR is not far from different from what pertains in the GHA. The DUR,
currently operating in eight (8) major urban centers in Ghana and has roads with high
traffic volumes. An evaluation and justification of road investment projects will result in
high EIRR beyond the minimum threshold.
In the case of maintenance, the DUR has no formalized maintenance management tool.
The PMMP was installed but it was found to inadequate because it focused on pavement
only and does not take additional maintenance aspects such as traffic lights and side
walks into consideration.
The low volume of traffic associated with DFR roads might not make the use of HDM-4,
based on VOC savings appropriate for justification of road projects. The need to consider
road projects as not only on economic investment is much more recognized. It is
therefore important to evaluate and justify these low volume roads using such indicators
as regional balance, national integration and stability, gender issues, poverty reduction,
environmental issues.
Attempts were made to introduce the PMMP at DFR as a maintenance tool but this was
not successful and was subsequently abondoned. The Maintenance Performance
Budgeting System (MPBS), a maintenance management tool developed in 1994 is still
functional in the DFR. The MPBS facilitates in determining the financial requirements to
undertake a specific work program based on pre-determined level of maintenance service
and performance standards. It provides DFR management with data allowing them to
make decisions regarding to work programming taking such factors as the availability of
funds and the expanding network of maintenance roads into consideration.
ORN 5
The ORN 5 in its current form is adequate. It covers a wide range of topics and steps
required for a thorough appraisal of a road project. However, as indicated earlier, the
application of Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) which allows for the comparison of
economic data derived from economic feasibility studies with other non-quantifiable
impacts from social, cultural and environmental studies could be contemplated due the
limited approach of CBA in prioritizing low volume rural road projects.
It is a very important study material and serves as an introductory guide to road project
appraisal for young engineers, planners and economists who after their academic training
have not had any professional experience. It therefore serves its expressed purpose.
The form/structure of the text is presented in a two column per page. A few comments
received from consultation with colleagues working in the GHA, DUR and DFR (though
not representative of the entire readership population of ORN 5) indicated that its
structure makes reading through very tedious. Too much reading material is provided on
each page. It is our opinion that providing a single column page would make reading the
ORN 5 less cumbersome.
Additionally, it will be of great benefit if a summary table (Check List) querying whether
the various activities necessary to accomplish a specific task in the appraisal guide have
been carried out is included.
Main References:
1.
HNMP, (2000). Highway Network Master Plan (2001 – 2020). Draft Final
Report, Executive Summary. GHA, MRT, Ghana.
2.
Little, I. M. D. and Mirrlees, J. A. (1990), Project Appraisal and Planning
Twenty Years on. Supplement to the World Bank Economic Review and the World
Bank Research Observer, pp 351-391.
3.
RSDP Evaluation, (2000). Joint Evaluation of the Road Sub-Sector Programme,
1996 – 2000, MRT, Ghana.
4.
Simon, H.A. (1957). Models of Man. John Wiley and Sons, New York.