Evaluation Of Road Maintenance Management Practices Of The Ethiopian Roads Administration (Era)

Abstract

Good road maintenance is necessary to keep the road in the condition it was in when it was first built and to enhance the socioeconomic growth and development of a nation. Road maintenance management is a significant challenge in many developing countries around the world. The Ethiopian Roads Administration (ERA), which is in charge of building, maintaining, enhancing, replacing, and preserving federal highways in a nation, is also facing the same challenges. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the road maintenance management practices of the Ethiopian Roads Administration (ERA). The aims of this work are to examine the current road maintenance management, identify the existing problems with road maintenance management practices and find out approaches for improving road maintenance management practices under ERA. In order to evaluate road maintenance management practices, the study used primary data such as questionnaires, interviews, and group discussions. In addition, secondary data such as literature reviews and desk studies were also used. For this study, cross-sectional data were collected from 52 selected respondents, and to achieve the objectives, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and binary logistic regression methods were employed for the analysis. In order to evaluate road maintenance management practices under ERA, which is the dependent variable, the study has simultaneously investigated the independent variables like insufficient road condition surveys, poor organizational structures, and traditional data collection practices. The analysis demonstrates that contractor-related problems, insufficient data collection, delay in decision-making, and poor maintenance contract management were the first, second, and third prioritised problems among the contractor-related problems, respectively. Moreover, looking at the client-related problems, negative views by leaders about maintenance, using out dated specifications and manuals, traditional data collection practises, and poor organisational structure were among the top prioritised problems. Lastly, the analysis of consultant-related problems tells us that lack of sufficient funds and limited financial sources for road maintenance were the first and second prioritised problems, respectively. The result of binary logistic regression indicates that human resource constraints, poor organisational structures, and negative views by leaders about maintenance were the main significant contributing factors. Finally, all the concerned stakeholders are recommended to give all due attention to the identified and prioritized problems that may impede the quality of road vii maintenance management practices. More specifically, to improve the present road maintenance management practices, ERA needs to conduct an initial study and general survey, standardise the basic practises or methodology, and use advanced management practices to administer large networks.