Investigating the effectiveness of labour based method of road construction as a method of rehabilitating low traffic volume roads in Uganda. A case study of Lira district.

Abstract

The transportation system in Uganda is comprised of roads, railways, aviation and shipping. 96.5% of freight traffic and 95% of passengers and luggage are carried by road transport, the major bulk of the road network are “district, urban and community access roads” (MoWT, 2015). Despite the allocation of the biggest part of the national budget to the transport sector, the condition of roads remains unsatisfactory. The problems of rural road maintenance are not uniquely related to financing (OAG 2012; URF 2013). This allocation is insufficient to maintain the about 100,000 km of the district and community access roads since the approved work methods are predominantly machine based, and there is an over-reliance on heavy machinery. About 90% of the district and community access roads receive less than 200 vehicles per day and can thus be maintained using cheaper labour-based methods (MoWT, 2019). The research investigated the effectiveness of labour-based methods of road construction as a method of rehabilitating low-volume roads in Uganda. The methods adopted a descriptive research design that with the help of a checklist, desk study and observation both primary and secondary data were collected about resource and technical requirements and the cost of construction. The study shows that the labour based is three (3) times cheaper than the machine-based method and can as well meet the technical requirements for application on low volume roads though appropriate organisation and management skills are essential for it to achieve timely project results. The study intended to bridge the gap by providing the technology that provides the appropriate balance between labour and equipment employed to result in cost effective project results to the required standard in a given time frame.