In most countries, the presence of good road construction materials is diminishing, the art of material location is slowly being lost and environmental constraints and requirements are all hindering the timeous location of materials for road construction. This often results in delays in construction projects and increased costs.
Despite information on materials' properties, location and potential use in road works being collected, mainly from materials testing laboratories, the information is usually contained in site project reports, which are not readily accessible to practitioners and other sector professionals. In order to facilitate general access to this information, and at the request of partner countries including Mozambique, Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania, AfCAP has defined a project to develop a system that will provide locations of potential materials sources with their typical properties and estimated quantities and, where available, post-construction performance.
Project Objectives
Overall aim: to design a materials and aggregate inventory database which can be implemented at the national level for improved management of materials for various categories of roads.
Objectives of the project:
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Identify needs of AfCAP partner countries.
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Develop a database architecture which will be applicable in multiple ReCAP countries.
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Develop an action plan detailing development costs, implementation strategies and timeframe, and training necessary.
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Develop a GIS-based map of the locations and size of borrow pits or quarries with links to their typical properties and potential uses for road construction and maintenance in the respective partner countries.
Methodology and Phasing
The project is being undertaken in 3 phases. The first is a scoping phase to understand the specific needs of each partner country and review the relative strengths and weaknesses of any existing databases. Phase 1 was completed in October 2017. The methodology for this phase included the following tasks:
- Prepare inception and desk study report, consisting of:
- Evaluation of the suitability of currently available systems;
- Assessment of any systems that are currently being used or developed by AfCAP member countries;
- AfCAP member survey amongst potential users of the database to determine minimum data requirements;
- Assessment of remote sensing, botanical or other indicator principles which could be applied to locate suitable materials.
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Provide recommendations on a suitable platform and architecture for materials database and prepare detailed action plans and indicative budgets for phases 2 and 3 of the project.
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Presentation of the draft recommendations to a regional workshop.
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Prepare and submit Final Scoping Study Report for further action by AfCAP.
Phase 2 will see the development of the detailed action plan for the development and implementation of the database, including associated costs and training requirements.
The third and final phase will entail the roll-out of the database to partner countries and the provision of training and support to users to populate it at a national level.
Beneficiaries and Partner Countries
Phase 3 will see the rolling out of the database to all ReCAP partner countries that show interest and commitment, accompanied by the necessary training of personnel from the responsible national institutions and provision of support to populate it. The main beneficiaries/users of the database will be the national roads authorities and other sector professionals such as consultants, contractors, researchers as well as professionals in other sectors such as agriculture.
Photo: OCA/Link Asea
Project Resources and Reports
Regional Stakeholders Workshop Report, October 2017
Final Database Report, October 2017