Enhancing Urban Roads Maintenance in Ghana: Implications for Sustainable Urban Development

Abstract

Enhancing maintenance of urban roads is a condition that helps to promote sustainable urban development. It helps to put roads in good shape which in turns provide several economic, social, and environmental benefits in urban areas. This paper sought to develop economically feasible road maintenance interventions that can be resorted to enhance the maintenance of urban roads in Wa Municipality (Ghana). Data on four road classes were used. These roads were Class A (major arterial road), class B (minor arterial roads), Class D (distributor roads) and Class E (access roads). The HDM-4 economic analysis model was used to process and analyse the data. The overall data analysis of the roads was made to cover a 30 year period starting 2013.

The following treatment options were found as suitable to enhance the maintenance and sustainability of urban roads in the study area: Class A - "70mm thick overlay for every 11years at intervention level of 3.63 IRI", Class B - "40mm thin overlay for every 9 years at intervention level of 3.91 IRI", Class D - "40mm thin overlay for every 9 years at intervention level of 4.04 IRI", and Class E - "25mm surface dressing (resealing) for every 12 years at intervention level of 6.22 IRI". It is therefore recommended that public funds must be used judiciously with desirable portions allocated for timely road maintenance to enable the roads provide maximum economic and social benefits to the users.

Keywords: Ghana, Wa Municipality, road maintenance, sustainable urban development