Performance-Based Routine Maintenance of Rural Roads by Maintenance Groups: Manual for Maintenance Groups

Abstract

The purpose of this manual is to assist maintenance groups in Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China, in organizing and carrying out the routine maintenance of unpaved rural roads. The physical condition of roads is critical to any transport network. However, unless roads are adequately maintained, they inevitably deteriorate, leading to higher road user costs and longer travel times. Routine maintenance is often delayed due to various factors, such as lack of funds or insufficient technical knowledge. When simple routine maintenance is postponed for long periods, there is often a need for more extensive rehabilitation, which is much more costly. The manual is the outcome of the small-scale technical assistance (SSTA) pilot project linked to the Yunnan Integrated Road Network Development Project. The SSTA pilot project built on the experience of a previous pilot project on Community-Based Routine Road Maintenance by Women's Groups, which was financed by the ADB Gender and Development Cooperation Fund. The SSTA sought to improve the approach developed under the first pilot project by introducing performance-based payments with the aim of reducing the resources required for supervision and inspection. It also aimed to improve the financial sustainability of the approach by reducing the investments required and promoting policy changes regarding the use of road maintenance funding. This manual guides the maintenance groups at the operational level in the use of appropriate tools and techniques in their work. It teaches the maintenance group members technical and managerial skills for routine maintenance of rural roads, based on the experience gained from the two pilot projects carried out in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan Province.