Sustainable maintenance guidelines of non-toll roads in South Africa

Abstract

Roads are important national assets and are central to economic and social development. There is an essential need for regular road maintenance to keep them operative. Limited budgets for road maintenance are the main challenge facing road agencies such as SANRAL to meet their performance obligations. This is because of competition from other services such as education, health, etc. At the same time, another challenge is the ability of road maintenance activities to contribute to environmental sustainability since road maintenance adversely impacts land and water resources and the discharged areas. This has led to calls for incorporating sustainability principles into road maintenance activities. This research focuses on developing practical guidelines for sustainable road maintenance. It is also focused on the understanding of how road maintenance can minimize environmental impact, particularly in South Africa. The study was carried out through interviews, questionnaires, archives and journals on road maintenance. Interviews were conducted with people involved in road maintenance. Questionnaires were distributed to road users who constantly use non-toll roads. The type of road involved in this study was National Non-Toll roads under the jurisdiction of SANRAL. The data collected were analysed and the results have proved there is a need for sustainable funding for non-toll road maintenance.