Page 188 - RoadCem Manual - PCT BV

changes according to their political costs and benefits can help policy makers obtain support from politicians and the general public.
AXLE LOAD CONTROL
Inadequate axle load control remains arguably one of the most serious challenges faced by road authorities in many countries. As indicated in Chapter 5 of the Manual, pavement performance is critically influenced by traffic loading which, in turn, controls the life of the pavement.
RoadCem based approach results in roads which are normally constructed of lighter (thinner) pavements using naturally occurring materials that can be sensitive to the impact of overloading.
This makes them particularly susceptible to overloading which has an adverse and disproportionate effect on pavement life. Thus, overloading is not only an increased risk to the road, including bridges; it is also not justified on economic grounds. A more determined effort should be made to control overloading.
Effective control of overloading requires a strong political will which is sometimes not evident. The move towards new methods of overload control should be implemented by all countries as soon as possible.
RISK
The need to adopt more appropriate standards and specifications in the construction of road pavements has been clearly recognized for some time. However, whilst there are many examples of the successful adoption of such a strategy, few are well documented and, until relatively recently, the conditions necessary for successful performance were not adequately defined. Thus, there has been an understandable reluctance, particularly by consultants and donors, to utilize non-standard materials because of an undoubtedly greater perceived risk of problems or even failure.
Fortunately, the results of research undertaken over the past 20 years make it possible to utilize local resources with greater confidence.
Moreover, risks can be mitigated by ensuring that standards/specifications apply to local environments.
The perceived risks associated with the use of non-standard materials and non-traditional designs can now be sensibly managed and a larger proportion of un-surfaced roads can be economically surfaced without additional risk.
7.3 Social
More and more governments are promoting the use of labor-based methods as an alternative to the more traditional plant-based operations as a means of combating high unemployment levels. In this regard, road programs that maximize the use of surplus manpower that might exist in a rural community are more likely to engender a positive attitude to the future maintenance of the road than programs that are plant-based and require the import of a limited amount of skilled manpower.
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