Abstract:
Road maintenance is a continuous process that ensures a proper road network with safe and
comfortable riding facilities are available to the road users. Among the few research studies on road
maintenance, most of them suggest better contractual arrangements to improve road maintenance
performance. This paper takes a different stance by looking into the team working aspects of road
maintenance teams and suggesting avenues to improve team performance for sustainable road
maintenance in general. Literature lacks in discussing how teams perform in road maintenance
activities. Hence, the aim of this research was to explore how team working takes place in road
maintenance functions and how to improve team-working towards sustainable road maintenance in Sri
Lanka. The case study research approach was selected for this study. Accordingly, three case studies
with three Executive Engineer’s Divisions within the Road Development Authority were undertaken.
The findings revealed how maintenance personnel worked as teams during different phases of road
maintenance. However, several areas needed improvement as suggested in the paper. These findings
will be useful for performance improvements of road maintenance activities in general.
