Abstract:
Purpose-The reconstruction of road infrastructure in the post-disaster context require different
approach when compared with road projects in the normal development context. Disaster recovery projects are
seen as having their own unique identity, particularly due to stakeholder issues, resource challenges, capability
issues, and even long-term reliability concerns. This paper invites a discussion regarding the challenges and
obstacles identified in the reconstruction of road infrastructure in a post-disaster reconstruction setting, and
focuses the discussion on the pre-construction phase.
Design/ Methodology/ Approach - The challenges and obstacles presented in this paper are based on the
literature and the empirical evidence collected from the research in three case study districts in Aceh, Indonesia.
Twenty-eight face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders of road infrastructure at
the local, provincial and national level, and represented by respondents from the public works, planning agency,
disaster management agency, consultant, contractors, and donor agencies. The findings were triangulated with
the literature and consulted with five experts in the road infrastructure and disaster reconstruction area.
Findings - The identified challenges and obstacles are divided into three groups of discussion; planning and
programming, road design, and procurement. Whilst some of these challenges are not unique to post-disaster
context, the scale of the risks had been undermined.
Originality/ value - This paper identifies the challenges and obstacles of a road project in the post-disaster
setting from the pre-construction perspective. Identification of these challenges and obstacles may help improve
the implementation of post-disaster road infrastructure reconstruction projects in future recovery projects,
particularly in the developing world.
