Strategy to minimize user inconvenience during road rehabilitation

Abstract

Beginning of this report address need of road construction projects for the country and it's negative impacts arises to environment. Seven on going road projects and one already completed road project were selected to verify present situation. Selected road projects cover urban, rural and intermediate conditions. Existing situations for both roadway users and construction workers at those sites were identified. The following inconveniences; air pollutions, noise pollution, water pollution, vibrations, congestion, crashes, disturbing to access, increasing vehicle operating cost and disturbing to existing drainage systems and water streams, interruptions to utility services were identified as somewhat significant. Aim of this study is to identify major inconveniences out of these and propose strategies to minimize or eliminate them. In addition to that existing rules and regulations to control them will be evaluated. A questionnaire survey was carried out to identify the perceived inconvenience levels of the above identified issues. It is found out that air and noise pollution, traffic delays, disturbing to work site accessibility and disturbing to water ways and drains, interruptions to utility services during road construction are the most affected inconveniences to the road users. Strategies are proposed to minimize or eliminate above identified inconveniences. Here some of strategies were selected by referring to good practices elsewhere that appears to be applicable to Sri Lanka. Finally conclusions and recommendations of the research project are given.