27th May 2003

Is there a case for concrete roads?
By Ochieng’ Ogodo

IT is debatable whether to build concrete or bitumen roads. Almost all roads in the country are bituminous but there are arguments in support of concrete.

Tom Waiharo, Commercial Project Manager, Bamburi Cement Limited, says concrete roads are about 30 percent more expensive in capital expenditure but cheaper to maintain over the life of the road.

Whereas bitumen roads are designed to last 15 years, concrete roads serve for 25 to 40 years. Some concrete roads in the USA have lasted 80 years.
Waiharo cites the road at English Point in Mombasa which has lasted 44 years with virtually no maintenance.

“The real savings are realized on the maintenance bill. Concrete roads save about Sh1 million per kilometer annually over the life of the road, which averages over 25 years,” he says.
On whether Kenya has enough cement to venture into such a project, Waiharo submits that as an industry, they have an excess of 1 million tonnes per year of spare capacity.

“This is enough to construct over 1,000 km of concrete roads every year. You should also not forget that the other components of the pavement like the aggregates are a finite resource and the longer the road can last the more we save on these resources,” he says.

The Minister of Roads, Public Works and Housing has had a steering committee on concrete roads for the last three years whose members have traveled to several countries and familiarised themselves with the technology.

One of the main advantages of concrete is that it can be labour intensive, thereby creating jobs. Waiharo says the concrete techniques learned by the workers can help them in the building and other concrete works outside the road sector.

Given that building cement will cost a little more than asphalt ones, many have been pondering the availability of enough funds to venture into such an expensive exercise.
Waiharo explains that one of the most ignored areas is the maintenance bill the country has to pay over the life of the road. If we are saving Sh1 million per kilometer annually, then we can afford it.

It is also worth noting that the Sh8 billion Fuel Levy Fund is enough for only 10 percent of the work it is supposed to do.

In the attempt to compare concrete and bituminous roads, several generic reasons are considered advantageous even before costs are taken consideration. These are: safety, environmental friendliness, durability, versatility and value.

Concrete’s low annual cost, argues Waiharo, makes it decidedly the choice over a typical low-first-cost pavement. The cost of a commonly used low-price asphalt pavement can be Sh1.7 million more per km per year than concrete pavement which has a greater load-carrying capacity for a simulated comparison for East Africa.
The cost of inferior pavements charged to any single year may not appear to be high, but when the recurring expenses of resealing and rebuilding are added, often it is found that the so-called “Low price road” is a very high-cost road indeed.

Waiharo says this high cost can be far out of proportion to service given. Often, for long periods prior to and during reconstruction, rough surfaces and dusty or muddy detours mean high car driving costs, unsafe travel, limited loads, and nerve-racking annoyance.

The yearly costs of commonly trafficked flexible pavements for both very heavily trafficked and heavily trafficked roads is estimated to be Sh1.7 million more than the cost of even a concrete pavement widely used on busy trunk roads and climbing lanes. Interest charges have not been considered.

It is this submission that roads are a critical sector in the development of East Africa and the pursuit of poverty eradication and there is need to incorporate the Whole Life Cycle Costing in road design.

Donors and road sector investors have to now more than ever incorporate the reconstruction costs for the projects they fund and insist on something long term solutions.

“Concrete pavements have a longer life, carry heavy loads and are eventually cheaper than bituminous pavements. They are also more environmentally friendly,” says Waiharo.

There are many hidden costs in roads such as user delay costs, diversions and contractor down-times. Concrete roads technology is inherently labour-intensive and can be an effective vehicle for poverty eradication.

The Roller Compacted Concrete Pavements (RCCP) are economical, easy to lay and good value for money.

With better roads that last longer and can be cheaply maintained, traffic snarl-ups like the one pictured (above) would be fewer.