Tanzania rural roads feasibility study : final report -- volume 1 : technical and economic aspects

The objectives of this A.I.D.-funded three volume feasibility study are to assist in the construction or rehabilitation of roads in the Dodoma and Singida regions and the Same and Mwanga districts of the Kilimanjaro region and to provide these districts with the ability to maintain roads by improving their administrative, planning, construction, and maintenance capacities. This volume deals solely with the technical and economic aspects of the study. Among the results of the study"s economic analysis are: 60% of the benefits to be realized by Tanzania"s combined rural road improvement (RRI)/agricultural technology program will result from the RRI component; RRI will enjoy a 17.3% internal rate of return on investment; an estimated 4,560 laborers will be employed annually for maintenance; and natural resource, forestry, fishery and sundry small industries will enjoy easier, less costly transportation. Among the conclusions of the study"s social analysis are: RRI will have no appreciable effect on population distribution; RRI will raise the standard of living of rural Tanzanians but its effect on women is uncertain because it is unlikely that women will benefit from either the new employment or extra income the projects will afford; and delivery of other social services (education, transportation, health, etc.) will improve as access to rural areas expands. Criteria for choosing which roads to improve are provided based on economic, social and cost factors. The study proposes a 3-year project to: clear and shape 4,335 kms in the RRI area, resurface and construct embankments on 2,835 kms, construct culverts and repair drift and bridges on 17,280 meters; provide necessary training; and hire women wherever possible. A 3-year follow-on maintenance program is recommended to begin as soon as individual roads have been repaired. Additional recommendations included the establishment of: a reliable, village-level, baseline data system; a highway identification and numbering system; a highway inventory system; and a traffic count on RRI roads.