Transport reform project

The project, which will be implemented mainly be an institutional contractor, will comprise two components (TA and research/policy analysis). Project TA will strengthen the capacities of three Zairian road management entities -- the Office des Routes (ODR, responsible for priority national highways and regional road networks); the Service National des Routes de Desserte Agricole (SNRDA), a parastatal agricultural feeder road maintenance organization; and the Regional Road Commissions. TA will also be provided to private entities in the regions. The major focus, however, will be on supporting institutional reform and reorganization of the ODR"s central office in Kinshasa, with specific targets of promoting decentralization, increased private sector participation in road maintenance, improved coordination of national and regional road programs, and regional experimentation in local resource mobilization. The research and analysis component will develop action recommendations in three areas. (1) Research on alternative funding for roads will include studies of user fees; ways to limit road damage; and the socioeconomic impact of fuel pricing. Recommendations will address issues in regional road management capabilities and local resource mobilization. (2) To provide input for development of a Highway Master Plan, the project will help ODR"s Planning Division to: re-establish a data collection program (covering, inter alia, traffic counts, maintenance backlogs, and origin/destination studies); develop computerized databases to facilitate budgeting and investment planning; and collect data for environmental assessment, planning, and evaluation. Research topics will include: the transport distribution industry"s reaction to changes in road infrastructure; strategies for expanding the transportation industry and road use; informal sector involvement in road use and maintenance; the transport needs of lower-income groups (including women); intermediate transport technologies; and continue road/vehicle damage tests related to road maintenance and rural agricultural economies of scale. (3) The project will also address management and organizational problems arising during ODR"s reorganization.