ZILLA ROADS MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT

The districts of Faridpur, Rangpur, and Sylhet will implement the project with USAID technical assistance under the supervision of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives. A clearly defined plan of routine annual/seasonal maintenance will be established in the three project districts. The plans will categorize all roads in the districts according to types and scheduling of needed maintenance, construction, or reconstruction procedures, along with the human and material resources needed for each procedure. On-the-job and organized training will be provided yearly for about 100 members of the three district engineering staffs and will also be open to non-project district personnel. Maintenance equipment (for tasks that cannot be done by manual labor) such as rollers, concrete mixers, surveying and drawing equipment, and vehicles will be provided, and a routine program of equipment maintenance and repair will be instituted. A maintenance manual in Bangali will also be prepared for use by both project and non-project district personnel. This manual will describe administrative structures, staffing needs, operating procedures, equipment requirements and upkeep, and engineering information. Selected financial reforms which expand the fiscal resources available to the districts for road maintenance and improvement will be identified and instituted. Finally, a fund will be established to finance a limited number of road improvements on selected sections of roads where these improvements will significantly increase utilization and allow routine maintenance to be cost-effective. These improvements will be limited to installation of box culverts, ring culverts, and storm drainage structures; paving of bridge approaches; installation of brick liner, herringbone, or crushed bricks on existing earth embankments; concrete paving on road surfaces; construction of small bridges; and embankment protection.