EVALUATION OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT SURFACE CONDITION AND ITS MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: A CASE STUDY OF NEKEMTE TOWN.

Abstract

The road network is one of the backbones of the economic, social, and political development for both developed and developing of any countries. It has great roles to facilitate the movement of vehicles, peoples, and goods from one place to other places. A Pavement Maintenance Management System (PMMS) considered as an essential strategy to minimize the road deterioration rates, protect road user’s safety, elongate pavement life, and increase efficiently in addition to utilize resources in best ways. In most part of the Ethiopian country, the constructed road pavements usually deteriorate due to different factors like improper design, construction materials, traffic loads, drainage impact and others without giving a long service according to the required design periods. The most problems were occurred during their constructions, the implementation of road pavement maintenance and its maintenance management system as well as due to lack of sufficient funds for the road pavement maintenance. Specially, the road pavements most part of the Oromia Region like Nekemte town, East Wollega Zone has serious problems. Among these different problems of distressesfor the two selected road segments in Nekemte town were due to increase of traffic volumes and loads, an improper maintenance and its poor maintenance management system, which can be interpreted as idleness and waste. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the Road Pavement Surface Condition and Its Maintenance Management System (PMMS), in which it provides a systematic process of maintaining, upgrading and its management systems that can be provide good services for the road users to perform tasks better, more economically, effectively, and higher quality as well as to reduce time and cost. The study was carried out through primary data by visual assessments and survey field measurements, interviews and questionnaires as well as secondary data from journals, and recorded documents that can be obtained from Nekemte town, NCRA District and Ethiopian Construction Work Cooperation. The collected data were analyzed using an Average Index (AI) Methods, graphically, and Microsoft excel to obtain the results. The results were presented as in the form of pie charts, figures, and tables. Based on the study results, the total percentage of pavement distress for Wollega University to Bake Jama and Wollega Museum to Kumsa Moroda road segments were carried out 70% and 65% respectively. The most factors that affects the Nekemte road networks by using the AIM scales were the maximum traffic loads and volumes, delay of maintenance, and improper highway drainage. The PCI of the two selected road networks were 31.0% and 57.0% that indicate the poor and good condition respectively. Additionally, the main factors that cause the delay of pavement maintenance were the shortage of financial, less attention by the NCRA and poor maintenance management system. It was recommended that adjusting the traffic loads applied on the road pavement and providing appropriate maintenance activity on time can safe and elongate the design period of the constructed paved roads for the road users.