www.iteco.ch/Mobility/Project Selection/Rural Roads, Albania

Rural Roads - Organisation and Management Study, Albania

Rural Roads Maintenance

The maintenance of about 10,000 km of rural roads throughout Albania had been completely neglected after the breakdown of the socialist system in 1992. The Organisation and Management Study established the basis of a viable management system for the rural road network. The study included the gathering and analysis of basic information, such as length, condition and estimated maintenance costs of the rural roads of each District and Community.The Organisation and Management Study addressed two main elements relating to the road transport system in Albania:

  • creation of a first, basic inventory of the rural road network; and
  • analysis and synthesis of policies for improved management of rural road system and
  • prepared the way to implement a project which would provide better transportation for people in rural parts of the country.

The main elements of the study, carried out by Iteco in collaboration with local partner Infratransprojekt and the General Road Directorate, comprised:

  • field survey and inventory (input to computer database) of about 10,000 km of rural roads;
  • prioritisation of these roads according to economic criteria;
  • investigation of the existing road maintenance activities;
  • assessment of Albanian contracting capacity to carry out rehabilitation and maintenance works;
  • arranging involvement and co-operation of all relevant public bodies;
  • proposals for sources and flows of road maintenance funds;
  • proposals for viable management and organisation systems; and
  • conducting workshops with all officials and staff involved in road maintenance and management operations.

The project was carried out over a period of nine months. The outcome from the study was a detailed report containing details of a subsequent project to:

  • support and train government staff to adequately manage the rural road system;
  • assist communities to assume responsibility for rural roads in their areas;
  • enable local consultants to provide services to the Government and the communities to manage rural roads;
  • assist small and medium contractors to undertake maintenance works on rural roads;
  • introduce a functioning rural road maintenance management system based upon a strict prioritisation of roads of high population density, most traffic and service community centres;
  • finance part of a backlog of maintenance works of around 1,500 km of priority roads identified in this study