Pavement Management for Honduras

Abstract

It can be argued that maintenance of road pavements is more critical for the longevity of this public asset as opposed to the actual construction, which tends to attract more attention. In many developing countries, such as Honduras, the absence or inadequacy of funding can undermine any effort to ensure optimal performance of the road over the course of its design life. This paper highlights the current efforts being made to preserve road assets in Honduras and proposes recommendations for this country to obtain a more competitive road network through a study of the best international practices as it relates to maintenance of roads. As of 2012, Honduras had an official road network of 14,648 km, of which only 3,361 km (23%) were paved. Honduras transports virtually all its freight and passengers on roads as a consequence of the abandonment of the rail network coupled with the high cost of air transportation. Accordingly, the operational quality of this mode of transportation is a fundamental factor in the country's economic development. Government agencies responsible for making investments in road construction and maintenance face the continual problem of insufficient funds. In recent years, the funding assigned for maintenance of the road network was less than 2% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Further, overloaded trucks in Honduras became common, because the axle load control stopped operating in 1995 and has never been reactivated. This lack of monitoring and enforcement has caused increased stresses in pavement structures and consequently accelerates failure. Ten years ago traffic counts and evaluations of the physical state of the road surfaces were discontinued as important inputs when designing strategies for road investment. Recommendations are proposed to more effectively utilize limited budgets and reduce vehicular operating costs. These recommendations are based on the international experience in pavement management and evaluation procedures of pavement conditions with high performance equipment. A discussion on the condition of the pavements with the various experts in-country will be presented.