THE IMPACT OF RURAL ROAD CONSTRUCTION ON
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
1. INTRODUCTION
The introduction starts by explaining to the reader the purpose of the construction of roads
then converges to the importance of rural roads. Myself being born in a developing country,
Burundi, I have seen first-hand the direct effect of road construction on the economic growth
of a region. This project will help us understand some contributing factors and effect of rural
road development in order for us to be aware of what is done in order to get to the desired
target, which is to construct sustainable rural roads. The research area is then indicated in
order to grasp the extent of the study as well as literature review, methodology and project
organisation.
1.1 Introduction
Transportation is the movement of goods and persons from place to place and the various
means by which such movement is accomplished (Tikkanen,
https://www.britannica.com/technology/transportation-technology, 2023). The migration of
people from place to place resulted into the formation and construction of roads whether
intentional or unintentional. The oldest constructed roads discovered to date are in former
Mesopotamia. These stone paved streets date back to about 4000 B.C. (Longfellow, U.S
Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, June 30, 2023). It is
important to differentiate between rural and urban roadworks. Roadways that are urban in
nature will generally be characterized by low to moderate posted speeds, frequent entrances,
and moderate to heavy residential or commercial development. Whereas, rural roadways will
generally be characterized by moderate to high posted speeds, infrequent entrances and low
residential or commercial development
(https://www.maine.gov/mdot/engineering/docs/practices/2018/Urban-Rural-Definitions.pdf,
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2023). One measure of rural accessibility is the Rural Access Index (RAI), defined by as "the
number of rural people who live within two kilometers (typically equivalent to a walk of 20-
25 minutes) of an all-season road as a proportion of the total rural population. It has been
determined that there were a total of 64,285,009 km of any kind of roads in the world. These
were shared between 411,853 km of expressways and 63,873,156 km of normal roads; paved
and not paved (de Loisy, Transportation and the Belt and Road Initiative, 2019). These
figures prove that there is a worldwide need for the development of country roads especially
in developing nations.
When looking at rural road construction, one must think ahead and consider several elements
that will contribute to the successful flow of the project and factors that affect the project cost,
factors ranging from availability of materials to competence of workers in a specific country,
project location, maintenance costs and several others. Nonetheless, the construction of rural
roads significantly effects the economic growth of an area.
Centering the attention to Africa, its population is about 1,473,310,000 as of November
2023, based on the latest United Nations estimates. There are several components to be
considered and discussed in order to understand the stage at which Africa’s road network is at
and the factors affecting its growth. The presence of such a huge population infers that
developing stable road infrastructure plays a key factor in the socio-economic growth of the
continent. When looking at Africa’s road maps, it can easily be seen that rural roads make up
majority of the roads. However, compared to the western world, Africa stays behind when
looking at its roads and railways. Only 34 percent of rural Africans live within two kilometers
of an all-season road, compared to some 65 percent in other developing regions (African
Development Bank Group, 2023), doubling the actual road condition for such a big
proportion of Africans would be very costly, whereas the present roads ought to be
maintained in good condition. Various software can be used (such as QGIS) to map the road
network already present in zone, this helps in visualising the amount of roads to be
constructed. Good quality roads lead to a significant increase in mobility of people, goods and
labour. Several positive and negative impacts are discussed below.
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1.2 Problem Statement
The purpose of the problem statement is to identify the issue present, state consequences
of the problem and propose solutions to the matter.
This project addresses the primary concerns that communities face due to the absence of all-
season roads or due to the presence of poor quality road infrastructure, and emphasizes how
urgent it is to deal with these problems in order to achieve sustainable growth and a higher
standard of living. Better road infrastructure would help in improvement of physical
accessibility, would contribute to increase travel demand to markets, schools and health
services. This would, in turn, contribute to improved education, better health and increased
business opportunities (Lancelot, Lancharro, Ogita, The World Bank Group, 2023). It is
widely agreed that implementation and/or improvement of road network correlates to the
economic growth of an area by reducing transportation costs … Nevertheless, when done on
its own it is not enough to eradicate poverty, although it is a contributing factor. Most rural
zones around the world are reliant on agricultural activities; farming and growing crops,
development of road systems will therefore promote movement of agricultural products from
farm to market and greater job access to the community. Providing adequate road networks
results in giving shorter travel time whether to or from the rural area. However as building
roads requires tremendous amounts of funds, local authorities work hand-in-hand with
governments and other foreign organizations to reach to the desired goal.
1.3 Objective of the Project
The main objective of the project study on building rural roads is to extensively assess and
understand the multiple facets and implications of such infrastructure development on
economic, social, and environmental impacts within rural communities, promote sustainable
development, and enhance the overall quality of life in rural areas. This research aims to
provide an analysis that goes beyond the surface-level benefits, and aims at providing policies
and sustainable development practices. On a social level, the study aims to explore how
improved rural movement influences access to essential services such as education and
healthcare.
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Economically, the study focuses on certain African sovereign nations in order to assess the
direct and indirect economic benefits associated with rural road construction. This includes
evaluating the impact on local businesses, agricultural productivity, and job creation.
Furthermore, the research aims to assess the repercussions of rural road construction on the
environment. This involves analyzing potential ecological disruptions, evaluating sustainable
construction practices, and proposing mitigation plans to minimize adverse environmental
impacts. Finding a balance between infrastructure development and environmental
preservation is crucial for ensuring the long-term well-being of rural ecosystems.
1.4 Scope of the Study
The scope of the study defines the boundaries and parameters of the research area. The
scope serves as a guideline in order to grasp the extent of the topic being investigated. It
includes a number of elements, when put together will provide the reader with a more
comprehensive picture of the implications of constructing a rural road. As mentioned above,
the study will focus on the construction and developments of rural roads in East Africa,
specifically the construction and/or rehabilitation of roads along the Kenya-Tanzania border.
This project was approved on December 13th 2006 and had a planned completion date on
December 31st 2014 (Makajuma, African Development Bank Group, 2020)
The Republic of Kenya has a land area of approximately 569,140.0 Km2 (The World Bank
Group, 2023). Kenya shares common borders with five countries namely: Tanzania in the
South, Uganda in the West, South Sudan in the North West, Ethiopia in the North and
Somalia in the East (Kenya Embassy Israel, 2023).
Tanzania is an east African country with an area of 885,800 Km2 (The World Bank Group,
2023). Its neighbours are Kenya and Uganda, to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic
Republic of the Congo, to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south.
The Kenya-Tanzania border stretches over 769Km (Kenya Embassy Israel, 2023), by viewing
street maps, is the significant presence of roads shared between both countries is clearly seen.
