Case Study: Evaluation of Maintenance Practices on Road Infrastructure

Road infrastructure development, maintenance, and management are vital for the movement of goods and people between places. Therefore, without road infrastructure, mobility is compromised, which can lead to the country's slow economic growth. Road defects such as potholes, malfunctioning traffic lights, unsecured manholes, and missing road signs start to emerge when maintenance is lacking. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the maintenance performance of a local road agency. The number of potholes and missing or damaged manhole covers, Kerb Inlet (KI), traffic signs, traffic lights, and guardrails are the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) used to measure maintenance performance. KPIs are compared against Service Level Agreement (SLA) targets set by Company X and best practices in road maintenance where data is available. The impact of lack of maintenance is determined by the number of incidents caused by road defects and the amount of money paid by Company X on liability costs. The study determines that road maintenance by Company X does not meet the SLA for all KPIs. From 2020 and January to June 2021 the maintenance performance of Company X against the SLA was at its lowest in the past five years. Company X paid liabilities costs of more than R3 500 000 in 2020.