Drawbacks to the Attainment of Sustainable Road Infrastructure in South Africa

In the quest to attain sustainable cities, sustainable infrastructures such as roads are vital to the everyday activity of dwellers within every community. However, roads within the rural areas are in most cases adjudged to be defective and unsustainable. This unhealthy situation tends to cripple activities within these rural areas in many ways. It is based on this view that this study assessed the causes of defective road infrastructures within rural communities in Limpopo province of South Africa. The study sought answers from rural dwellers and construction workers within the study area through a questionnaire survey. Data gathered were analysed using percentage, mean item score, and factor analysis. The reliability of the questionnaire was also tested using Cronbach alpha. Findings revealed that the principal causes of defective road infrastructure in rural areas are government/municipalities related, construction and maintenance related, and traffic and weather-related. It is believed that the findings of this study will help increase the delivery of sustainable road projects within the rural areas in a bid to provide a better standard of living for rural dwellers.