Development of a Management Framework for Rural Roads in Developing Countries Integrating Socioeconomic Impacts

During the past decade, considerable efforts have been made to valuate the benefits of investments in rural roads in developing countries. Although the outputs of those studies have led to a global rethinking of traditional road appraisal methods, limited attempts have been made to integrate these findings into the rural road management process. The problem that arises from the analysis is a missing link between the appraisal of the socioeconomic impact and the management of rural roads. The main objective of the present study was to develop a methodology that combined all key aspects required for the sustainable management of rural roads in developing countries. For this, social, technical, economic, political, and sustainability aspects must be considered at the different levels of the management process. A case study developed in Chile is presented to illustrate the application of the proposed framework at the strategic and the network levels. From the application it was concluded that it was possible to combine in a practical and integrated tool all key factors affecting the process of management of rural roads in developing countries.