Persistent underfunding continues to hinder effective road maintenance, resulting in deteriorating road conditions and increased costs for repair and rehabilitation, according to a task force report.
The report observed that addressing the budget shortfall was crucial to ensuring sustainable and well maintained road infrastructure in Bangladesh.
Public transport experts said that besides the persistent underfunding, the use of substandard materials in road maintenance and a tendency towards maintaining roads in the rainy season resulted in poor road maintenance.聽聽聽
The task force report 鈥楻e-strategising the economy and mobilising resources for equitable and sustainable development鈥� was submitted to the interim government鈥檚 chief adviser, Muhammad Yunus, on January 30.
The 12-member task force was formed by the planning ministry in September 2024.
Referring to an Asian Development Bank report titled 鈥楻oad maintenance financing and effectiveness (2019鈥�2021)鈥�, the task force report said that there were significant shortfalls every year in road maintenance budgets for the roads and highways department under the road transport and bridges ministry and local government engineering department under the local government, rural development and co-operatives ministry.
According to the report, the RHD managed about 22,000 kilometres of the country鈥檚 road infrastructure, including national, regional and district roads, while the LGED managed about 3,78,000 kilometres of the road infrastructure, including some district roads, feeders and rural roads.
The report sourced some statistics on the issue from another report 鈥� the South Asia subregional economic cooperation Dhaka鈥揝ylhet corridor road investment project: road maintenance financing and effectiveness (2019鈥�2021).
The RHD鈥檚 budget requirement for road maintenance was $100 million in 2019, $105 million in 2020, $110 million in 2021, $115 million in 2022 and $120 million in 2023.
Against the requirements, $44 million maintenance budget was allocated for the RHD in 2019, $48 million in 2020, $52 million in 2021, $56 million in 2022 and $60 million in 2023.
The budget requirement for road maintenance by the LGED was $50 million in 2019, $55 million in 2020, $60 million in 2021, $65 million in 2022 and $70 million in 2023.
Against the requirements, $30 million maintenance budget was allocated for the LGED in 2019, $35 million in 2020, $40 million in 2021, $45 million in 2022 and $50 million in 2023.
Insufficient budgetary allocation, irregular funding and reliance on external loans have created significant barriers to effective road maintenance.
Maintenance activities are often deprioritised in favour of new construction projects, resulting in deteriorating road conditions, reduced road safety and increased vehicle operating costs.
Often, repair works become acts of rehabilitation work.
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology鈥檚 civil engineering professor Md Shamsul Hoque said that substandard materials were used in maintaining roads due to insufficient funds.
鈥楻oad maintenance work in the rainy season is wastage of money,鈥� he said, adding that due to the poor maintenance, the roads usually needed rehabilitation which required more funds.
The report suggested a dedicated road fund, as a consistent stream of resources is allocated exclusively for timely routine and emergency maintenance of road infrastructure.
Countries, including Kenya, Uganda and Ghana, have successfully implemented road funds financed through fuel levies, tolls and vehicle registration fees, the report mentioned.
These funds operate autonomously, with strong governance mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability, it said.
The task force observed that a dedicated road fund for maintenance work is critical for preserving and improving road infrastructure in Bangladesh.
Adopting global best practices, diversifying funding sources and ensuring strong governance can enable the country to tackle its road maintenance challenges more efficiently.
Investing in road maintenance not only extends the lifespan of infrastructure but also fosters economic growth, lowers transportation costs and improves road safety, the task force observed.
The government established such a fund by enacting the Road Maintenance Fund Board Act on July 14, 2013 with the aim of facilitating the maintenance, repair and renovation of roads managed by the RHD.
But the road maintenance fund has remained non-functional for the past eleven years.