Impact of Overloading and Role of Legal Axle Load Enforcement ( Adama-Awash Trunk Road.) Ethiopia
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Date
2013-10
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Now a day than it was before road pavement damage associated with vehicle overloading
particularly from those heavy vehicles are becoming increasingly threatening in Ethiopia. Most
of the road pavements constructed since the last 10-15 years are deteriorating much before their
useful design life (period) and are calling for early overlay if not for complete reconstruction.
This is mainly associated with the growing economy of the nation and associated increase in
transport demand. The ever growing demand in transport in turn calls for an effective transport
system. One way of achieving this is currently manifested by introduction of heavy trucks and
truck trailers for transporting goods. Although this is a normal trend in growing economies the
damage that these vehicles induce on flexible bituminous surfaced roads is intensified by
excessive overloading exceeding the permitted axle load limits.
With this in mind and to study the effect of overloading and the role of axle load regulations the
research therefore focused on the following two objectives:
• How does vehicles overloading affect the pavement service life
• Role of axle load enforcement or regulation
Accordingly the road segment from Adama to Awash is selected for this study. The Adama -
Awash road as part of the main import-export Highway is carrying a considerable amount of
truck and truck trailers travelling to and from the port of Djibouti. Furthermore it also serves
traffic that are coming and going to the eastern part of the country mainly joining the port traffic
at Awash.
Despite a pavement with thick asphaltic layer currently the asphalt concrete is intensively and
extensively cracked. It is heavily deformed with extreme undulation and deep rutting to the
extent of causing traffic hazard at a number of places particularly along climbing lanes. This is
even worst starting from the town of Wolenchiti to that of Metehara and near the Awash bridge
crossing where the route corridor is characterized by several ups and downs with high day time
temperature (hotter climate). Therefore it is considered to set a very good example for the
adverse effect of overloading in line with the core objective of this research.
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Civil and Environmental Engineering