The Project for Rural Road Network Development in Acholi Sub-region in Northern Uganda Final Report Vol.2: Main Report 11. ROAD NETWORK DEVELOPMENT PLAN 11.1 Planning Approach 11.1.1 Overview of the Study Area As explained in Chapter 9, Regional Development Plan, the study area has a potential for agricultural industry; Kitgum would become a new development centre in the region while Gulu remains a main regional centre because of concentrations of administrative and commercial activities. Hence, the regional development would mainly be realized as the two cities develop. In addition, South Sudan would have positive impacts on exportation from the area because of the geographical and distance advantages. South Sudan needs various materials and agricultural products from outside of the country and improvement and development of industries in South Sudan may take some time. Therefore, the Mombasa-Nairobi-Kampla- Gulu-Nimule-Juba route would become the most important and busiest corridor in terms of goods transported to/from South Sudan for the time being. To establish fast and reliable accesses to the route is expected to enhance the regional development. In addition to the said South Sudan route, the Kitgum-Lira road would also become important which gives the shortest access to Kenya from the region. Kenya is one of the biggest countries importing agricultural products from Uganda and this trend will continue. Hence, when Kitgum is developed in terms of agriculture industry, Kenya can be focused on as a market in addition to Kampala. The road network in the study area is formed in a redial pattern cantered on Gulu and Kitgum and there are two main axes running north-south in the area which coincides with the above development direction. The strengthening of the existing road network is more effective and reasonable than introduction of new networks. The road planning is, therefore, carried out accordingly. 11.1.2 Functional Assignment To determine and assign the road functions on the network is the starting point of the road planning and its consequences such as design, construction and O&M would be carried out accordingly. In Japan, a road hierarchy composed of four road classes has been introduced to identify general functional assignment in the network. 11-1 Table 11.1-1 Functional Road Classification System in Japan Road Class Functional Assignment (Definition) A road that forms the axis of a major urban and regional area and links mega commercial Primary Arterial and administrative centres in the country. The road is of high standard design such as Road wider carriageway and high design speed and heavy traffic and long liner length. A road that forms the axis of an urban and regional area and links commercial and Arterial Road administrative centres in the region. The road is of high standard design such as dual carriageway and high design speed and moderate liner length. A road that links Arterial Roads and Feeder Roads and it has the function of concentration Supplemental and distribution of traffic in the area. The road is located in residential areas and used for Arterial Road daily activities by residents and of moderate design standard such as single carriageway. A road that accesses residential areas and is used for daily activities by residents. The road Feeder Road is of low standard design such as one lane road and low design speed and light traffic volume and short liner length. Source: Japan Road Ordinance In Uganda, there are two road manuals/design guidelines which are the Road Design Manual and the District Road Manual, and both were published by the Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications. The Road Design Manual was prepared for national road planning and design while the District Road Manual was for district roads administrated by the Ministry of Local Governments. In both manuals there were different explanations for functional road classification systems as follows. Table 11.1-2 Functional Road Classification System for National Roads in Uganda Road Class Function A International Roads that link International Important Centres. Connection between the national road Trunk Roads system and those of neighbouring countries. Major function is to provide mobility B National Trunk Roads that link provincial capitals, main centres of population and nationally important Roads centres. Major function is to provide mobility C Primary Roads Roads linking provincially important centres to each other or to a higher class road (urban/rural centres). Linkage from districts, local centres of population and development areas to higher class roads. Major function is to provide both mobility and access D Secondary Roads linking locally important centres to each other, to more important centres, or to Roads higher class roads (rural/market centres) and linkage between locally important traffic generators and their rural hinterland. Major function is to provide both mobility and access. E Minor Roads Any road link to minor centre (market/local centre) and all other motorable roads. Major function is to provide access to land adjacent to the secondary road system. Source: Road Design Manual, Vol.1 Geometric Design, Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications. 11-2 The Project for Rural Road Network Development in Acholi Sub-region in Northern Uganda Final Report Vol.2: Main Report Table 11.1-3 Functional Road Classification System for District Roads in Uganda Class Definition District Class I Roads District Class I roads serve national interests in that they satisfy criteria established for secondary and/or tertiary road systems of MoWT’s Trunk Road Network. District Class I roads will be candidates for eventual upgrading to the Trunk Road network after which they become the responsibility of UNRA for maintenance and further development. District I roads, to qualify for upgrading to MoWT jurisdiction, need to be engineered and constructed to Trunk Road standards. District Class II Roads District Class II roads provide the basic internal transport needs of the district. District Class II roads connect to UNRA secondary or tertiary road systems, interconnect the district capital and county administrative centres, and provide direct access for district population centres to district health, educational, marketing and administrative facilities. Such roads generally have a gravel surface and carry, on average, twenty or more motorized vehicles per day. District Class III Roads District Class III roads (including cul-de-sacs) are typically low motorized traffic volume roads extending into the districts' lightly populated peripheral regions. District Class III roads may, at times, serve as connectors to and/or between district class II roads, but generally do not provide direct routing to major public activity centres. Such roads generally have an earth/gravel surface and carry, on average, less than twenty motorized vehicles per day Community Access Roads In Uganda, the community access road (CARs) network comprises an extensive system of low motorized traffic volume, usually dry weather only, earth roads serving primarily pedestrians, bicycles and animal drawn carts. Neither inventory/condition surveys detailing the actual extent and condition of this network, nor any clear definition of design class or appropriate design standard exist at present. During implementation by district local government staff of their district road inventory and condition surveys (ADRICS), local authorities at sub-county level are provided the opportunity to identify those CARs considered most important for the survival and continued development of their communities. This process will, over time, enable identification of the most important CARs and result in the development works. For complete details of the ADRICS procedure, refer to District Road Manuals Manual B. Source: District Road Works, Volume 1 Planning Manual, Manual A: Functional Road Classification System & Route Numbering. Since the above two classification systems were prepared for different subject road systems (National and District), the previous JICA Study Amuru/Nwoya has tried to integrate the two systems into one so as to overview the road network regardless of the road system, and concluded and proposed an integrated functional road classification systems as follows. Table 11.1-4 Proposed Method of Using Existing Two Systems of Functional Road Classification in an Integrated Manner Integrated Method of Using Functional Classification for Functional Classification for Existing Two Systems of Rural Roads District Roads Functional Road Classification A International Trunk Road International Trunk Road [A] B Inter-regional Trunk Road National Trunk Road [B] C Inter-district Road Primary Road [C] District Class I Road D District-level Arterial Road Secondary Road [D] District Class II Road E District-level Collector Road Minor Road [E] District Class III Road Important Community Access F (Community Access Roads) Road G Other Community Access Road (Community Access Roads) Source: JICA Study Amuru/Nwoya 11-3 Table 11.1-5 Major Functions of Functional Road Classes in Integrated Method of Using Existing Two Systems of Functional Road Classification Integrated Method of Using Existing Two Rural Road Major Function District Road System Systems of Functional System Road Classification High mobility between International Trunk [A] International A neighbouring countries and Road Trunk Road Uganda Inter-regional Trunk High mobility between regional [B] National Trunk B Road centres