Design and Appraisal of Rural Transport Infrastructure

The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines on the design and appraisal of projects for rural travel and transport. This paper is part of a four volume World Bank Technical Paper series on rural transport, dealing with issues relating to (i) Management and Financing of Rural Transport Infrastructure; (ii) Design and Appraisal of Rural Transport Infrastructure; (iii) Rural Transport Services and Intermediate Means of Transport; and (iv) Rural Transport Policies and Strategies. The objective of this work is to provide a framework for practitioners in developing countries. These documents cover the main issues of the policy-planning process and determine the kind of information that is required for it. They are an interesting example of the supply of information to policymakers in developing countries. At the same time, if they are used as guidelines, they could become a source of demand for information.

The cost-effective design and appraisal of rural transport infrastructure (RTI) is the topic of this paper. Isolation contributes to rural poverty. Without a minimum of reliable and efficient access to locations of basic social and economic activities, rural life stagnates and local development prospects remain limited. Providing and maintaining a minimum level of access, referred to in this paper as basic access, is therefore a necessary element of any rural development strategy. Overcoming isolation necessitates holistic strategies. Approaches include improved logistics to support trade and communication, the promotion of transport services and intermediate means of transport, improved quality and location of services, and the sustainable provision of cost-effective transport infrastructure.

This paper presents a "basic access" approach to the provision of RTI, which gives priority to the provision and maintenance of reliable, all-season access. Basic access interventions are defined as the least-cost investments that provide a minimum level of all-season passability. In the majority of cases, this means single-lane, spot-improved earth or gravel roads. In situations where motorised basic access is not affordable, improvement of the existing path network and the construction of footbridges may be the only alternative. Resources are scarce. Therefore the basic access approach should only employ the most appropriate and cost-effective interventions. In this context, participatory selection procedures and analytical prioritisation tools are presented, and examples given, which take into account the social and economic importance of RTI.