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International Seminar "Rural Roads and Development"

San Salvador (El Salvador), 28-30 November 2012

This international seminar was organized jointly by the Government of El Salvador and Technical Committee 2.5 « Rural Road Systems and Accessibility to Rural Areas » of the World Road Association.

It provided the opportunity to exchange experiences on rural roads construction and maintenance that guarantees connectivity, serviceability and development.

Preparatory Documents for the International Seminar "Rural Roads and Development"

Speaking at the opening session, both the Minister of Public Work of El Salvador and the President-elect of the World Road Association, Oscar De Buen, stressed the importance of rural roads for the essential services they provide to almost one billion human beings worldwide. This billion of beneficiaries is among the poorest citizens in their respective country.

Two hundred and seventy-nine participants attended the eighteen technical papers presented by Salvadorean and international speakers. The technical sessions were structured around four pillars:

  • world panorama of road connectivity,
  • rural roads: roads and environment - roads and technology,
  • climate change and its impact on road infrastructure,
  • planning the management of road infrastructure development.

From the presentations and debate the following keyconcepts and concluding remarks stood out:

• Project implementation and monitoring. It is necessary to prioritize rural connectivity projects through prior feasibility studies on the technical, economic and environmental aspects. Taking into account the results of cost/benefit analysis will enable decision-makers to identify the best possible solution. The importance of road maintenance based on levels of service was also stressed as was the involvement of the local community as manpower for the projects.

• Actions in favor of the environment. It was considered essential to reduce as much as possible the pollution of protected areas and keep to the minimum the exploitation of natural resources/raw materials. Recycling ofwaste materials from the work site should be used to the full extent in building new roads.

• Actions that contribute to social development. It is necessary to coordinate efforts with the communities that benefit from the road project thanks to the following actions: cooperation agreements with the local authorities, conventions with road haulage contractors for the transport of raw materials, support of local communities with the participation of locals as manpower on the road worksites.

• Technological Development. The necessity of a register and the monitoring of implemented projects (historical data) was emphasized as was the use of computer equipment to help with the recording and the processing of a large quantity of information.

On the third day of the Seminar, all participants were taken to one of the experimental sections that the El Salvador´s Road Conservation Fund (FOVIAL) has developed on an unpaved road, located 47 km northeast of the capital city. The experimental sections of ground stabilization were built in 2010, one after the other, using in each of them different stabilizing agents (cement, lime, cement+lime and asphaltic emulsion); the objective of these experimental sections is the verification of the performance of every applied alternative throughout three years of service, under the same loading, drainage and environmental conditions.


International Seminar Program on Rural Roads and Development
28-30 November 2012

First day of the Seminar (28 November)

Conferences

Theme I - The global overview of the accesibility

Sustainable roads in Mexico (Spanish)
Abraham Cadena, SCT (Mexico)

World prospects for connectivity and maintenance solutions for rural roads; the environment of national parks in Italy as a case study in Europe and in Colombia for Latin America (French)
Paola Villani, AIPCR (Italy)

Georeferenced inventory of rural roads in Mexico (Spanish)
Miriam López, SCT (Mexico)

The development of Basic Roads in Chile (Spanish)
Claudio Andrés Aravena, MOP (Chile)

Maintenance Management Plan (PGM) for rural roads (Spanish)
Nelson Rivet, Ministère des Travaux publics et des Communications (Paraguay)

Theme II - The impact of climate change on road infrastructure

Dynamics of the cooperation between MOPTVDU (El Salvador) and JICA (Japan) on climate change (Spanish)
Masanobu Shimozaka, JICA (Japan)

Climate change and its impact on road infrastructure in Nicaragua (Spanish)
Karen Molina, FOMAV (Nicaragua)

Second day of the Seminar (29 November)

Conférences

Theme III - Management of road infrastructure development - A new road network to guarantee accessibility and serviceability

Software tools for efficient management of road infrastructure in El Salvador (Spanish)
Medardo Calderón, FOVIAL (El Salvador)

Importance of alternative routes in the road network planning
Masanobu Shimozaka, JICA (Japan)

Cantonal Road Network Program PRVC-I, Minsitry of Public Works / Inter-American Development Bank (Spanish)
Eduardo Barquero / Alejandro Molina Solís, GTZ / GIZ (Costa Rica)

Theme IV - Rural Roads: roads and environment - roads and technology

Management of rural roads planning, improvement and maintenance (French)
Isséré Joseph Dossou, AIPCR (Benin)

The reality of rural roads in areas of high climate impact - Optimizing resources in our rural roads (Spanish)
Carlos Mata, ISCYC (El Salvador)

Monolayer pavement of high performance - Experiences in Latin America (Spanish)
Carlos Quintanilla, ISA (El Salvador)

Stabilization of clay soils with lime - Experience in El Salvador and Guatemala (Spanish)
Ana Miriam Obregon (Guatemala)

Cobblestone of Rural Roads (Spanish)
Amadeo Santana / Kristel Francella Guzmán Fletes, MTI (Nicaragua)

Indian Experience of Dedicated National Programme on Rural Accessibility - Prime Minister's Rural Roads Programme (PMGSY)
Manju Rajpal, Ministère du Développement rural (India)

Protection of Road Infrastructure - New materials resistant to climate change (Spanish)
Edgar Rodríguez León / Lázaro Villarreal Fernández (Mexico)

Third day of the Seminar (30 November)

Technical Visit


Slideshow of the International Seminar in San Salvador

  • Inauguration speech of the Seminar by the Minister of Public Works

  • Speech of the President of the World Road Association (2013-2016) during the inauguration of the Seminar

  • Technical presented by Claudio Aravena on the subject of'Basic roads development in Chile'.

  • Discussion between attendees and speakers about the subjects presented during the Seminar

  • Field trip along experimental sections of a rural road

  • Presentation of certificates of participation to the seminar´s attendees