More than 12 billion YER cost of road maintenance in 2024: Report
Sana'a - Saba:
While maintenance of all kinds (periodic, routine, and emergency) has always been crucial for preserving our road and bridge network and ensuring its continued service to citizens, it has become a significant challenge. The decade-long aggression and blockade on Yemen, with their severe economic consequences, have drastically reduced the funds allocated for road maintenance.
Maintaining the road and bridge network through periodic, routine, and emergency repairs remains essential for its functionality and for serving the public. However, the ten years of ongoing aggression and blockade against Yemen have placed a heavy strain on this vital task, as the resulting economic crisis has severely limited the resources available for road maintenance.
The issue of road maintenance represents one of the big and difficult tasks facing the state and the government, and is carried out by the General Organization for roads and bridges, with the road maintenance fund as a main backer and supporter of its continuous efforts in conducting emergency treatments of the road network in order to preserve it and prevent it from reaching the stage where it is difficult to carry out any treatments because then it requires re-establishment of large sums that cannot be provided under current conditions with the continuation of the forces of aggression and mercenaries plundering the wealth and capabilities of the country that used to cover the bulk of the public budget.
The General Directorate of maintenance at the General Organization for roads is responsible for performing this vital task, which has been facing many difficulties since the beginning of the aggression on Yemen and the consequent significant decline in financial allocations that were allocated for periodic maintenance of roads, which contribute to prolonging their life span.
In an interview with the Yemeni news agency (Saba), the chairman of the board of Directors of the General Organization for roads and bridges, engineer Abdulrahman al-Hadrami, explained that since 2015, public revenues have declined very significantly as a result of the aggression and siege, so the funds allocated for periodic maintenance of roads have declined, which led to the aggravation of the damage, which posed a real threat to the network and almost brought it to a total collapse service.
Ambulatory solutions
The head of the foundation stressed that as a result of the decline in financial allocations for maintenance due to the aggression and siege, the foundation was forced to reduce the asphalt layers during maintenance to reach one centimeter most of the time, after reaching five centimeters during the past periods, in order for the institution to be able to address roughness in the greatest possible way, as emergency solutions lasting for about three to four years, and thus preserve what can be maintained until conditions improve and sufficient allocations return to implement asphalt layers lasting for long periods.
He pointed out that as a result of the scarcity of financial resources allocated for maintenance, the work was limited to routine and emergency maintenance, which was not feasible without the implementation of periodic maintenance, so it was necessary to search for alternative solutions and treatments represented in the implementation of additional asphalt layers ranging from 2 centimeters to 5 millimeters depending on the roughness of the road, which contributed to reducing the depletion of funds for frequent maintenance of the road.
According to engineer al-Hadrami, the majority of roads have entered the rehabilitation phase, which requires large sums that are difficult to provide in the current situation, but the necessary and appropriate treatments are being implemented to preserve them according to the available capabilities and resources to ensure their continued readiness, the comfort of road users and reduce accidents and vehicle consumption.
He appreciated the attention paid by the revolutionary leadership, the chairman of the Supreme Political Council, and the government, represented by the leadership of the Ministry of transport and public works, in following up and supporting the efforts of the foundation and the fund to preserve roads, especially the main one, the link between the provinces.
Maintenance work in 2024
Last year, 2024 witnessed a significant movement in road maintenance works at the level of all branches and maintenance centers, the implementation of asphalt repairs to the main road network, as well as ferry clearance works and water drains for the majority of roads.
In this regard, the director of the general maintenance department at the institution, Eng.Abdulkader Badi, explained that the total cost of road maintenance works during the past year amounted to 12 billion and 73 million YER.
He stated that the Road Maintenance Fund provided 11 billion and 666 million YER. Additionally, the Capital Sana'as local authority funded work amounting to 224 million YER, the Sana'a governorate's local authority contributed 147 million YER, and community contributions totaled approximately 36 million YER.
He stated that the asphalt mixture used in maintenance work during 2024 reached 60,128 tons, in addition to 4,480 tons of liquid asphalt.
New Equipment Worth One Billion YER
The leadership of the General Corporation for Roads and Bridges is keen to continue its program to purchase new equipment across its main general departments, including the General Department of Maintenance, which represents the beating heart of the corporation, given its pivotal role in implementing maintenance projects and works that ensure road readiness and continuous traffic flow.
In this context, the Director General of Maintenance stated that his department was able to purchase new equipment worth more than 1.051 billion YER last year. This equipment included two Cater 950 bulldozers, two double asphalt compactors, five Cater backhoe loaders, a Vogel 3-1800 asphalt spreader, an asphalt mixer, an asphalt cutting saw, a tree trimmer, four Phoenix cranes, a mobile caravan, two cement mixers, and five compressors.
Equipment Repair
Engineer Badi confirmed that in addition to carrying out road maintenance and repair work, the General Maintenance Department continued its equipment and crane repair programs at the corporation's branches and maintenance centers across the governorates. These programs culminated in the repair of many of these pieces of equipment and machinery at a cost of 218.9 million YER, while the cost of crane repairs amounted to approximately 40 million YER.
The kiosks are defined as the locations or sites used by the organization as headquarters for its equipment and housing for its engineers and workers, in addition to carrying out administrative work for all branches and maintenance centers in the governorates.
As part of its plan for the current year, the General Maintenance Department seeks to implement renovations to the kiosks of the branches and maintenance centers at a cost of 80 million YER. This is based on the importance of these kiosks in developing and improving performance and accelerating the completion of various projects and works implemented in various governorates.
As part of the plan, the Maintenance Department also seeks to provide 500 tons of asphalt as a reserve stock, at a cost of 180 million YER, as well as 300,000 liters of diesel at a value of 140 million YER. It also seeks to purchase spare parts and tires for new equipment (buckets, Bobcats, and dump trucks) at a value of 50 million YER, and to repair equipment in the branches and maintenance centers at a cost of approximately 80 million YER.
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