S. No.

Reference Description
1. General comment. Comment – 1:
We found out that majority of your asphalt road maintenance cost breakdown analysis is
made based on the presumption that the carriageway width to be 6m wide which is not
factual while it should have been 7m. This in turn has resulted erroneous results in your
calculations which are sited & discussed in detail in the upcoming sections later on.
Comment – 2:

Periodic Maintenance Activities.

2. Activity 309 (Sand 2.1 Surface preparation:
Seal Coat). A power broom is preferable to a compressor as it can address extensive road section per
given time interval which in turn improves the productivity of the maintenance activity. A
reference has also been made to the 2 nd edition of ERA Technical Specification for Road
Maintenance Works which reinforces the same.
Hence, the equipment & labor component of this specific preparatory work shall be
corrected in such a way that it encompasses Power Broom equipment and its operator
alone while Compressor, Tractor and their corresponding operators are eliminated from
the cost analysis.
2.2 Bitumen application:
2.2.1

3. Sub-section 3.3; Comment – 1 (Consider the first paragraph, Page 26):

Pavement & Bridge We observed quantity inconsistency between the stated number of teams under the
Management directorate office and that of the listed one.
Directorate (Page 26). Explicitly, you stated that there are five teams comprising the directorate office while the
listed ones are only four. Thus, please substitute & correct the number “5” with “4”.
Comment – 2 (Consider the Road Maintenance, Support & Monitoring Team, Page
26):
The task of classifying, assigning names and numbering of roads is not the responsibility
of the above mentioned team. This should be exclusively treated by the Pavement
Management System team.
So, you have to correct the departure and switch back the task to the PMS team in your
final report.

4. Please Consider Table Refer Table – 1, page ***, which illustrates our comment & rearrangements made on task
4.1 on page 30. allocation.

5. General Comment We have noted that the terms “Network Level” & “Project Level” are not well understood
by your office to respond our comments accordingly. And here is our definition for your
information purpose:
 Network level tasks are those that are discharged at ERA’s head quarter by Road
Asset & Safety as well as Structures Management Teams which generally deals
with collecting, compiling, further processing of data obtained from the ERA’s
regional branch offices and generating output reports for decision making
process. Its task also extends up to establishing a central database system to
execute earlier mentioned duties and as backup information for future reference
too.
The scope of the data collection procedure is not dependent on the regional office
alone but the head quarter can also gather other specific data that are relevant for
its normal functioning but which are of course impossible to be executed by the
S. No. Reference Description
regional branch offices.
 Project level tasks on the other hand are branch units of Road Asset & Safety as
well as Structures Management Team located at the regional offices
administrated under Structures, Road Network and Safety Management &
Maintenance Contract Administration Directorate and are generally concerned
with gathering & processing of data in relation to the under listed items and
finally delivering the same to the Network Level personnel for further refinement
as discussed above.
Similar to network level, databases are launched for registering up-to -date data
with regard to the under listed articles as sited earlier;
o Traffic volume data
o Axle load data,
o Distress & inventory survey data (both Roads & Structures),
o As-built drawing data,
o Safety data
o Road side furniture data and the like…
6. Section 7.2 Comment – 1 (Consider Sub-section 7.2.1, Road Network Management &
Organizational Maintenance Contract Administration Directorate, Page 55)
structure; Comment – 1.1:
(Page 55). As long as the Road Network Management branch of this directorate office is responsible
for managing road and structures asset along with road safety issues at a project level, it
has to be renamed in such a way that its name reflects what it executes. However, its
current name is in contradiction with this notion.
Therefore, its name shall be substituted with Structures, Road Network and Safety
Management Team which consequently re-entitles a name of the directorate office as
Structures, Road Network & Safety Management and Maintenance Contract
Administration Directorate.
Comment – 1.2:
Please specify other possible tasks that are to be executed by the Structures, Road
Network and Safety Management Team in relation to safety works apart from the ones
listed below, if there is any:
 Identify traffic accident prone areas in conjunction with the local traffic police
administration office,
 Collects and establishes database system in relation to accident fatality and
property damage rates from the local traffic police administration office and
finally delivers the same to the central database system
 Propose possible remedial actions in controlling accidental events from the
observed engineering deficiencies of the road or bridge facility,
 Assesses the effectiveness of the proposed corrective measures in reducing
fatality and damage rates obtained from the local traffic police administration
office.

Comment – 2:
Please consider Table – 2, page ***, which illustrates our comment & rearrangements
made on task dissemination of teams belonging under the referred directorate office.
7. Section 7.2 Comment – 1 (Consider figure 7.1, Page 59)
Organizational Comment – 1.1:
structure; sub- Accepting the reasoning you used in renaming the Pavement Management Team as Road
section 7.2.2 Asset Management Team, it seems logical to rename the Pavement & Bridge
Pavement & Bridge Management Directorate as well. This is so because the directorate office is responsible
Management for managing assets related to Roads & Structures as stated in the draft policy report
Directorate (Page instead of Pavement & Bridge facilities alone.
58). Therefore, the Pavement & Bridge Management Directorate shall be renamed as Road &
S. No. Reference Description
Structures Asset Management Directorate.
Note: As sated earlier, despite we appreciate the logic you implemented to substitute the
term “Pavement Management System Team” by “Road Asset Management Team”, we
have made a slight modification on the same to be re-entitled as “Road Asset & Safety
Management Team” for the reasons stated under comment 1.3 below. Please go through
it.
Comment – 1.2:
You renamed the Road Maintenance, Support & Monitoring Team as Road Network
Management & Monitoring Team. The same scenario prevails on the first bullet you
outlined on page 60 too. Please specify the reason behind.
Note: In doing so, please to insert the term “Structures” in either of the two candidate
names you are about to justify and stick with so that the finally decided name becomes
consistent with the remaining teams under the directorate office. In other words, the final
term that we will be expecting with your justification remark should either be Road &
Structures Maintenance, Support & Monitoring Team or Structures and Road Network
Management & Monitoring Team.
Comment – 1.3:
It is known that the existence of road side furniture provides information about the nature
of the road ahead and protect errant vehicles which in turn plays an immense role in
ensuring the safety of the traveling public as a whole. Thus, it is obligatory to device a
system which operates in such a way that road safety issues are administered parallel to
the proper management of road side furniture.
In view of this, we reconsidered our previous comment which wrongly empowers the
Vehicle Size & Axle Load Management Team making road safety issues to rely upon it
while aspects related to road side furniture is still managed by a separate team i.e. Road
Asset Management Team. And this system is completely in contrary with the previously
stated principle and is found practically impossible to achieve the objectives of safer
roads.
Consequently, we suggest that road safety tasks to be executed by Structures, Road
Network and Safety Management Team at a project level as stated under comment 1.1 of
S.No.6 while Road Asset Management Team takes over at a network level scale instead
of the Vehicle Size & Axle Load Management Team.
Therefore, the term Road Asset Management Team needs to be renamed in a broader
sense encompassing the safety aspect as Road Asset & Safety Management Team.
Comment – 1.4:
Comment – 1.4.1:
Similar to comment 1.1 under S.No.6 above, the Bridge Management Team has to be
renamed as “Structures Management Team” for the following reasons:
 The name “Bridge Management” is not all rounds inclusive of the tasks under
taken by the team & resembles that the team is responsible solely for
administering bridge assets alone, which is wrong. However when it comes to
reality, the management domain encompasses not only bridges but also culverts
and other minor drainage structures.
 In order to be consistent with the policy document. I.e. Structures asset
management concerns all structures asset listed in the comments of the policy
document not just Bridges which are one elements of structures asset.
Hence, the renaming action is found to be mandatory to avoid ambiguity and the name
“Structures Management Team” here after implies the former Bridge Management Team.
Comment – 1.4.2:
Analogous to the former Pavement Management System Team, which is proposed to be
renamed as Road Asset & Safety Management Team, we suggest that the Structures
Management Team should have its own units so that collection, compiling, processing &
managing of data that are delivered by each of Structure, Road Network & Safety
Management Team could be made possible.
S. No. Reference Description
What is your impression with regard to this?
Comment – 1.5:
After considering the assigned tasks for the Traffic Management unit on page 60 & Table
7.2 on page 65; the major responsibilities of the unit are:
 Managing collected traffic data as well as its reliability and
 Analyzing the collected traffic data & preparation of statistical reports.
As can be seen above, the delegated duties of the unit are strongly associated with data
management and processing works as a whole. This is in turn related with the proposed
task assignment for the proposed Road Asset Analytical unit as tabulated in Table – 3
page ***.
Therefore, it is rational to include the Traffic Management unit in the Road Asset
Analytical division from ease of manageability point of view as well as avoiding
redundancy of units undertaking similar objectives.
Ultimately, the revised organogram of the Road & Structures Asset Management
Directorate should look like the one shown next page.
Comment – 2:
Please consider Table – 3, page ***, which illustrates our comment & rearrangements
made on task dissemination of teams belonging under the referred directorate office.

Road & Structures Asset

Management Directorate

Road Maintenance Support & Monitoring Team

Vehicle Size & Axle Load Management Team

Structures Asset Management Team

GIS & Network Structures Structures Asset

System Unit Asset Data Analysis Unit
Unit

Road Asset & Safety Management Team

S. No. Reference Description

GIS & Network Road Asset Road Asset

System Unit Data Unit Analysis Unit

8. Section 7.3 In spite of the fact that you corrected in conformity with the previously forwarded
Emergency Works comment, we have still noted erroneous task dissemination amongst teams belonging
Management under this directorate office in your report. For instance;
Directorate (Page  What does the Equipment Maintenance & Administrative Team got to do with
58). undertaking emergency maintenances on asphalt & gravel pavements and
drainage structures & investigate failure incidents?
However, the task of this team is confined with repairing, making ready &
mobilizing equipment and the like that are needed to address the emergency
intervention whenever and wherever found necessary.

 The Administration & Finance Team has nothing to do with Management of

Plant, Equipment, Tools and Facilities. Instead, it should have been the duty of
Equipment Maintenance & Administrative Team; even as can be understood
from the name itself.
Nevertheless, the responsibility of Administration & Finance Team should have
been all about coordinating the financial & human resources along with the
procurement & general service issues of the directorate office as a whole.
For further & complete corrective information, please refer Table – 4, page ***, which
illustrates our comment & rearrangements made on task distribution of the teams
administered under the discussed directorate office.
9. Section 7.4 Research Despite the assigned responsibilities of the teams under this directorate are all right, you
& Development need to device a system that links these teams; particularly the Highway Research, Central
Directorate (Page Laboratory & Land Slide and Slope Stability Teams; with
66).  Emergency Works Team,
 Road & Structures Asset Management Directorate and
 Structures, Road Network and Safety Management & Maintenance Contract
Administration Directorate so that a better work output can be achieved.
For instance, consider the following possible technical interactions that can be made
amongst the earlier mentioned teams.
1.Land Slide & Slope Stability Team with Emergency Works Team and Structures,
Road Network and Safety Management & Maintenance Contract Administration
Directorate:
It is known that the tasks discharged by Land Slide & Slope Stability Team are:
 Identifying potential land slide areas,
 Conducting research and investigate possible factors triggering the instability
event along with determining mechanisms and techniques suitable to solve the
instability problem and
 Establishing database system on the noted problem and remedial measures taken
which in turn can be used to mitigate similar incidents in the times to come.

However, following the nonexistence of integrated working environment amongst the

mentioned teams, the Emergency Works Team as well as Structures, Road Network and
Safety Management & Maintenance Contract Administration Directorate were forced to
exercise reactive approaches instead of the proactive ones, in particular to land slide
mitigation measures, which is generally wrong. Consequently, it is common to observe
the under listed scenarios after the occurrence of the slide :
[Note that the bold phrase above is used to show emphasis].
S. No. Reference Description
 The Emergency Works Team rushes to mobilize disorganized resources to the
spot where the slide is detected and
 The Structures, Road Network and Safety Management & Maintenance Contract
Administration Directorate blame the nearby governmental Contractor, Ethiopian
Construction Works Corporation (E.C.W.C) for its lack of commitment to
undertake the provided work order on time and propose procurement of a
suitable Contractor.
Meanwhile, it becomes difficult to address problem and this ultimately results in
prolonged traffic blockages & dissatisfaction of the traveling public on the authority at
large.
Nonetheless, if the said integrated working environment or system is made to come into
play, a better service delivery can be achieved by the illustrated framework next page.
Land Slide & Slope stability Team identifies landslide prone spots that are
traversed by ERA’s road network with possible short and long term
solutions.

Notifies & alerts the Emergency Works Team & Structures, Road
Network and Safety Management & Maintenance Contract Administration
Directorate with the same.

The Directorate Office The Emergency Works Team

Surveys the spots & prepares Disseminates required resources
work load based on the sited towards the proximity of the
mitigation solutions so as to identified zone & stands by to
initiate the procurement of a take immediate actions
Contractor in advance. .whenever found necessary.
With this framework, it is believed that the authority can suppress public dissatisfaction
that arise from persistent traffic blockages and sudden rushes & expenses whenever such
natural events prevail.
2.Highway Research & Central Laboratory Teams with Road & Structures Asset
Management Directorate and Structures, Road Network and Safety Management &
Maintenance Contract Administration Directorate:
This tri-lateral network can feed knowledge and experience one another so that new
maintenance technologies can be introduced into ERA’s system & also investigate
possible reasons of roads’ & structures’ failures along with the corresponding solutions.
Similar with the provided examples above, we are looking forward to other interlinked
relation developed in your upcoming report composed of teams with directorate offices or
teams with teams and the like so that one bureau can utilizes work outputs of the other
ultimately yielding a consolidated organization whose offices work in a synchronized
fashion instead of solitarily with “process and dump” principle.
10. RAMS Hardware Keeping the introductory point stated under S.No.5 in mind, now you are requested to
Requirements (Page classify all the equipment / hardware you mentioned & additional facilities you think
72). necessary so that the asset management system can be properly executed.
Table – 1

Structures, Road
Network and Safety
Revised Prerogatives
Management &
Current prerogatives (RAM Framework Capability Responsibility
Maintenance Contract
Elements)
Administration
Directorate

Maintenance contract  Maintenance contract  Project Delivery

Admin. Team for 10 administration and network o Program and Project Lead
Directorates management works. Management
 Ensures roads are maintained o Control of Outsourced Lead
before heavy damages are Activities
occurred, o Project Cost Estimation Lead
 Collect & organize data required  Service Delivery
for road network management, o Asset Inspection, Testing
 Strengthen and use central data & Assessment
base, o Contractor & consultant
 Administer & improve road Lead
performance evaluation
classification system, o Laboratory quality
 Prioritize and optimize works Lead
inspection works
based on the network o Customer Experience
classification, for efficient road Lead
asset management.  People, Organization and
 Introduce/transfer new & better Lead
Competencies
technologies of pavement &
bridge in to the system. o Roles, Responsibilities Lead
 Study & improve systems and Authorities
essential for the better
management of road asset like
 RAMS (Road Asset Management
System), PMS (Pavement
Management System), TMS
(Traffic Management System) etc.
 Control maintenance of roads,
 Taking over of new roads
following its completion from the
respective regional contract
administration directorates.
 Prepare annual maintenance plan
& budget required.
 Administer road maintenance
projects/works/,
 Control vehicles excess axle load.
 Contractor & consultant
performance evaluation,
 Work program approval,
 Claim & variation management &
payment approval.

Structures, Road  Road asset management  Project Delivery

Network and Safety within its road network o Making the Business Contributor
Management Team for boundary including: Case Contributor
10 Directorates o Asset acquisition o Road Asset Transfer
o Right of way protection
o Axle load control  Service Delivery Lead
o Asset transfer o Planned Shutdowns &
o Environment damage Outage Management Lead
o Utilization of Road Lead
protection
Contributor
o Road condition Assets
assessment and gap o Planned Preventive
Lead
identification Maintenance
o Work load & treatment o Emergency & Incident
type determination Response
o Project identification Management Lead
and cost estimation
o Road asset valuation  People, Organization and Lead/Contributor
o Traffic management Competencies
o Customer o Leadership and Lead
communication Commitment
o Work program, o Awareness,
prioritization & Competence and
optimization of roads to Training
be maintained. o Participation and Contributor
Communication

 Road Information Contributor

Management and
Information Systems Contributor
o Enterprise Road Asset Contributor
Management IT Contributor
Systems Contributor
o Data and Information
Management
 o Road Asset Inventory Lead
Management Lead
o Information Security
o Road Asset
Management System
Documentation Lead
Lead
 Risk Management
o Risk Management Lead
o Contingency Planning
Contributor
 Quality, Health, Safety &
Lead
Environmental
Management
Contributor
o Quality Management
o Health & Safety Contributor
Management Contributor
o Environmental Contributor
Management Contributor

 Performance Evaluation,
Review & Improvement
o Performance
Monitoring & Evaluation
o Failure / Incident
Investigation
o Internal Audit
o Benchmarking
o Management Review
o Improvement and
Excellence
Admin.Fina. & RoW  Provision of any administrative,  Service Delivery
Mgt Team for 10 finance, goods procurement, o Resource Management Lead
Directorates general services (facility and o Management of Plant, Lead
logistic related) support. Equipment, Tools and
Facilities

 People, Organization and

Competencies
o Leadership and Contributor
Commitment
o Roles, Responsibilities Contributor
and Authorities
Contributor
o Awareness,
Competence and
Contributor
Training
o Participation and
Communication