ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to propose an optimum maintenance standard for Trans-West Africa coastal highway corridor to minimize the life-cycle costs and maximize return on investment of the critical infrastructure. The coastal highway networks have a pivotal impact on the economic prosperities, trades capabilities and social complexities of the entire West African nations via sustainable transportation and logistics services. Dakar-Lagos section of the coastal highway had depreciated in value which depicts significant loss on investment of public infrastructure. The deteriorating condition of the infrastructure and its inability to effectively sustained movement of freight and passengers from Dakar-Senegal to Lagos Nigeria had reflected the poor performance of the transport infrastructure. In spite of this, growing capacity of heavy trucks and transporters across ECOWAS community countries further incapacitate the coastal highway infrastructure condition in the face of poorly defined asset management plans. Unsuitably managed highway asset despite huge public investment continuously increases maintenance frequency and often amount to resource wastage when the right roads were not given the right treatments and at the right time. This present study had proposed possible options to redress Trans-West Africa coastal highway infrastructure using the HDM-4 asset management tool and appraisal software. The deterioration model contained in HDM-4 was calibrated to local condition for development of pragmatic framework to optimally managed Trans-West Africa coastal highway sections. HDM-4 improved analysis models clearly projected appropriate maintenance options for optimal outcome and based on significant information of the transport infrastructure.
