Development of an overload control strategy for the Republic of Senegal

Abstract

The Republic of Senegal has approximately 15 000 km of roads of which 4 300 km are paved. Senegal’s road network is considered to be one of the best in West Africa. One of the threats to the Senegal road network is overloaded heavy vehicles, particularly because there are currently no weighbridges in the country being used for overload control law enforcement. Recognising the need for an effective overload strategy for Senegal, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport decided to initiate a study in respect of the Management of Overload Control in Senegal. The project, which was funded by the European Union, was carried out during 2005 and is currently being evaluated by the Ministry for implementation. Five sites were identified to carry out traffic counts and weigh-in-motion surveys to assess the current status of heavy vehicle overloading in Senegal. These sites enabled the assessment of 90% of the heavy vehicle traffic in Senegal. The results of the surveys found that 31% of heavy vehicles are overloaded and that the average degree of overloading per vehicle is 25%. The annual cost of overloading, based on an estimate of additional E80-km due to overloaded vehicles was estimated at US$ 53.5 million p.a. Because of the importance of the Port of Dakar in terms of imports and exports, it was found that four weighbridges constructed on national routes linking Dakar to the rest of the country (and neighbouring countries) could effectively monitor and control more than 80 per cent of heavy vehicle traffic in Senegal. An assessment of the commodities transported during the surveys found that cement; sand, steel and general goods are the cargoes that contribute most significantly to overloading of heavy vehicles. The overload control strategy that was developed addresses operational issues relating to the proposed overload control facilities and includes recommendations on the use of public-private partnerships in overload control and the introduction of fees and penalties for overloading.