Axle Load Survey
During the last 20 years, Botswana has made tremendous efforts in developing and improving the road network to enable efficient development of the country infrastructure. At present, the asset value of the paved road net- the country infrastructure. At present, the asset value of the paved road network alone is estimated to be about 4 billion Paula, and which comprises of about 5500 km. In order to secure and preserve such valuable asset timely and appropriate maintenance/rehabilitation interventions must take place.
Further development of the road network is expected to continue and both the
maintenance/rehabilitation activities and the design of new roads will require traffic load data as one of the basic inputs. This information needs to be collected as accurately as possible since the importance of reliable and correct information on axle loads for pavement design can not be over emphasized. Overloaded
vehicles causes serious damage to all roads, however, the problem may be even more serious in Botswana as most of the country’s first generation roads are reaching the end of their design life. Furthermore, overloaded vehicles also become a traffic c hazard, especially regarding the heavy vehicles braking system and additional braking distance involved.
