Research and Innovation
Road Construction Materials
Research and Development has evolved since the 1970s when a study on Kenyan soils and gravels was carried out on profiling and characterization of materials to facilitate development of Standards, Design Procedures and Specifications for Construction of Roads to Paved Standards as well as Unpaved/Gravel Roads.
However, challenges in construction, maintenance and operation of both paved and gravel roads have been encountered has due to depletion of gravel and general construction materials sources. To overcome these challenges, the Ministry through the Division has successfully attempted various thematic approaches to alleviate costly and inefficient project namely:
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- Trials on labor intensive and cost effective materials for Low Volume Sealed Roads;
- Prospecting and mapping of road construction materials;
- Studies on geosynthetics and reinforced earth walls;
- Trials on harder bitumen, polymer modified and performance grade bitumen; and
- Use of Hydraulic Road Binders (HRBs)
The Low Volume Sealed Roads Guideline
To increase the speed of implementation and to achieve the wider objectives of Vision 2030, it was necessary to adopt appropriate pavement design methods and related materials specifications that lead to environmentally optimized road designs which minimize design, construction and maintenance costs.
Development and updating of Road Design Manuals and Specifications informed by research and innovation for road construction materials and methods is a function of MTRD.
The Pavement Design Guideline for Low Volume Sealed Roads (PDG-1), was developed by the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, housing, Urban Development and Public Works through the Materials Testing and Research Division with technical assistance of TRL Ltd. of United Kingdom. It was an initiative under the Africa Community Access Programme (AfCAP) funded by the UK Government through the Department for International Development (DFID) As Sikisxxx.Net Is Explaining In Its Blog Post. The Guideline takes into account the best practices in low volume sealed roads technology. It provides major tools in optimally upgrading of low volume roads.
Completed Research Programmes
| No. | Project Description | Funding |
| 1 | Trials on Labour Based Sealed Low Volume Pavements on Makenzie – Kandara Road (D415), Murang’a County under AFD Roads 2000 Project Phase I | GOK/AFD |
| 2 | Trials on Labour Based Sealed Low Volume Pavements in Meru, Tharaka/Nithi, Embu, Machakos and Makueni Counties under EU/GoK Roads 2000 Programme Phase III | GOK/EU |
| 3 | Trials on Labour Based Sealed Low Volume Pavements in Kiambu, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Muranga and Laikipia Counties.AfD Roads 2000 Programme Phase II | GOK/AFD |
| 4 | Trials on DCP Design Method in Kiambu, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Muranga and Laikipia Counties | GOK/ AFCAP |
| 5 | Prospecting and Mapping of Gravel Sources in Kitui, Embu and Meru Counties | GOK |
| 6 | Prospecting and Mapping of Gravel Sources in Machakos, Makueni, & Tharaka/Nithi Counties | GOK |
| 7 | Prospecting and Mapping of Hard Stone Sources in Embu, Meru, Tharaka/Nithi, Machakos, Makueni, & Kitui Counties | GOK |
| 8 | Studies on Geosynthetics Reinforced Materials for Road Embankment and Pavement; and Performance Evaluation of Reinforced Earth on Nairobi – Thika Road (A2) | GOK |
| 9 | Performance Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Geofrabric Membranes in Control of Moisture Variation in Road Embankments | GOK |
| 10 | Trials on Sealed Single Layer Pavements for Low Volume Roads | GOK |
| 11 | Trials on 40/50 Penetration Grade Bitumen on Eldoret – Webuye – Malaba Road (A104) and Modified Bitumen | GOK/EU |
| 12 | Study on GCS Stabilized using Cement, Lime & Hydraulic Binders | GOK/IDA |
| 13 | Study on Fiber Glass Reinforced Polyester for Road Sign Base Plates & Posts and Guard- rails | GOK |
| 14 | Performance Evaluation of Hot Applied Thermoplastic Road Marking Paint and Road Studs | GOK |
Ongoing Research Programmes
| No. | Project Description | Funding |
| Objective 1: Testing of Materials for Compliance and Advise on their Usage | ||
| 1 | Development of guideline for approval and certification of proprietary soil stabilizers proposed for road construction | GOK/AFD |
| 2 | Laboratory Verification trials on Hydraulic Road Binders | GOK/EU |
| 3 | Evaluation of Probase trials on Embu – Kibugu Road (E632), Embu County | GOK/AFD |
| Objective 2 : Research on Roads Construction and Roads Construction Materials | ||
| 4 | Development & updating of pavement construction and traffic databases for PMS | GOK |
| 5 | Development of research sections on Kianjai – Mikinduri Road (D484), Meru County | GOK |
| 6 | Construction Control oversight & Performance monitoring of AfD LVSR research sections in Central Kenya | GOK |
| 7 | Performance monitoring of Low Volume Sealed Roads under Roads 10,000 programme (Representative sample for different geographical locations) | GOK |
| 8 | Performance Monitoring of public roads under KeNHA, KeRRA and KURA | GOK |
| 9 | Characterization of Subgrade, Capping, Graded Crushed Stone (GCS), Cement Improved GCS, Cement Improved Gravel and bituminous pavements | GOK |
| 10 | Improvement of specifications for hot applied thermoplastic road marking paints & road studs | GOK |
| 11 | Prospecting and mapping of hardstone sources covering Kajiado, Narok, Bomet, Kericho, Nyamira, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Kisumu, Siaya and Busia counties | GOK |
| 12 | Prospecting and mapping of gravel sources covering Kajiado, Narok, Bomet, Kericho, Nyamira and Kisii counties. | GOK |
| 13 | Dissemination training for counties on Pavement Design Guidelines for Low Volume Sealed Roads, 2017 (DG-1) | GOK |
| 14 | Development of Guidelines for maintenance of low volume roads using Do-nou Technology | GOK |
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