More roads but less maintenance

Transportation spending in Senegal has increased much in recent years with road projects like the Cornice and toll roads around Dakar. But keeping up roads across Senegal is underfunded by 50 percent, according to a recent meeting of Senegal business school and government leaders.

Transportation is a key economic development infrastructure. Administrative chief of the Directorate of Land Transport, Papa Souleymane Faye, one of the organizers of the conference, fears new road construction comes at the cost of overall system maintenance. Aging roads and bottlenecks are a growing feature.

One wonders whether Senegal has a capital maintenance program for its roads, adopted by most municipalities in the United States. Many American cities and counties have sophisticated computerized road maintenance programs. But regardless of the sophistication, it ultimately takes money to get it done...