Elemental analysis of road construction cost overruns

Abstract

Road is an important channel of transporting goods and services, and the most used mode in Nigeria. Its development, however, is fraught with a lot of challenges including cost overruns. Despite numerous studies on cost overruns, there is a paucity of literature on the elemental cost overruns analysis on road construction projects. Analyses of historic data using ANOVA and questionnaire survey data using Friedman's Analysis revealed a significant difference in the extent of cost overruns on the road construction stages (pavement layers). However, in terms of historical data, the base course was the most vulnerable to cost overruns, whereas in the questionnaire survey data analysis, clearance and earthwork course was the most vulnerable to cost overruns. As no two roads are exactly the same, it is concluded that the susceptibility of road construction project stages (courses) to cost overruns varies for different roads. As a result, the study suggests that effective construction management, regular monitoring, and communication be implemented to reduce cost overruns in road projects.