Design Built of KABUL TO KANDAHAR Road (85 KM)

Background:

The Kabul–Kandahar Road is one of the most important radial links in the country of Afghanistan linking the capital to the large city of Kandahar a distance of approximately 85 kilometers.

Essential road improvement measures are required to balance the increased road capacity including commercial activities with mitigated roadside impacts on the environment and community.

As part of the USAID Rehabilitation of Economic Facility and Services (REFS) PROGRAM FOR Afghanistan, USAID has agreed to fund design and re-construction of a 50 km section of the Kabul Kandahar highway commencing at km 92+/- and progressing south towards Kandahar a distance of 50 km. Also agreed to fund the Scarification, Demolition of Existing Pavement, Grading and Compaction of the existing roadway material for a 190 km section of the Kabul- Kandahar highway commencing at km 142 +/- and progressing south towards Kandahar a distance of 190 km. The work will also include maintenance and application of water to serve as a dust palliative until award of the reconstruction contracts or six (6) months have elapsed, witch elapsed, witch ever occurs first.

Project Specifics

The existing roadway of this section of the Kabul to Kandahar Highway runs through essentially flat and gently rolling terrain for the total 240 km. Sharper and steeper hills start at km 117 and progress for some 5 km before returning to generally flat to gently rolling terrain. The total asphalt pavement area originally consisting of a 7meter wide wearing surface has deteriorated to the point where only 455,759 square meters remain out of the original 1,680,000 square meters.

Extensive deterioration of the base and sub-base has occurred which requires construction of a totally new course with approximately new sub-base also being required along with repairs to the sub-grade, which in many areas has incurred rutting making travel slow and difficult. The existing highway includes a large number of transverse drainage culverts requiring cleaning and reconstruction of a number of headwalls. Two multiple span bridges only require replacement and or repairs and painting to posts and handrails along with new materials for the transverse joints. Additionally, a causeway of approximately 380 meters in length in length requires replacement of one of its jointed concrete slabs along with minor concrete repairs of a number of joints. When complete this highway will become part of the main route between Kabul and Kandahar, two of the principal cities in Afghanistan. No change in either vertical or horizontal alignment is seen as being required.

The reconstructed highway is envisaged as a minimum two lane road with a Dense Graded Asphalt Concrete Wearing Course of 7 meters in width being placed on an Asphalt Concrete Binder Course which is in turn placed on a new Crushed Aggregate Base Course and where required Crushed Aggregate Sub Base. The shoulders shall be 1.5 meters in width constructed of base course material with a single surface treatment being applied for a width of 1.25 meters. In order to contain the roadway and associated shoulders some widening is required.

The work consisting of a complete Survey, Design, Preparation of Specifications, Bill of Quantities as well as associated reconstruction shall be expediently and maintained under the Warranty of Construction Clause for a period of one year as described in the requirements at which time it shall be turned over to the Ministry Of Public Works who shall then maintain the facility. All work shall be undertaken following the standards set forth in accordance with AASHTO procedures and in compliance with the latest version of the FP-92 Standard Specifications for Construction of Roads and Bridges on Federal Highway Projects which is on sale by the Superintendent of Documents, US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.

For the purposes of tentative quantities, the Dense Graded Polymer Modified Wearing course has been assumed as 3.8 cm in thickness, the Modified High Strength Asphalt Concrete Binder Course at 12 cm and the Crushed Aggregate Base Course 15 cm in depth on top of a variable thickness Crushed Aggregate Sub-Base averaging 13 cm in thickness.

Responsibilities:

As part of this SOW, the Subcontractor shall prepare a methodology and construction program for each of the following activities and submit to the LBG Representative for approval. The methodology proposed by the Subcontractor shall take into account traffic management, safety, scheduling, and environmental issue along with mitigating measures, which are to be employed.

• Methodology and Program for Quality Assurance.
• Methodology and Program for initial scarification, grading, compacting and fine grading of the road.
• Methodology and Program for testing of roadway material.
• Methodology and Program for Design.
• Methodology and Program for Rehabilitation.
• Methodology and Program for Traffic Control.
• Methodology and Program for environmental mitigation measures.

Design Controls and Criteria

• Site Location
• Design Vehicle
• Traffic Growth Design Period
• High Strength Asphalt Concrete Binder with Chemical Additive
• Polymer Modified Asphalt Concrete Wearing Surface