Developments in innovative low-volume road technology in Botswana

Botswana is characterized by a number of features, including its vast size, small and spatially dispersed population, scarcity of conventional road building materials, near absence of surface water, and climatic extremes, which combine to pose a major challenge to economic road construction. This has dictated a need for developing innovative approaches to road technology in circumstances in which conventional approaches often are prohibitively costly and inappropriate for direct application to local conditions. Presented are several innovative, cost-saving approaches to road technology in Botswana that have been developed through several decades of research with the aim of optimizing the use of locally available resources. The applicability of these techniques in similar environments with a semiarid climate also is discussed and the need for caution when using standard specifications in areas such as Botswana is highlighted.