Title: USAID Road in Indonesia Needs Foreign Assistance Actions to
Ensure Quality & Sustainability

Description: This video of the USAID constructed road from Banda Aceh to
Calang, Indonesia highlights a variety of the USAID road features and
illustrates several issues that could affect road performance, safety,
and sustainability.

Related GAO Work: GAO-12-728 - Foreign Assistance: Actions Needed to
Help Ensure Quality and Sustainability of USAID Road in Indonesia

Released: July 2012

[Description]
The video begins with a map of Indonesia followed by a map of the Aceh
province of Indonesia, marking the road from Banda Aceh to Calang,
Indonesia with a red line. The video then shows traffic along the road
in inland urban areas and small communities, mountain passes, and
coastal flatland.

[Narrator]
The USAID road from Banda Aceh to Calang Indonesia passes through
various geographic terrain through its 91 mile length, including inland
urban areas and small communities, mountain passes, and coastal
flatland; each impacting the design and construction of the road.

[Description]
The video continues with an image of the road at its northern and
southern point and then zooms in on an image of USAID’s road
construction team leader, Mr. Roy Ventura. The video then shows images
of missing sections of guardrail, buildings constructed on the right of
way, machines conducting road repair, and debris blocking water
drainage.

[Narrator]
We traveled this completed road from its northern beginning to its
southern end in late March 2012 with USAID’s road construction team
leader, Mr. Roy Ventura. We highlight throughout this video a variety of
the road’s features. In addition we illustrate several issues that could
affect performance and safety such as theft of guardrail, encroachments
to the right of way, repair, and obstructions to water drainage
mechanisms.

[Description]
A still image showing cars and motorcycles on the northernmost point of
the road, with local businesses on the road shoulder.

[Narrator]
The road begins in an urban setting just south of Banda Aceh. At this
point the USAID work consisted of repaving the existing road.
Functioning businesses take the place of a road shoulder in this
section.

[Description]
This scene shows a van and three trucks crossing the steel truss bridge.
Then a pedestrian is shown walking along the bridge walkway.

[Narrator]
USAID constructed steel truss bridges in various locations along the
length of the road. The trucks seen crossing this bridge reflect the
typical trucks we observed using the road. These bridges are equipped
with pedestrian walkways to protect individuals from road traffic.

[Description]
A still image showing a section of guardrail that has been stolen,
followed by sections of replaced guardrail that are numbered and marked
with red and black spray paint.

[Narrator]
As seen here, guard railing on the road shoulder has been subject to
unauthorized removal and theft. Most of these vandalized sections of
railing have been replaced by Indonesian authorities and are clearly
numbered and marked.

[Description]
This scene displays video of a vehicle driving along a flat section of
road leading up to a section where a mountain cut was made to make way
for the road, and shows rock debris on the road shoulder that had fallen
from the mountain cut.

[Narrator]
This flat section of road near kilometer 27, leads to a section where a
mountain cut was made. Small rock debris from the cliff face, seen on
the road shoulder, is periodically cleaned by Indonesian authorities. It
is expected that the slope should further stabilize in the near future.

[Description]
This scene shows three individuals walking on the road shoulder in a
mountainous section. The individuals walk towards and onto gabion boxes.

[Narrator]
Here is an example of a slope stabilized with Gabion boxes, which are
wire baskets filled with broken rock. In this mountainous section near
kilometer 35, a channel was installed along the road’s edge for
drainage. 

[Description]
This scene shows footage, from the perspective of a vehicle passenger,
of three cars driving on a narrow and curvy mountain road.

[Narrator]
The mountain passes are narrow repaved sections of the pre-tsunami road.
Structural repairs were made to the road before it was repaved. In this
section the road is buffered by guard rails, is narrow, and has a series
of sharp turns, which slows the flow of traffic significantly. Speed is
restricted to 12-25 miles per hour.

[Description]
This scene shows Mr. Roy Ventura reviewing repair work being made to the
road, and shows the milling machine and road workers at work.

[Narrator]
Before turning the road over to local government, USAID’s contractor was
completing repairs to sections of the road near kilometer 46 as part of
its warranty obligation. Since our visit, USAID has informed us that
these repairs were completed in mid-April.

[Description]
This scene focuses on Mr. Roy Ventura, followed by an image of a
building constructed on the right of way and an image of the road’s
right of way.

[Narrator]
USAIDs road construction team leader, Mr. Roy Ventura will explain how
the unauthorized construction of a local business on the road’s right of
way at kilometer 50 can lead to obstruction of water drainage and
flooding. The right of way is roughly 30 meters wide and serves a
variety of purposes, including water sequestration and road support.

[Description]
This scene shows Mr. Roy Ventura pointing at the building constructed on
the right of way from across the road and then walking across the road
and onto the right of way, indicating with his body position the
distance from the road shoulder that the right of way ends, which is
well beyond the position of the building constructed on the right of
way. Mr. Roy Ventura then points at a pile of dirt and shows that water
drainage will be blocked by the dirt and cause flooding.

[ Roy Ventura and others ]
>> This is a new business. This is entirely on the right of way. I tried
to get them to stop before they ever built it but nobody listened. [
Pause ] That's where the right of way ends?

>> This is where the right of way ends. What’s gonna happen is that’s
gonna be filled in and that's gonna block the drainage. So when this
water comes down off the hillside, it's gonna come down through here and
come out on the road?

>>Yeah.

[Description]
This scene shows Mr. Roy Ventura looking over the edge of a road at the
small river flowing below the road, through box culverts.

[Roy Ventura and other speaker]
>>Is this is the biggest box culvert you guys had to put in?

>> Yeah.

[Description]
A still shot of water flowing into the box culvert and debris piling up
at the box culvert entrance

[Narrator]
Box culverts are used in certain areas to direct the flow of water and
mitigate potential road damage from flooding. Notice that debris is
beginning to collect at the culvert entrance. If debris is not cleared,
it can potentially block the flow of water. It is essential that local
authorities periodically clear this debris in order to maintain water
flow. Roy Ventura stated that local authorities are doing so.

[Description]
This scene shows a culvert in close proximity to a building.

[Narrator]
A building was constructed only a few meters away from the outlet of
this culvert. Roy Ventura stated that the outlet on the culvert’s
opposite side has been blocked due to local development. As a result,
this building is at high risk of flooding.

[Description]
This scene shows Mr. Roy Ventura pointing at the building near the
culvert’s entrance.

[Roy Ventura]
It's gonna flood those people right there because they're about 3 meters
lower than the road and then they're gonna be sorry.

[Description]
This scene shows an image of a swamp with planted mangrove saplings.

[Narrator]
As part of the road construction environmental mitigation program, USAID
planted over 20,000 mangrove trees.

[Roy Ventura]
It’s a mitigation. So where they did damage someplace else, they have to
do something environmentally in terms of repair.

[Description]
This scene shows a juxtaposition of the USAID constructed road and the
tsunami destructed remains of the old road. The scene shows the
proximity of the ocean to the road and focuses on the embankment which
elevates the USAID road to a higher elevation than the old destroyed
road.

[Narrator]
Here is a clear juxtaposition of the new USAID road and the old road
destroyed by the tsunami. You can clearly see the proximity of the road
to the coastline and how the new road is at a higher elevation than the
old road.

[Description]
This scene shows a drainage ditch constructed alongside the road and
shows that the outflow from the ditch leads down a small hill and
directly into a small village.

[Narrator]
During construction of the road, decisions were made knowing that risks
were not being fully mitigated. For example, here's an image of a
drainage channel installed alongside the road. The outflow from this
channel runs directly down to a village at the base of a small hill. Roy
Ventura stated that this drain was originally intended to empty into a
natural spring channel south of the present location. But the local
community objected due to its proximity to a gravesite and insisted the
drainage be placed at its present location. Roy Ventura made community
officials aware of the flooding risk to this small village. Local
officials acknowledged the risk and indicated they would address the
issue in the future.

[Description]
This scene shows Mr. Roy Ventura looking down at the village, describing
the flooding threat.

[Roy Ventura and others]
>> We're looking at water running right into somebody's house.

>> Yeah, right through...

>> Exactly. So...So that's exactly what I said; I said its gonna flood
that house if you get heavy flow and its gonna flood that one and its
gonna flood that one. He said, "We don't care." I said are you saying
you want it here and you will accept responsibility for flooding that
house? He said, "Yes."

[Description]
This scene shows a large drain installed at the base of a large hill and
a trickle of water flowing into the drain.

[Narrator]
This drain collects water flow from the hillside and directs it away
from the road and into underground pipes.

[Description]
A steep slope with construction workers at work bolsetering the slope
stabalization.

[Narrator]
Following two road failures resulting from contractors’ improper fill
and compaction construction underneath the road base, USAID decided to
bolster their slope stabilization, as seen here.

[Description]
A still shot of a concrete barrier constructed as a buffer between the
road and a rocky slope.

[Narrator]
Local seismic activity has triggered slope erosion and road damage. In
order to prevent road damage from future occurrences, USAID has
developed a retainer and drainage system as seen here.

[Description]
This scene shows two road workers using hand tools to conduct repair on
guardrailing.

[Narrator]
In Indonesia, it is not uncommon for road repair and construction to be
completed by hand.

[Description]
This scene shows a car driving along a flat section of road.

[Narrator]
As the road passes through costal flatland areas, the road is relatively
strait and has paved shoulders, as you can see here. The design speed
for the road is 50 miles per hour and can accommodate 68 miles per hour
on all new sections.

[Description]
A still shot of the point at which the USAID road ends, followed by a
map marking the road from Calang to Meulaboh, Indonesia with a red line.

[Narrator]
It took us roughly 2 hours to drive the 91 mile USAID road, or roughly
45 miles per hour on the average. This point marks the end of the USAID
road, and the beginning of the approximately 60 mile road from Calang to
Meulaboh.

[Description]
This scene shows footage, from the perspective of a vehicle passenger,
of two vehicles driving along the road from Calang to Meulaboh. The road
has been stripped of its paved surface and is a rutted dirt road. Road
repair machines and equipment align the road. The scene then shows a
paved section of the road with large piles of gravel on the road
shoulder and then focuses on two large potholes in the middle of the
road. The scene then focuses on an Indonesian flag waving in the wind.

[Narrator]
This road continuation from Calang to Meulaboh was originally repaved by
the Japanese and was designed to last three years. This stretch of road
is now undergoing reconstruction under several World Bank financed
construction contracts. The work is all within the existing narrow right
of way and follows the pre-tsunami road alignment. The work complies
with significantly relaxed design and construction requirements and is
not in accordance with Indonesia’s current National Highway standards.
Roughly 75 percent of the road is currently under construction. It took
us 2 hours and 5 minutes to complete a non-stop trip on this road, or
roughly 30 miles per hours on the average.

[Last Screen] [Silence]

This video is part of a GAO report:
FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Actions Needed to Help Ensure Quality and Sustainability of USAID Road
in Indonesia (GAO-12-728)