Assessment of the Effect of Urban Road Surface Drainage: A Case Study at Ginjo Guduru Kebele of Jimma Town

Drainage is one of the most important factors to be considered in the road design, construction and maintenance projects. It is generally accepted that road structures work well and last longer to give the desired service. When a road fails, whether it is concrete, asphalt or gravel, inadequate drainage is often a major factor to be considered. Researchers have shown that poor drainage is often the main cause of road damages and problems with long term road serviceability. Though provision of proper road surface drainage systems have such a great importance for the urban road to give the intended use and thereby contribute to the overall development of a nation, in particular in road sector, the practice of the construction of proper integrated drainage structures did not get due attention in our country in general and Jimma town in particular for many years. Therefore the problems and achievements on the design, construction and maintenance of surface road drainage systems need to be assessed to provide remedial measures for the better performance of the road infrastructure. The objective of this study was to assess road surface water drainage problems and its net-work integration systems in Ginjo Guduru Kebele of Jimma town. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Ginjo Guduru Kebele of Jimma town from January to August 2014.The data collected was then be analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively, and the result of the study thus presented in tables and in themes. From the study made, generally it was observed that the road surface drainage found to be inadequate due insufficient road profile, insufficient drainage structures provision, improper maintenance and lack of proper interconnections between the road and drainage infrastructures thereby resulting damages to road surface material and flooding in the area.