When bad roads become a barrier to community development

Greeting Steemit Family

Road development is one of those things many people only appreciate when they experience poor access themselves. A good road does more than connect one place to another. It encourages development, attracts investment, and makes everyday life much easier for the people living in the community.

I mentioned in a previous post that the road leading to one of the surrounding neighbourhoods has been a major challenge. Anyone planning to build a house here already knows that transporting building materials is one of the biggest headaches. During the rainy season, the situation becomes even worse. What looks like an ordinary road quickly turns into thick mud, making it difficult for even heavy-duty trucks to move. This is the case with a newly created path, which has not been used to get the ground hard.

A few days ago, I experienced this reality once again. Very early in the morning, around 5:30 a.m., I was woken up because several trucks carrying my building materials had gotten stuck in the mud. Nobody likes receiving such a wake-up call, but there was no choice. If the trucks remained there for too long, they would block the only access road for everyone else.

When I arrived at the scene, I could not do anything but follow the options proposed by the driver. The trucks were heavily loaded, and the muddy road could not support that much weight. Every attempt to accelerate only made the tyres sink deeper into the soft ground. At moments like this, complaining does not solve anything.

The only option was for everyone around to contribute. Some people brought shovels, others searched for stones, while a few coordinated the movement of the trucks. It became a true community effort. One of the first decisions we made was to reduce the weight each truck was carrying. We offloaded part of the materials so the vehicles would become lighter. It meant more work because the remaining materials would have to be transported later, but it was better than leaving the trucks buried in the mud.

As we worked, we also carried out some temporary maintenance on the road. We filled some of the deep sections with available laterite and rocks, hoping to provide enough support for the truck tyres to gain traction. It was hard work.

Standing ankle-deep in mud while pushing, digging, and directing drivers is certainly not how anyone plans to spend their morning. Yet everyone understood why it was necessary. Every successful trip meant another family could continue building their house.

Watching everything unfold made me think about how poor roads quietly limit the development of an entire neighbourhood. Imagine someone who wants to build a house. The cost of cement, sand, gravel, and blocks is already high. Now add the extra cost of trucks getting stuck, multiple trips because loads have to be reduced, damaged vehicles, and delays caused by bad weather. The total construction cost increases beforeconstruction construction is completed.

Eventually, those additional expenses are passed on to homeowners.
Poor roads also discourage investors. Delivery companies become reluctant to enter the area. Emergency services may struggle to reach residents quickly. Taxi drivers avoid the neighbourhood, and even visitors begin thinking twice before coming during the rainy season. Something as simple as a road affects almost every aspect of community life.

What impressed me most that morning was the willingness of neighbours to help one another. Nobody stood aside waiting for someone else to solve the problem. People grabbed tools, pushed trucks, moved materials, and encouraged one another until the vehicles finally made it through.

By the end of the exercise, we had successfully freed the trucks and carried out some temporary repairs on the road. It was satisfying to see the vehicles continue their journey instead of remaining trapped in the mud.

Still, I know these temporary solutions will only last for a while. What this neighbourhood truly needs is a properly engineered road with good drainage that can withstand both heavy trucks and the rainy season.
Until then, every rainfall will remind us that road infrastructure is not just about transportation. It is about development, opportunity, and improving the quality of life for everyone living in the community.

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Cheers
Thanks for dropping by.
@fombae