Evaluation of DPWH Department Order No. 41, s. 2016 (Amended Policy Guidelines on the Maintenance of National Roads and Bridges)

Abstract

The maintenance of national roads and bridges is a vital component that prolongs the life of a country’s infrastructure assets. Moreover, these activities are done in order to ensure the safety and convenience of the travelling public. In the Philippines, this task lies on the shoulders of the Department of Public Works and Highways Maintenance personnel. The Bureau of Maintenance under the Technical Services of the DPWH Central Office crafts the policies and guidelines related to this endeavor and monitors the compliance of the 16 Regional Offices and 183 District Engineering Offices nationwide. The latest and most comprehensive department issuance concerning road and bridge maintenance is D.O. 41, s. 2016. In this study, the researcher evaluated the pointing system used in the department order by analyzing the data gathered from its two-year implementation period. The result of the analysis shows that the range of values currently used to benchmark the performance of implementing offices are far from the average inspection, validation, and justification values based on historical data. Therefore, the researcher recommends updating these values to reflect actual field conditions. In addition, the researcher proposes the inclusion of additional three defects for monitoring: (1) damaged/missing guardrails, (2) bumps / uneven pavement, and (3) landslide/soil collapse/rock fall in order to improve the coverage of the said department order.