Axle load survey: a case study, Benghazi - Libya

This paper describes the data collection, analysis and recommendation for the axle load survey conducted by the Municipality of Benghazi, Libya to obtain a firm basis for the design of the new pavements and also to assess the residual life time for the existing roads. From the study, it is shown that the loads imposed by individual vehicles are very high when compared with other countries in the Middle East and in Britain. The analysis has shown that goods vehicles carrying cement and other construction materials cause a substantial part of the problem. If no steps are taken to limit the use of excessively heavily laden vehicles, the construction of very thick and hence expensive pavements would be required and maintenance expenditure would also be expected to be high. It is recommended that steps should be taken to control the weight of goods vehicles rather than to design pavements to resist the existing load by installing a weigh-bridge on roads. Also, more general control through legislation should be enforced as soon as possible. This should limit the axle load and gross weights of all vehicles using the public highway and control the types of vehicles imported (A).