PPP's in Road Renovation and Maintenance – A Case Study of the East Coast Road Project

Abstract

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are being frequently used today to private sector investment in road projects. Most of the road PPP projects are either for new roads or for those that involve significant expansion of existing capacity. There are limited instances of PPPs for renovating and maintenance of existing roads. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the applicability of using PPPs for road renovation and maintenance projects. This paper uses a case-study approach since it is an appropriate strategy to investigate a phenomenon within its real life context. The East Coast Road project was chosen for the study because it was the first project in India to use PPP for road renovation and maintenance, and being the first project of its kind, the case was of general public interest. The paper indicates that risk levels in Rehabilitate, Improve, Maintain, Operate and Transfer (RIMOT) projects are lower than Greenfield BOT projects. Even in areas like renovation and maintenance, PPP structures can bring many advantages over traditional procurement.