Road Safety Action International (RSAI)'s Technical and Road Safety Audit Programme is a systematic, independent, and evidence-based examination of road projects across the entire project life cycle — from design and procurement to construction, operation, and handover. We verify whether road infrastructure complies with design standards, material specifications, safety requirements, environmental safeguards, and contractual obligations, while identifying risks that may lead to crashes, structural failure, cost overruns, or reduced durability.
Across Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia, our programme delivers a comprehensive audit framework that integrates technical due diligence, road safety audits, quality assurance, risk identification, and corrective action planning — ensuring that roads are safe, resilient, cost-effective, and fit for purpose.
Why Technical and Road Safety Audit Matters
Road infrastructure projects represent significant financial, technical, and social investments. Yet many road projects suffer from design deficiencies, construction non-compliance, safety hazards, premature failure, and poor long-term performance due to weak technical oversight and limited safety auditing.
Common failure points include:
- Inadequate design verification and standard compliance
- Poor geometric design — horizontal curves, alignment, camber, and sight distance
- Substandard materials — aggregate quality, asphalt mix design, and low bearing capacity soils
- Weak construction methodology and quality control
- Non-compliance with BOQs, drawings, and specifications
- Unsafe work zones and poor worker visibility
- Insufficient pedestrian, cyclist, school zone, and community safety measures
- Weak drainage, erosion control, and flood management
- Limited documentation, record keeping, and audit trails
- Inadequate final inspection and certification
These gaps result in crash risks, premature pavement failure, cost inefficiencies, accountability failures, and loss of public trust.
Our programme directly addresses each of these gaps.
Our Strategic Objectives
The Technical and Road Safety Audit Programme aims to:
- Verify compliance with design standards, specifications, and regulations
- Assess geometric design, pavement structure, drainage, and alignment
- Identify technical defects, safety risks, and non-compliance issues
- Strengthen quality assurance and quality control mechanisms
- Improve work-zone, pedestrian, cyclist, and community safety
- Ensure compliance with environmental, social, and health & safety plans
- Validate cost estimates, BOQs, procurement, and contractor submissions
- Support timely completion, accountability, and long-term performance
Audit Scope Across the Project Life Cycle
The programme adopts a life-cycle-based, risk-driven, and evidence-led audit methodology, integrating technical audits and road safety audits across three critical stages.
- Design verification and benchmarking: alignment verification and geometric design review against applicable standards
- Cross-section and width assessment: lane width, shoulder width, median width, and road camber analysis
- Horizontal curve and sight distance analysis: road geometry review for safe speed and visibility
- Drainage, culverts, and retaining structures: embankment design and flood management provisions
- Pavement design and load factor evaluation: durability assessment and structural adequacy verification
- Cost estimate and BOQ validation: cost-effectiveness review and procurement plan assessment
- Health & safety plan and social impact plan review: compliance with environmental and community safeguards
- Construction methodology review: verification of approved methods, equipment adequacy, and work scheduling
- Sub-grade and soil testing: compaction testing, density verification, and bearing capacity assessment
- Material quality: aggregate quality, asphalt mix design, and pavement deflection monitoring
- Crack detection and surface assessment: early identification of structural failure risks
- Work-zone safety: signage, barriers, night-time safety provisions, and worker visibility standards
- Environmental controls: erosion, dust, noise, waste management, and air pollution mitigation
- Community protection: consultation records, relocation plans, cultural site protection, and compensation verification
- Intersection and roundabout safety assessment: traffic flow tests, traffic counts, and road geometry review
- Pedestrian and bicycle safety features: school zone markings, safety zones, and accessible infrastructure
- Barrier installation and skid resistance testing: verification of road surface performance under traffic conditions
- GPS survey and digital documentation: photographic and video inspection, digital record keeping, and audit trail
- Final inspection and certification: certification of completion, handover documentation, and quality assurance reporting
Methods and Tools
RSAI's audit teams deploy an integrated suite of field and technical tools:
Deliverables
Each audit engagement produces the following outputs:
Implementation Timeline
| Phase | Stage | Key Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Inception | Document review, audit framework setup, stakeholder engagement |
| Phase 2 | Design-Stage Audit | Geometric design, drainage, pavement, cost estimate validation |
| Phase 3 | Construction-Stage Audits | Materials testing, compaction, work-zone safety, environmental controls |
| Phase 4 | Pre-Handover and Operational Audit | Intersection safety, skid resistance, GPS survey, final inspections |
| Phase 5 | Final Report and Certification | Audit report, non-compliance register, corrective action plan, handover certification |
Project Organisation and Staffing
Implementing Organisation: Road Safety Action International (RSAI)
Key Stakeholders
- Ministry of Public Works
- Ministry of Transport
- Road authorities and project implementation units
- Contractors and supervising consultants
- Local authorities and communities
Technical Team
- Road safety audit specialists
- Highway and pavement engineers
- Materials and geotechnical engineers
- Environmental and social safeguard experts
- M&E and documentation specialists
Project Logframe
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Alignment with Global Commitments
Our work directly contributes to:
- SDG Target 3.6 — Halve road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030
- The UN Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030)
- Strengthening national road infrastructure management and oversight systems
- Supporting World Bank, AfDB, and MDB infrastructure quality standards
- Building institutional capacity for long-term road asset management
Our Commitment
The Technical and Road Safety Audit Programme provides a critical safeguard for road infrastructure quality and safety. By integrating rigorous technical due diligence with systematic road safety audits, RSAI ensures that roads are designed correctly, built safely, and perform reliably over their intended lifespan.
At RSAI, we believe that:
Every audit completed is a hazard potentially eliminated.
Every non-compliance corrected is a crash potentially prevented.
Every institution strengthened is a road network transformed.
Technical audit is not a formality.
It is a sustained commitment to safer, more accountable, and more durable road infrastructure for every road user.
Partner With Us
We welcome partnerships with:
Together, we can ensure that every road built in West Africa is not only completed — but completed correctly, safely, and built to last.