| Abstract: | Delays of a construction project can be defined as the late completion of works as compared to the planned schedule or contract schedule.. Delay in completion of road construction projects are the most common and frequent problem in Addis Ababa city as well as in Ethiopia in general. The objective of this study is to identify the causes and effects of delay causing factors in Addis Ababa City Road Authority road construction projects. The study adopted a descriptive research design. A purposive sampling method was used in this study. The study was carried out based on literature reviews, questionnaire survey and document review of projects. 37 potential delay causes and 13 effects were selected from the reviewed literature and the causes were divided in to 5 as client related factors, consultant related factors, contractor related factors, material and equipment related factors and external related factors. These factors were ranked using the Likert scale by a total of 56 professionals and analyzed using Relative Importance Index (RII). The study indicates that the top major causes of delay in road construction are Cost of materials, Shortage of foreign currency, Delay in approving documents by consultant, Delay due to Sub-contractors, Delay of payment by the client, Shortage of construction material, Improper planning and scheduling, Reworks, Lack of modern technology equipment and Low bid by contractor. The study further determines that the major effects of delay are Time Overrun, Cost Overrun, Poor quality, Compromised Quality, Low Profit, Disputes, Negotiations, Court Cases, Litigations, Abandonment, Revocation, Arbitration and Bad reputation. In order to avoid/minimize the road construction project delay in the city, the study recommends the payments to be made on time by the client, the design documents should be reviewed and approved by the consultant on time and the contractor should select an experienced sub-contractors and work hand in hand to complete the project with the allocated budget and time. |
