[TYPE THE COMPANY NAME]

PROJECT PROPOSAL ON
COBBLE STONE
CONSTRUCTION
BOGALE KOKEBE [2023]
2/1/2023
Executive Summary
The main aim of this project proposal is to incite practices of investors to construct cobble
stone construction projects in cities and small towns in Ethiopia and also reviews already
executed cobble stone projects.

This project is more important not only to create job opportunity and increase the income of
the youth but also it is a greater chance for any interested entity to construct a road with
cobblestone .The cobblestone industry has made positive impacts and shown various advantages
over other construction methods, especially in asphalt paving..Enhancing the technological
transfer through establishing organized Micro and Small Enterprises in the area of cobblestone
technology is another success area in Ethiopia.
In general Cobblestone production has a positive impact socially, economically,
technologically as well as politically in developing countries .

1.Introduction
Rapid urbanization and population growth in cities of developing countries create a huge demand
for various types of urban infrastructure, while they also produce pressure on the existing
infrastructure and cause its deterioration. In developing countries like Ethiopia, the federal
governments are financially constrained because of various reasons like: rapid urbanization,
inadequacy of foreign exchange and a huge demand for basic infrastructure like roads. The
growth of Ethiopian cities presents enormous challenges to the nation. Although Ethiopia is one
of the least urbanized countries in Africa, the CSA Report (2008) says that due to rapid
population growth, 12 million out of 77 million people live in cities. In fact, the provision of
adequate road infrastructure services is essential for the socioeconomic development of any
country. In an effort to solve these problems, most city administrations has been undertaking
road construction using cobblestones. Cobblestone road projects are one of the indigenous (based
on locally available materials) road construction technologies implemented as an option to other
types of road construction technologies in the city. The findings revealed that cobblestone road
construction projects have brought significant socioeconomic benefits and challenges to the city.
To achieve the expected socioeconomic benefits, the city administration and other agencies
should work together to face the challenges.

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Concept of Cobblestone According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, cobblestones are stones that
were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. ‘Cobblestone’ is derived from a very old
English word ‘cob’, which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was ‘rounded lump’ with
overtones of large size. ‘Cobble’, which appeared in the 15th century, simply added the
diminutive suffix ‘le’ to ‘cob’, and meant a small stone rounded by the flow of water; essentially,
a large pebble. It was these smooth ‘cobbles’, gathered from stream beds that paved the first
‘cobblestone’ streets.
History of Cobblestone Roads GTZ (2009a) guide pointed out that cobblestones were largely
replaced by quarried granite sets in the 19th century. Cobblestone is often wrongly used to
describe such treatment. Sets were relatively even and roughly rectangular stones that were laid
in regular patterns. They gave a smoother ride for carts than cobbles, although in heavily used
sections, such as in yards and the like, the usual practice was to replace the sets by parallel
granite slabs set apart by the standard axle length of the time. Cobblestone and settled streets
gradually gave way to macadam roads, and later to tarmac, and finally to asphalt at the beginning
of the 20th century. However, cobblestones are often retained in historic areas even for streets
with modern vehicular traffic. Many old villages and cities in Europe are still paved with
cobblestones. In the recent decades, cobblestones have become a popular material for paving
new pedestrian streets in Europe. In this case, the noisy nature of the surface is an advantage, as
pedestrians can hear the approaching vehicles. In the old US cities such as Boston, Chicago,
Pittsburgh, New York, San Francisco, Baltimore and Philadelphia, many of the old streets are
paved in cobblestones. However, many such streets have been paved over with asphalt, which
cracks and erodes away due to heavy traffic, thus revealing the original stone pavement. Also,
utilities such as Con Edison often dig up a street and don’t bother replacing the stones. In
Chicago, the cobblestones are often exposed during street or sewer repair on major arterial
streets, along with old streetcar rails (all of which still lie under the street surface in many parts
of the city), having simply been paved over. In some places such as Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
Canada, as late as the 1990s some busy intersections still showed cobblestones through worn
down sections of pavement. Cities of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico and
Montevideo, Uruguay, richly influenced by many European architectural features, are well-
known for their many cobblestone streets, which are still operational and in good condition. They

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 are still maintained and repaired in the old fashion way, by placing and arranging granite stones
by hand.
A project is any series of activities and tasks that have specific objective to be completed within
certain specifications, have defined start and end dates, have funding limits, consume human and
nonhuman resources (money, people, equipment) and are multifunctional (i.e., cut across several
functional lines).

2.Need/Problem Statement (Problem Justification)

The management capacity and insufficient revenue generation in most of local administration in
ethiopia which is placing unemployment make youth under stress. Most kebele and town
administrations are overwhelmed by the challenges confronting them with a significant impact
on peoples’ living conditions.

Generally in the rural areas of Ethiopia growth of town and kebele infrastructure is not
harmonized with that of the ever growing number of population. In the town roads are in urgent
need of upgrading, since many secondary or internal roads were dusty, sandy or graveled.
Residents are faced with mud during the rainy season and dust for the rest of the year. In light of
this, the place where the unemployment rate is high and the young population makes the highest
proportion of unemployed, thus the cobblestone initiative can make a difference.

3.Objectives of the project:-

Most of the cobble stone project in Ethiopia is initiated with the available resource, to create job
opportunity for those trained youth in cobblestone production found in every region .

Goals of the project:- The project goals are:-

 To reduce unemployment in every region by organizing jobless youth and maximize their
income by selling their cobblestone production in their region .

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 By preparing mixed project plan with the first goal of this proposal, trying to attract the investor
to invest to the place which the cobblestone production will be produced.

4.Significance of the project:-

The cobbles stone project is more important not only to create job opportunity and increase the
income of the youth but also it is a greater chance for any municipal Administration to benefit
from this cobblestone construction project.

5.Project Inputs, Activities & Outputs,

COST BREAKDOWN
 WORKS INVOLVED DURING THE COBBLE STONE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

1.Surveying and Setting out

2. Earth Work

3. Laying of Red Ash Sub Base Course, Fine Crushed Aggregate Base Course and Cobblestone
Paving

4. Curb Stone

5. Masonry Work & Culvert Concrete Work.

N.B.The recent cost breakdown for every activities involved is attached with this document in
Microsoft excel format.The unit rates can be adjusted according to the market prices in every
place .

6.DESIGNS /DRAWINGS

7. Activities to be Undertaken

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Skill Training on Chiseling (In quarry sites) and Production ,if needed a short
training of understanding with the integration of the government will be
given, which ensures the the effectiveness and sustainability of the training
they taken before. A suitable and functional quarry is required to ensure an
adequate supply of cobblestones. Prior to Potential quarry areas/sites have
been identified. The process of identification to be carried out by involving
various stakeholders such as technical team from concerned governmental
bodies. The quality of raw materials and their suitability is assessed, statistical
data organized and compensation must be paid to owners of the farming land
or quarries.

8- Achievements and outputs

Job Creation
Cobble stone production is a labor intensive initiative that creates substantial
job opportunities in different activities such as quarrying, chiseling,
transporting and paving. As a result the project creates job opportunities for
unemployed citizens, of these (40%) of the beneficiaries are women.
Employment in the cobble stone sector is open to all including the disabled,
and focuses largely on unemployed young people and women; it has given a
chance to establish a lot of micro and small enterprises on manufacturing and
other construction sectors.
The produced coble stone provides safe walk way, reduction of dust and
mud; reduce traffic jams, and improved marketing linkage of related and
unrelated business along the value chain. In the employment creation process,
the project helps beneficiaries by generating income for daily consumption

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and savings. The cobble stone project has developed community participation
and community directed process that explicitly combines social and economic
development that has resulted in fostering the economic, social, ecological, and
cultural well-being of urban communities in the surrounding population.

Improved Saving Capacity and Promote the Operators to Medium Level

Enterprise.The aim of the project was not to retain the operators in this sector
forever. It aims to improve the Culture of saving of the operators and enables
them to transfer to the other productive sectors of the economy such as
manufacturing, construction, textile and others.

In general as a result of the cobblestone works, mobility for residents will

increase, flooding will be diminished, small enterprises will be opened for
business, and investment in private homes will rise. These changes will
transform city centers into lively and welcoming places in which to live, work,
and visit.
7. Organization & Administration of the Project

The commitment of the government institutions and the degree of cooperation

among them largely determines the effectiveness of the project intervention
and implementation.
8. Main partners/ Roles and Responsibilities of Major
Stakeholders
The responsibility for support and implementation of the project intervention
falls upon a wide range of organizations, associations, and agencies. These

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include all levels of government, Developmental partners, community based
organizations, development and business associations, and private institutions.
This project is the determiner for the first and the third project. Because the
there are three types of jobless organization. One is those who produces and
store the stone beside the river. The second organized youth are those who
transport the stone to those who produce the cobblestone. The third one is the
logy construction investment by the investor or by the organized jobless
youth.

9. Monitoring and Evaluation

The woreda institutions and the degree of cooperation among them
largely determine the effectiveness of the project intervention and
implementation. In addition to the woreda sectors cooperation the
unemployed youth who are operating the cobblestone production have
their own committees and supervisors who monitors the project.
Moreover, the market oriented focus of cobblestone emphasizes on
MSE’s(Micro and small Scale Enterprizes) creation, providing
opportunities for entrepreneurs and to transfer to the other sector
and/or other small and medium businesses.

10.Impact of the cobblestone Development Project

The cobblestone industry has made positive impacts and shown various
advantages over other construction methods, especially asphalt paving.
Some of these outcomes are progressively investing in cobblestone road
construction. Enhancing the technological transfer through establishing
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 organized Micro and Small Enterprises in the area of cobblestone
technology is another success area
a) Economic Impact
Although the process is not yet complete, more and more MSEs are being
upgraded to the status of formal contractors. The growth and capacity-
building of such businesses is strengthening the local construction sector,
which greatly impacts overall local economic development. Until recently,
urban local governments had been using asphalt as the only paving method,
making them dependent on a few big contractors who had the machinery to
construct such roads.

Consequently, funds tended to be out-flowing, as money left the local and

national economy to purchase oil for asphalt and required machinery. The
cobblestone industry is local. From the production of tools and stones to the
paving of roads; the industry creates local value chains and thus stimulates
the local economy. Production of a cobblestone road significantly impacts the
land value of bordering plots and of whole neighborhoods. Buildings and
businesses spring up alongside paving works, which in turn leads to higher
revenues for city administrations.

b) Social Impact
The primary outcome of road construction is increased citizen mobility. This
does not only address private, but more importantly, public and pedestrian
transport. With the newly-paved roads, thousands of three-wheel (Bajaj) and
mini-bus taxis can now access formerly unreachable neighborhoods.
Transport prices have dropped as a result. The number and quality of
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sidewalks have increased greatly with the introduction of the cobblestone
industry, leading to an improvement in pedestrian mobility and safety,
especially during the rainy season.

The cobblestone industry is a local venture that keeps money in the local
economy. Moreover, it is labor intensive while requiring low skills. Through
it, especially the urban poor have gained access to employment, creating a
major impact on poverty reduction in rural and urban areas. The
participation of women in cobblestone sector is increasing from day to day
and the actively supported the employment of women; the average share of
female workers in the cobblestone sector is about 40-45 percent.

C) Environmental impact
The positive impact of cobblestone Production is both the local and global
environment is profound. Cobblestone is much more durable and entails less
rehabilitation and maintenance in the long run than asphalt, for example.
Besides saving money, less need for maintenance and renewal activities
reduces the amount of environmental stress caused by construction.
Moreover, cobblestones are reusable, further minimizing future negative
environmental impact.

Also, roads constructed with stones are permeable. Water can penetrate the
surface and recharge ground water resources—crucial benefits for both dry
and flood prone areas. Finally, in contrast to other alternatives, cobblestone
roads are built with local materials and do not depend on oil. Coupled with

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short transport routes and the abandonment of heavy machines, the project
has had a positive effect on the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.

Photo showing Cobble stone paving under progress

 Case study on the performance of Bishoftu town cobble stone

construction

Analysis of Cobblestone Project Performance from Secondary Sources Here,

in the review of the secondary data, that the cobblestone road construction
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projects were undertaken by the Bishoftu town municipality (BTM) starting
from 2010 up to 2011 E.C from which 3 projects among the all projects
started in 2010 E.C. and 2011E.C were assessed. The discussions of selected 3
projects are here under.

Project 1 (BISHOFTU / ULGDP II /Bishoftu/CW/12/21/2018)

This project is started on 21-MAR-18G.C and completed in 21-JUN-18 G.C

in Keble 01 in the specific area, from W/RO Yimengushal Ayele wood work to
Ato Nugus Senbetu which is 330M by carried out by a contractor. The
contract amount of this project is Ethiopian Birr (ETB) 1,234,968.66 and
completed by the price stated on the contract. The status of the project at the
current is completed. This project does not have schedule/time variance as it
was completed within the given time agreed in the contract that is 120 days.
Hence, the project was both on time and as per agreed cost.

Project 2 (BISHOFTU / ULGDP II /Bishoftu/CW/04/21/2018)

This project was started in the Kebele 01 from Ato Tullu Wedajo to Cattle
Market with the distance of 300 meters with side drainage construction by
Abreham, Hawi and Friends Contractors. The current project status is
completed. The contractor agreed to construct project within 120 days
starting from 21-Mar 18. Accordingly, the project was completed within the
agreed time frame wok. On the other hand, the BTM agreed with the
contractor by initial contract amount of 2,125,003.91 and the project was
ended up with 2,251,041.92. The project consume more than the contract
amount with cost overrun of ETB 126,038.01 or 5.93 percent. Moreover, lack
of side drainage which lowers the quality of the project particularly during
rainy season.

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Project 3 (BISHOFTU / ULGDP II /Bishoftu/CW/07/21/2018)

Here, the cobblestone project was constructed in the kebele 01 at the specific
place from Ato Asaminew H/Mariam house to Meserete Kiristos and from
Ato Atirfi house to Ato Sharif Ali house with a length of 380 meter by Genale
contractor. The project is started in 29-March-2018 and finished by 29-June-
2018 with no schedule variance. On the other hand, the project was incurred
more budget by consuming more than the budgeted amount. The contract
amount was 1,267,723.13 of ETB and it was completed in ETB 1,406,407.66.
The cost overrun is ETB 138,684.53 or 10.94 percent. Therefore, this project
was characterized as on the schedule and over budget even though the status
of the project was completed as it has negative cost variance and no schedule
variance.

To sum up, from selected ten projects(only 3 are mentioned above) for
analysis, we see that the projects are incurred the problem of cost overrun,
project delay, and project quality problems. Some projects indicate both
negative cost and schedule variances others are experienced no cost variances
but have behind schedule; likewise others are yet on schedule while others are
over budgeted.

Conclusion

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