Linking Poverty Reduction and Integrated Road Network Development

Project Scope

The major activities of the TA are

Develop an integrated and sustainable road network development strategy to better link poor communities. It is expected to help the Government move away from the single-project approach, and prepare priorities for the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (11FYP, 2006-2010), and the 2020 program.

Recommend a central government mechanism to fund local road investments, and enhance local financing capacity, to tackle institutional obstacles.

Improve the Government's feasibility study methodology¹ and guidelines to facilitate road network project planning and selection.

Develop a computerized information system (IS) to provide uniform social, economic, engineering, transport, and area-specific data to fill the current gap; and an integrated area-wide road network model (ARNM) to evaluate road network investments, using IS data.

Conduct a pilot project to test the strategy, feasibility study methodology, IS, and ARNM.

Create a transport planning unit (TPU) to improve road investment programs and strengthen interagency cooperation and coordination, improve human resources development, oversee implementation of the pilot project, and conduct monitoring.

____________________

The feasibility study forms the basis for project preparation, planning, design, decision making, and securing funds. All proposed projects must be associated with a feasibility study for government assessment before inclusion in the ADB country program. Feasibility study guidelines were last reviewed in 1994, with the help of the World Bank. The guidelines need to be strengthened in light of developments such as socioeconomic impact assessment requirements, vehicle growth, the Government's 2020 strategy, strengthening of local road and expressway integration, toll and financial performance criteria, competition from other transport modes, road safety, maintenance analysis, and the changing nature of transport service providers.

Back
Project Overview

Project Activities