The project will improve the road connectivity and efficiency of Dhaka-Northwest international trade corridor. To ensure the sustainability of the outcome, an associated technical assistance is proposed to assist the government in updating its master plan for roads and improving its planning capacity.
| Project Name | South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Dhaka-Northwest Corridor Road Project, Phase 2 - Tranche 1 | ||||||||||||
| Project Number | 40540-017 | ||||||||||||
| Country | Bangladesh |
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| Project Status | Active | ||||||||||||
| Project Type / Modality of Assistance | Loan |
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| Source of Funding / Amount |
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| Strategic Agendas | Environmentally sustainable growth Inclusive economic growth Regional integration |
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| Drivers of Change | Gender Equity and Mainstreaming Governance and capacity development Partnerships |
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| Sector / Subsector | Transport / Road transport (non-urban) |
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| Gender Equity and Mainstreaming | Effective gender mainstreaming | ||||||||||||
| Description | The project will improve the road connectivity and efficiency of Dhaka-Northwest international trade corridor. To ensure the sustainability of the outcome, an associated technical assistance is proposed to assist the government in updating its master plan for roads and improving its planning capacity. | ||||||||||||
| Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy | Bangladesh reached lower middle-income status in July 2015. With its young and rapidly growing population, Bangladesh has the potential to become a major exporter of labor-intensive products. Its location between South and Southeast Asia provides the country good prospects of becoming a regional trading hub. But the country's transport infrastructure is inadequate, which raises costs, reduces competitiveness, and impedes intra-regional trade. As such, Bangladesh's successive 5-year development plans embed regional cooperation and integration, which the Asian Development Bank (ADB) supports through its projects in Bangladesh. Transport infrastructure is the centerpiece of the ADB-supported South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program, which promotes regional prosperity. Since 2001, SASEC member countries have invested over $9.17 billion in projects with a regional dimension, including 31 transport projects worth $7.30 billion. SASEC transport investments in Bangladesh and neighboring member countries focus on developing South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation highway corridors. The SASEC Operational Plan, 2016-2025 identified 128 priority regional cooperation and integration transport projects worth about $63 billion - of which 35 are in Bangladesh. Among the subregional corridors, the government considers the Dhaka-Northwest international trade corridor on South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation highways 4 and 8 as top priorities. The corridor is the second busiest artery in Bangladesh after the Dhaka-Chittagong road. At the northwestern end of the corridor is the Burimari Land Port, which is managed by the Bangladesh Land Port Authority and provides a gateway to Bhutan through India. Improving the transport infrastructure is expected to significantly increase trade in the land port. ADB has been a partner of the government in improving the Dhaka-Northwest international trade corridor since 1994. In 2012, ADB approved a $198 million loan for the SASEC Road Connectivity Project, which is considered phase 1 of the proposed project, since there is strong correlation between the phase 1 and phase 2 segments of the Dhaka-Northwest international trade corridor. Phase 1 (i) increased road capacity on 70 kilometers (km) of the Joydeypur -Elenga section of the international trade corridor, (ii) improved operational efficiency of the Benapole and Burimari land ports, and (iii) enhanced the institutional capacity of the RHD. In 2017, the government plans to start phase 2, which is to improve the 190 km section from Elenga through Hatikumrul to Rangpur. The proposed project will continue ADB support to the corridor. To manage the issues faced during phase 1, RHD has (i) set up a project implementation committee to review engineering designs; (ii) obtained government approval for the project proposal in advance to set up project implementation units (PIUs), prepare procurement documents, and initiate safeguard actions; and (iii) requested ADB support to update its Road Master Plan. |
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| Impact | An efficient and modern road transport system in Bangladesh achieved Subregional connectivity and trade improved |
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| Project Outcome | |
|---|---|
| Description of Outcome | Road connectivity of the Dhaka-Northwest international trade corridor improved. |
| Progress Toward Outcome | |
| Implementation Progress | |
| Description of Project Outputs | Phase 2 of the Dhaka-Northwest international trade corridor (Elenga-Hatikumrul-Rangpur section) upgraded RHD's institutional capacity in road operation and management enhanced stronger road safety and gender-responsive features, and cost overrun for phase 1 of the Dhaka-Northwest international trade corridor (Joydeypur-Chandra-Tangail-Elenga) financed and completed. |
| Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues) | - Procurement of Civil Works contract packages is ongoing. - Selection of Project Implementation Consultants is ongoing. - Awaiting approval of contract variation for Phase 1 - Awaiting EA's approval of the CDTA agreement. |
| Geographical Location | Chandra, Elenga, Hatikumrul, Jaydebpur, Rangpur, Tangail |
| Safeguard Categories | |
|---|---|
| Environment | B |
| Involuntary Resettlement | A |
| Indigenous Peoples | C |
| Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects | |
|---|---|
| Environmental Aspects | The project is categorized as B as per ADB's Safeguards Policy Statement (SPS) 2009. An initial environmental examination (IEE) report, including an environmental management plan (EMP) for the Elenga-Hatikumrul-Rangpur Road, has been prepared. The other two components of the investment project (i) enhancement of the institutional capacity of the Roads and Highways Department in road operation and management, (ii) and financing of the cost overrun of the project (Phase 1: Joydeypur-Chandra-Tangail-Elenga) did not require the preparation of environmental assessment reports as there are no physical works involved in the first component. For the second component, an IEE report was already prepared during the processing of the Phase 1 project (Loan 2949). |
| Involuntary Resettlement | Given the significant resettlement impacts, the project is categorized as A for involuntary resettlement. The same categorization is expected for the subsequent tranches given that this is a time-slice approach and all activities have been appraised upfront. |
| Indigenous Peoples | The project is categorized as C as per ADB's Safeguard Policy Statement (2009). The alignment does not affect tribal lands, and the survey confirms that no indigenous person is affected. The same categorization is expected for the subsequent tranches given that this is an MFF with a time-slice approach and all activities have been appraised upfront. |
| Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation | |
| During Project Design | These included 30 public consultation meetings, 15 focus groups discussions, and special consultations in sensitive areas. Moreover, close to 7,000 households were individually surveyed and informed about project impacts. The participatory process helped inform directly affected people and the residents at large about the project, its benefits, and impacts; also allowed for extensive feedback; and ensured that concerns were taken into account in the final design. Overall, people in the project area demonstrated a high level of support for the project. |
| During Project Implementation | TBD |
| Business Opportunities | |
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| Consulting Services | A project implementation consultant will be engaged for construction supervision and capacity development. |
| Procurement | The Mission and RHD discussed the procurement plan for the project. RHD proposed to follow the approach of SASEC Road Connectivity Project. A total of 8 to 10 packages of civil works will be procured. |
| Responsible ADB Officer | Lee, Dong Kyu |
| Responsible ADB Department | South Asia Department |
| Responsible ADB Division | Transport and Communications Division, SARD |
| Executing Agencies |
Roads and Highways Department Sarak Bhaban Tejgaon, Dhaka-1208 Bangladesh |
| Timetable | |
|---|---|
| Concept Clearance | - |
| Fact Finding | - |
| MRM | 30 May 2017 |
| Approval | 16 Nov 2017 |
| Last Review Mission | - |
| Last PDS Update | 26 Mar 2018 |
Loan 3592-BAN
| Milestones | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
| Original | Revised | Actual | |||
| 16 Nov 2017 | 22 Nov 2017 | 03 Jan 2018 | 30 Jun 2021 | - | - |
| Financing Plan | Loan Utilization | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (Amount in US$ million) | Date | ADB | Others | Net Percentage | |
| Project Cost | 663.92 | Cumulative Contract Awards | |||
| ADB | 250.00 | 16 Nov 2017 | 0.17 | 0.00 | 0% |
| Counterpart | 171.40 | Cumulative Disbursements | |||
| Cofinancing | 242.52 | 16 Nov 2017 | 0.23 | 0.00 | 0% |
Loan 3593-BAN
| Milestones | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
| Original | Revised | Actual | |||
| 16 Nov 2017 | 22 Nov 2017 | 03 Jan 2018 | 30 Jun 2024 | - | - |
| Financing Plan | Loan Utilization | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (Amount in US$ million) | Date | ADB | Others | Net Percentage | |
| Project Cost | 50.00 | Cumulative Contract Awards | |||
| ADB | 50.00 | 16 Nov 2017 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0% |
| Counterpart | 0.00 | Cumulative Disbursements | |||
| Cofinancing | 0.00 | 16 Nov 2017 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0% |
Project Data Sheets (PDS) contain summary information on the project or program. Because the PDS is a work in progress, some information may not be included in its initial version but will be added as it becomes available. Information about proposed projects is tentative and indicative.
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