Afghanistan: Transport Network Development Investment Program - Tranche 2

Transport / Road transport (non-urban)

Tranche 2 will finance outputs under both components of the approved MFF:

Component A: Transport Infrastructure Development

a) reconstruction and widening of the approximately 106 kilometer (km) Sapary to Jalalabad Road (the second section of the Kabul to Jalalabad Road), including provision of related design and construction supervision services;

b) rehabilitation of the approximately 32 km Chan-e-Anjir to Gereshk Road, (the second section of the Lashkar Gah to Gereshk Road), including provision of related design and construction supervision services; and

c) reconstruction of the approximately 50 km Sharan to Angoor Ada Road in Paktika, including provision of related design and construction supervision services.

All road infrastructure development projects under Tranche 2 have been designed to include community development and security plans.

Component B: Transport Network Management Capacity Development

a) capacity building for the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) including restructuring support based on a revised business plan and design and implementation of an asset management system; and

b) provision of support for project management and investment program implementation to MPW including procurement oversight, construction and contract supervision, safeguard policy and plan preparation and implementation, and feasibility studies to prepare subsequent tranches of the investment program.

As planned in the approved facility and linked documents, Tranche 2 of the investment program builds upon the ongoing Tranche 1 subprojects and the complementary efforts of other development partners in the sector to further improve domestic and regional connectivity while widening access to social and economic opportunities. Collectively, the proposed three subprojects involve the reconstruction and upgrading of approximately 188 kilometers (km) of roads, each of which has been previously identified as a priority in the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) and subsequent national planning and implementation frameworks.

The rationale for the proposed subprojects include: (i) creating increased capacity for cross border links with Pakistan, which is Afghanistan's largest trading partner; (ii) supporting completion of CAREC Corridors 5 and 6; (iii) completing key national road network radian links between the Ring Road and provincial capitals; and (iv) the dilapidated physical condition of the roads, which impede transport, southern Afghanistan's economy, and regional trade. After years of use and lack of periodic maintenance, the subproject roads are in poor condition beyond repair, thus requiring major rehabilitation. The state of these roads is hindering economic development in the southern provinces, impeding regional trade and the opening of alternative trade routes, and imposing efficiency losses as traffic volumes continue to rise.

In addition to supporting the ANDS, justification of Tranche 2 stems from Afghanistan's strategic geographic center of gravity in the Central Asian region and potential to serve as the nexus between north-south and east-west regional trade corridors. Afghanistan is traversed by three major CAREC corridors, to which the proposed Tranche 2 subprojects support Corridors 5 and 6 providing landlocked Central Asian access to populous commercial centers in South Asia, and major ports in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. An efficient and sustained Afghanistan road network will improve regional connectivity, support increased domestic and international trade, and generate jobs and economic growth. The proposed tranche is consistent with the envisaged outputs, outcomes, and impacts of the investment program and additionally Strategy CAREC 2020 aimed at the development of priority transport routes, increasing trade through transport connectivity, and facilitating cross-border movement of goods.

115 km [Sapary-Jalalabad (33km), Sharan-Angoor Ada (50km), and Chan-e-Anjir-Gereshk (32km) sections) of reconstructed, rehabilitated, and appropriately maintained national and regional highways.

Strengthened Capacity of MPW