Tajikistan : Road Network Sustainability Project

Project Name

Road Network Sustainability Project

Project Number

54005-001

Country / Economy

• Tajikistan

Project Status

Active

Project Type / Modality of Assistance

• Grant

Source of Funding / Amount

Grant 0752-TAJ: Road Network Sustainability Project

Source	Amount
Asian Development Fund	US$ 67.49 million

Grant 0859-TAJ: Road Network Sustainability Project (Additional Financing)

Source	Amount
Asian Development Fund	US$ 43.20 million

Operational Priorities

• OP1: Addressing remaining poverty and reducing inequalities
• OP2: Accelerating progress in gender equality
• OP3: Tackling climate change, building climate and disaster resilience, and enhancing environmental sustainability
• OP7: Fostering regional cooperation and integration

Sector / Subsector

• Transport / Road transport (non-urban)

Gender

Effective gender mainstreaming

Description

The project will address the oblast's immediate needs by improving two national arterial roads, namely (i) Dangara-Okmazor and (ii) Hulbuk-Kangurt. The sections link the Asian Highway No. 66 at Dangara and Hulbuk and serve as a vital connector of major economic centers in the oblast. Further, the Dangara-Okmazor section is a part of a key corridor which links with the country's major international road (CAREC Corridors 5 and 6) at Bokhtar. Despite their importance, the roads have not been well equipped with road safety installments and disaster-proof measures. The lack of adequate road maintenance has led to their deterioration. Improving the sections is essential for the development of the oblast in the light of the government's plan to make Dangara the oblast's key economic hub and the oblast's new capital city in coming years.

In 2022, the ADB Board approved the additional financing to scale-up the project's scope. The rehabilitation of the 40-km Okmazor-Bokhtar section is a new inclusion to complete the Bokhtar-Dangara section which is a connector of the Asian Highway No. 66 and CAREC Corridors 5 and 6.

Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy

Importance of transport to Tajikistan's development. Tajikistan is landlocked and bordered by Afghanistan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Uzbekistan. The country has a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of $870.8 in 2019, and about 27% of the total population lives below the national poverty line. Most of the population categorized as poor live in rural areas where transport networks have remained undeveloped, and have stayed isolated from main economic activities.

Need for a balanced development of the road network. Due to underdeveloped railway and aviation subsectors, the country heavily relies on road transport for intra- and inter-regional movements of goods and people. The road network under the MOT's jurisdiction totals 14,339 km, comprising 3,348 km of international roads (23%), 2,127 km of national roads (15%), and 8,864 km of local roads (62%), out of which 77% have been paved. To strengthen connectivity with surrounding countries, the government has prioritized the improvement of international highway networks, which make up CAREC corridors (2, 3, 5, and 6) and Asian Highways (7, 65, and 66). Most of these international roads are in good or fair condition. On the other hand, national roads have remained in deteriorated and unsafe conditions, due to high disaster-prone topography, dysfunctional maintenance systems, overloaded trucks, mixed use of travel modes, and poor quality of original construction works carried out around the 1970s.

Weak economic and physical connectivity in Southern Tajikistan. Such unbalanced development of roads is reflected in the poor state of roads in Khatlon oblast in Southern Tajikistan. The oblast is home to 37.2% of the country's population, the highest among all oblasts/regions. The oblast is also the country's largest agricultural producer. For these reasons, the oblast's development is critical to the overall economic growth of Tajikistan. Meanwhile, the poverty rate is the highest in the country while the human development and income indexes are the lowest. The poor quality of existing transport infrastructure is a key factor behind these socioeconomic challenges.

Impact

Economic growth promoted

Safe and competitive connectivity established across the CAREC Region

Project Outcome

Description of Outcome

Safety and reliability of road network improved in southern Tajikistan

Progress Toward Outcome

Contracts for civil works for the road section to be financed under the additional financing were awarded in February 2023.

Implementation Progress

Description of Project Outputs

Roads in southern Tajikistan improved

Road asset management system database developed

Women's access to socioeconomic opportunities enhanced

Procurement readiness for the road section to be financed under the additional financing enhanced

Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues)

Civil works contracts (Hulbuk-Temurmalik and Temurmalik-Kangurt sections) and a construction supervision consultant contract were awarded in 2021 under G0752. Civil works are expected to be completed within 2023. Road safety measures are being installed at the work sites. Under TA9979, a road safety engineering workshop was organized on 16-17 February 2023, and road safety engineering measures were widely discussed during the workshop. For output 2, the contract of the implementation support consultant was awarded. The implementation support consultant commenced the works in August 2022 to assist the EA in collecting road data to be included in the RAMS database under development. Regarding output 3, the knowledge distribution program was developed in 2022, and a mobile application was designed to distribute information considered beneficial for local women and was launched in 2022. Training will be implemented in 2023-2025, based on the knowledge distribution program. The grant program for selected local women will start after the training is completed. For output 4, civil works contracts under the additional financing (G0859) have been awarded.

Geographical Location

Bokhtar District, Danghara District, Kangurt

Safeguard Categories

Environment

B

Involuntary Resettlement

B

Indigenous Peoples

C

Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects

Environmental Aspects

The section-wise initial environmental examination (IEE) was approved and disclosed on the ADB website for all the project sections. For Hulbuk-Temurmalik-Kangurt and Okmazor-Dangara sections (financed under G0752), the environmental management plan (EMP) included in the IEE was updated as a site-specific EMP by the contractor for each section and approved by the Engineer before the commencement of civil works. The construction supervision consultant monitors its implementation, and monitoring results are documented in bi-annual environmental monitoring reports. The cleared bi-annual environmental monitoring reports are disclosed on the ADB's website.

Involuntary Resettlement

The section-wise land acquisition and resettlement plans (LARPs) were approved and disclosed on the ADB website for all the sections. For the sections financed under G0752, the LARP implementation compliance report was cleared by ADB and disclosed on the ADB website in April 2021. During implementation, the construction supervision consultant monitors social safeguards-related impacts, and the monitoring results are documented in bi-annual social safeguards monitoring reports. The cleared bi-annual social safeguards monitoring reports are disclosed on the ADB's website. For the section financed under G0859, the LARP is being implemented.

Indigenous Peoples

There are no indigenous peoples found in the project area, as defined in ADB's Safeguard Policy Statement 2009, and thus the project will be classified as category C for indigenous people's impacts.

Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation

During Project Design

Public consultations were undertaken during appraisal, which was documented in the IEEs and LARPs. The project's grievance redress mechanism was established.

During Project Implementation

The grievance redress mechanism has been developed for the project, and focal persons have been appointed. Information dissemination and disclosure to the project's stakeholders are ensured during implementation. Public consultations are conducted as necessary to ensure the stakeholders' views are considered. Records of such consultation meetings and received grievances are explained in bi-annual safeguards monitoring reports.

Business Opportunities

Consulting Services

Consulting services will be required for construction supervision for Output 1 and implementation support for Outputs 2 and 3. Consultant will be recruited through a firm on accordance with ADB Procurement Policy and Regulations (2017, as amended from time to time).

Procurement

Procurement of all the contracts through open competitive bidding will be done in accordance with ADB Procurement Policy and Regulations (2017, as amended from time to time).

Contact

Responsible ADB Officer

Nuriddinov, Farrukh Sharofiddinovich

Responsible ADB Department

Sectors Group

Responsible ADB Division

Transport Sector Office (SG-TRA)

Executing Agencies

Ministry of Transport

Timetable

Concept Clearance

13 May 2020

Fact Finding

22 Jun 2020 to 30 Jun 2020

MRM

16 Sep 2020

Approval

19 Nov 2020

Last Review Mission

-

Last PDS Update

01 Apr 2023

Funding

Grant 0752-TAJ

Grant 0859-TAJ