Eastern Sichuan Roads Development Project

Closed

The principal objectives of the Project are to promote economic growth and reduce poverty in eastern Sichuan Province by lowering the cost of transport, relieving traffic congestion, and improving access in the project area. The Project will (i) reduce traffic accidents and vehicle operating costs; (ii) improve access between Chongqing and Xi'an, two major growth centers in western PRC; (iii) provide additional transport capacity to accommodate growing traffic volume; and (iv) provide improved access to markets and social services in a poor area. The Project has the following outputs: (i) construction of a 143 km, four-lane access-controlled toll expressway from Dazhou to Wanyuan, including access roads, interchanges with toll stations, tunnels, bridges, administrative stations, and service areas; (ii) upgrading of 430 km of local roads to improve access to poor remote areas; (iii) promoting corporate governance by separating expressway construction and operations from the provincial government; and (iv) capacity building in project management, quality control, road safety, and monitoring and evaluation. The key activities needed to realize these outputs are civil works for the expressway and local roads, equipment, resettlement, consulting services, and training.