Ningxia Highway Project

closed

The objective of the Ningxia Highway Project for China is to provide high-capacity and quality transport connections between targeted development zones and urban areas in Ningxia autonomous region of the Borrower, as well as develop all-weather road access in selected rural areas of Ningxia autonomous region. There are three components to the project, the first component being Guyaozi-Qingtongxia Expressway (GQE). The GQE will connect Guyaozi to Qingtongxia on a new alignment bisecting nine major national and provincial highways. It will also include a bridge over the Yellow River. The highway will connect two major industrial areas at the extreme east and west of the corridor as well as link Wuzhong's and Lingwu's urban areas. These two major industrial areas are the backbone of Ningxia's economy and the engine of its future growth. The second component is the road network improvements program. Under this component, the Bank will finance improvements to national, county and township roads with the aim of improving connections to key industrial and agricultural areas, and improving the feeder network to the existing expressway network. Finally, the third component is the institutional strengthening. Provision of technical assistance to strengthen the institutional capacity of Ningxia in the transport sector through, inter alia: (a) carrying out of a study on road safety, a study for developing an optional long-term strategy for road maintenance, and a study for developing a comprehensive plan for the transport logistics industry in Ningxia; (b) carrying out of training on issues related to the transport sector in Ningxia; and (c) acquisition and utilization of equipment required for carrying out road maintenance in Ningxia.